How much did you pay for welding your keggle?

I have been calling around all the local welders in DC/MD area and every single one is saying it will cost $40 per 1/2" coupling! This sounds like an extreme rip off. I was curious how much you paid and what it is you had done.

Also, anyone here in the DC/MD area that would be willing to help me out?

You've found that most welders are not interested in small jobs. They want projects that they can bill 10 hours to.

The best price I ever received was $135 for 9 couplings. My previous keg had 2 couplings and the guy took $50 cash. You just pay more for smaller jobs. If you have any custom motorcycle shops nearby, give them a try. They sometimes employ a part time welder.

I've been doing the same thing but in the Huntsville, Alabama area and I've been quoted about $80 for 4 stainless-steel welds. I actually thought this sounded a little low and have hesitated on biting the bullet for fear they might botch my kegs.

Here's another related yet somewhat off-topic question: I see a lot of people welding in the coupling, but is it OK to weld in the MPT nipple, instead? I don't like the idea of having my ball valve and barbed fitting sticking out 3 miles from the keg and figured welding in the nipple would shorten things up. Anyone successfully done this?

The reason most people use the couplings is because it allows you to make simple adjustments. Most components you will want to add will be male 1/2" connections and therefore mate with the 1/2" female coupling. Also, they sit flat and snug with the drilled hole which allows for a better weld. Last reason I could think of is that the coupling protects the threads from being damaged during storage while the nipple doesn't.

Has there been a discussion about brazing these fittings to an ss keggle? I know someone who had this done and he's had no problems. It will work as long as the design of the fitting is appropriate for this process.

I had three 1/2" couplings welded into my keggle for $47 including tax. I used a custom fab shop rather than a stand alone welder.
I will be sending them my last two kegs shortly.

OK, first things first. Remember, your a home brewer, therefore you have beer in a bottle I assume? I traded a case for all 6 of my couplings, and the tops cut out with a plasma torch. Ask em if they will take beer as payment. It was worth it to me to ask and the guy was more than stoked to agree to it.

Hey ddrouks, the reason to use a full coupling for a ball valve is because when you heat a keg from the bottom the heat goes up the side of the keggle and with a bv that close your sure to be wearing an oven mitt!

50 bucks for three 1/2'' fittings and he cut the top out.

Free, my nephew is a pro welder.

Do you guys buy the coupling then just have them weld it or do they use their own? If u use weldless now and down the road want to make it permenent that is possible correct? Right now I am still adjusting my system the way I want it so want to wait to make sure I will know where I want the holes to go.

PAbrewer07 said:

Has there been a discussion about brazing these fittings to an ss keggle? I know someone who had this done and he's had no problems. It will work as long as the design of the fitting is appropriate for this process.

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This is an interesting idea, given that I have a decent oxy rig rattling around the shop. Aufhauser SA_56 rods look like they would be a good prefluxed brazing rod. Actually most any Cd-free BAg-7 rod would work, but prefluxed makes life easier.

Working temperature rating post-braze is 400F for continuous service, 600F for intermittent, so an inadvertant dry-fire probably wouldn't kill the braze joints.

I just happen to have a boil kettle / HLT that needs a thermowell, and a whole spare keg. I may have to go buy some braze rod and fittings to play with.

Gabe said:

OK, first things first. Remember, your a home brewer, therefore you have beer in a bottle I assume? I traded a case for all 6 of my couplings, and the tops cut out with a plasma torch. Ask em if they will take beer as payment. It was worth it to me to ask and the guy was more than stoked to agree to it.

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Three facts that really screw this idea for most of us;

Welders are more likely to drink BMC than craft brew.
He can't trust that you make good beer.
He'd rather have $75/hr and go spend $18 on a case of MGD.

Maybe it's my location but it's hard enough to get your small job touched with cash in hand, nevermind beer.

I got my three kegs done to be an MLT, a boil kettle and a HLT. All said, I required 4 holes cut into the kegs. He then welded 3/8" stainless steel threads into which I put my copper valves. He also welded a stainless structure for my false bottom to rest on in the MLT. That's not even considering that he had to plasma torch the tops off and smooth the edges. He did a pretty darn good job if I say so myself.

