Welding SS fittings into your keg

[JayD]

Hey,
I have spent the last couple of hour cutting out the old 2" keg conector and welding in a four inch ferrule and a drain fitting.

Firstly we placed around two liter of soapy water into the keg to protect the inside, then we started to cut out the old 2" conector using a Ozito a tool similier to a Dremel, it worked ok for what it was but it was not to flash but did get the job done. Five little blak cutter discs and it was out.

cutozito.jpg

Once you mark out the cutting line for the new ferrule position, position yourself to have good control over the cutting, dont forget to wear your safety glasses, when you start to cut, cut about 2mm shy of your scribe line towards the old ferrule because the cutter moves down slightly once it settles into its cut, take your time with this tool as it a cheapie. You blokes that have a plasma,we know its the way to go...but we made do with what was at hand.

I purchased some 2mm SS rods of fleabay and they worked a treat, and ran them around 80 amps, firstly I tacked the ferrule into position checking it was level as I went...dont be afraid to stop start with these rods as they performed very nice, while welding make sure you aim the arc more onto the ferrule as it is thicker moving quickly as these are small rod and the keg is thin steel aswell.. I done this one in around five stop starts...

4%22weldin.jpg

Once the 4" ferrule was welded into place we turned our attention to installing a drain valve so we did not have to handle hot spent wash. We used a step drill purchased from Bunnings which just hung in there, actually it was a let down but it got the job done...the drain fitting was 1" bsp SS.

rsz_stepbitvalv.jpeg

I used the same stop start technique with this drain keeping the heat of the arc mostly on the the 1" adaptor, remember to move quickly while welding so you do not burn through, but if you do just let it cool, clean off the slag and spot weld it up, quick little burst to fill the hole...take your time between welds and you will fill the hole.

drainwelded.jpg

and here is our new flash one A keg...

rsz_finkeg.jpeg

Hope this gives a little insight into doing this modification to your keg, if I can help and i'm online...pm me, if needed, I will do my best to help you.

[caveman]

Nice work there jayD , Its a good use of sum basic tooling it shows it can be done without the use of more expensive equipment .
I do luv the ease of using the plasma though :teasing-tease:
good use of the staino rods they do flow nicely when ya get the hang of it ,i normally give the stop,starts a bit of a grind and over run the weld over itself on the stop ,starts to avoid any pinholes in them :handgestures-thumbupleft:
did ya passivate the welds once finished to avoid any corrosion down the track?

good stuff jayD keep up the great work its great to see more people having a go at the D.I.Y cuss ya get great feeling out of doint ya self

[JayD]

I will take care of that tomorrow as i'm buggered now, and I might just grind and go over my welds to be on the safe side. Here a good read on passivation of SS and why. passivation of SS

[emptyglass]

Good on ya JD.
I'm a bit of a fan of abrasive cutting. Its a bitch to do, but it leaves the sort of finnish for the best welds.

Just watch the "stop-start" technique. If you let it cool too much between strikes, the flux won't melt and you get pinholes. Just go as hard as you dare, and pull any twists out later.

Abrasive cutting, plasma cutting and smoking cigarettes are all about on par for health risk. But I've never liked the health implications of plasma cutting. I'll stick with sucking down grinding dust. At least those particles are big enough for your body to poop out.

I just rip em out with a 5" grinder and cutting disc, then fit a worn grinding disk about 3.5" round on the ginder and tickle it out to the line. I just give the grinding disc a rub on some scrap SS (spear that has been removed is often the target) until it has worn a little. Dont get any contamination then.

[Camikaze]

Awesome post JayD.

This is pretty much exactly where I'm up to with the lamb-cannon I'm currently piecing together. Was gonna have the bits tig'd by some guys at work but am really keen to stick it myself - even if the welds aren't to NASCAR specs/looks. Can always hide the ugliness with my grinder. :-D Been practising my staino stick-welding for a few weekends now with semi-decent results.

How did you ensure the ferrule zapped up square? Level ground and spirit level? Straight-edge? Did you bevel the ferrule or just sit it on flush and tack it on?

Sorry for all the noob-like q's, appreciate the assistance.

:handgestures-thumbupleft:

Cam

[caveman]

Hey cam ,
When i weld up the ferruels to kegs i set up the keg on a level part of the shed floor or bench then use a small level to get the ferruel right and then tack to the keg always checking the ferruel to make sure its still level as when you tack one spot it normally pulls to one side .Three tacks is allways the best bet on a round item to keep it true and level. I also use a flap disc on a grinder ( one only used for staino) to buff up where the welding is going to be as it gives a nice clean de contaminated area to weld and the weld fuses a bit better if done
Great to see your stick welding is commin along now all the best with ya staino welding mate :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[JayD]

Hey cam ,
When i weld up the ferruels to kegs i set up the keg on a level part of the shed floor or bench then use a small level to get the ferruel right and then tack to the keg always checking the ferruel to make sure its still level as when you tack one spot it normally pulls to one side .Three tacks is allways the best bet on a round item to keep it true and level. I also use a flap disc on a grinder ( one only used for staino) to buff up where the welding is going to be as it gives a nice clean de contaminated area to weld and the weld fuses a bit better if done
Great to see your stick welding is commin along now all the best with ya staino welding mate :handgestures-thumbupleft:

pretty much how I done it...when you cut out the two inch take care as it will make a 2"to 4" adaptor just like this one I made to keep it all interchangeable...remember waste not, need not...

cutout.jpg

cutout0.jpg

cutout1.jpg

cutout2.jpg

I have ground all the welds and polished it and it now sitting in my vinegar soak tank, and sorry I did not answer your question earlier Cam as I was busy making this adaptor and doing a cleaning run on somthing I've been working on for a while...photos soon but they will be in the reflux forum...take care. :handgestures-thumbupleft: thanx cavey for taking care of business for me. :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[Camikaze]

Thanks very much for the tips guys.

JayD, cool idea with the 2-4" adapter too. :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Cam

[JayD]

heres the finished 2" to 4" adaptor...

adap.jpg

and our keg, I will add a fill port in a couple of weeks...

kegdone.jpg

for your viewing pleasure... :handgestures-thumbupleft: I dont why the photo of the the keg presents on its side? as it right way up on my desk top??

[Camikaze]

Keg looks real good mate. Adapter turned out nice too.

I bet you're pretty chuffed with doing the work yourself.

:handgestures-thumbupleft: :handgestures-thumbupleft: :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[JayD]

Keg looks real good mate. Adapter turned out nice too.

I bet you're pretty chuffed with doing the work yourself.

:handgestures-thumbupleft: :handgestures-thumbupleft: :handgestures-thumbupleft:

thanx mate...I am happy with the results but not chuffed as I have lost a lot of my skills in this field, oh well practice makes perfect.

[emptyglass]

We all get rusty if we don't do it for a while. Use it or loose it they say.

Don't worry mate, in no time you'll have the slag lifting off the weld by itself again.

[Aussiedownunder01]

We all get rusty if we don't do it for a while. Use it or loose it they say.

Don't worry mate, in no time you'll have the slag lifting off the weld by itself again.

Jees that quote brings back memories i used to do a lot of ss welding and many a time got a face full of slag
i like the others am to old and shaky to do good welds now

[JayD]

We tested (used) our two to four inch adaptor last night and it performed beautifully... :dance: no leaks

adap.jpeg

[Camikaze]

Good to hear bud. I think I might be stealing that idea too. :dance:

Still waiting for my 4" ferrules to turn up otherwise I'd be doing this tomorrow. :sad:

Anywho, caarrn the pies!

Cam

[wedwards]

Just found this thread which is awesome, but a couple of questions for the nuffys like me. Normally I would have someone that could do this for me, but I have the gear myself now from other projects around the house, so want to give it a shot myself. My existing 50L keg boiler needs the 4" ferrule installed to accomodate my incoming Neutraliser, as well as a 4" fill port.

Is the idea with the ferrules to cut a big enough hole so the bottom of it fits slightly inside the hole that is cut in the keg? Seems a pretty basic question, but it would also fit directly on top of my keg by the looks of it, so just checking what is best/preferred practice.

Ive recently acquired a plasma cutter, so any tips if I decide to use plasma? Obviously half fill the keg with water before I start etc.

[bluc]

Just found this thread which is awesome,

+1 great idea with the adapter as well :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[rumdidlydum]

From my experience, weld the fitting on before cutting any hole and make sure you have the clamps to make sure they are far enough apart. :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[Aussiedownunder01]

From my experience, weld the fitting on before cutting any hole and make sure you have the clamps to make sure they are far enough apart. :handgestures-thumbupleft:

yes totally agreed
that's how I always do it

[wedwards]

From my experience, weld the fitting on before cutting any hole and make sure you have the clamps to make sure they are far enough apart. :handgestures-thumbupleft:

so weld it flush to the top of the keg then cut out the centre with the plasma? Ive never heard of doing it that way before, but would help me not screw up the size of the hole