The funny thing was, I was quoted for probably about $120, and though I was ready to pay him, he never had me do that. Even still, I think of his work every time I brew and dedicate my beer to his hard work. Prost!

P.S. I consider myself pretty lucky at times. Got the kegs and false bottom for free from a brewer I worked for and got the conversion done for free. You can't ask for much more than that.

The quoted prices sound about as I would expect if you take this to a welding shop. Shops have expenses, and just because it seems like a small job to you does not mean they want to lose money by working on it.

Man I feel alot better about paying 22 dollars for a roll of stainless wire, and having a friend do it for free, 2 couplings, and still have a full roll of wire for future use!!!!

My folks in the good old hippie days where into metal sculpture. Brass and copper is what they braised together. Must be in the blood but I want to fuse metal together! I was going to pick up a welder this year but !@#$ house is getting expensive to work on. Next year maybe. Then (after alot of practice) I'll be doing my kegs and any/all mods on my equipment. I really like getting my hands dirty playing with dangerous toys at home. I expect my fittings to cost about 600-800 bones for the first weld, then about what, $.25 each after that? >=)

Grimsawyer said:

I expect my fittings to cost about 600-800 bones for the first weld, then about what, $.25 each after that? >=)

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Hahaha, I love your cost analysis.

Hi JDS, ss is such a poor conductor of heat that I can pick up an ss keggle with 11 gallons of wort at full boil with bare hands (using the handles at the top of the keg). I would expect a fitting brazed on the side of a keggle about an inch from the base that is heated to be subjected to temperatures far lower than 400 F. If you have any questions about this contact tech support of the company that makes your brazing rods. They'll know more than employees at your local welding supply store about this particular subject and they won't try to scare you into buying additional, expensive welding equipment. Also, it would be a good idea to abrade (scratch up with sand paper) the surfaces you plan on brazing to give the filler metal something to hold onto.

@bandt9299: It might not be widely known but ss can be welded with ER70S--standard mig welding wire/filler metal. I've done this several times after reading about it in a booklet published by Lincoln Electric and have had no problems. The weld will have a darker color than polished SS but you can grind and polish it as well.

Yeah, I used 80/20 mix and .023 wire to weld mine in. Looks fine.

Cost was about $700 until I bought the gas bottle, auto-dark helmet and wire.

i modify kegs....i charge 35 per coupling....remember if their not back purging those welds their being done wrong

PAbrewer07 said:

Hi JDS, ss is such a poor conductor of heat that I can pick up an ss keggle with 11 gallons of wort at full boil with bare hands (using the handles at the top of the keg). I would expect a fitting brazed on the side of a keggle about an inch from the base that is heated to be subjected to temperatures far lower than 400 F. If you have any questions about this contact tech support of the company that makes your brazing rods. They'll know more than employees at your local welding supply store about this particular subject and they won't try to scare you into buying additional, expensive welding equipment. Also, it would be a good idea to abrade (scratch up with sand paper) the surfaces you plan on brazing to give the filler metal something to hold onto.

@bandt9299: It might not be widely known but ss can be welded with ER70S--standard mig welding wire/filler metal. I've done this several times after reading about it in a booklet published by Lincoln Electric and have had no problems. The weld will have a darker color than polished SS but you can grind and polish it as well.

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DONT EVER WELD ON SS WITH MILD STEEL FILL ROD. UNLESS YOU WT TO RUIN YOUR KEG...YOUR WELD WILL RUST...DONT BE A CHEAP AS GO TO THE WELD STORE AND BUY YOURSELF SOME 308L FILL ROD:rockin:

+ 1000 to what Tigmaster says, NO mild steel filler metal to weld stainless steel ! Unless you no longer want your stainless to be stainless.

Here at WACK I charge 12.00 for a 1/2 coupler Tig welded and back flow.

I drill the hole and furnish the coupler which is turned down on the lathe half its length to - 1.000

Price has been 12.00 for the pass 15 years. So if your close to the shed come by pull a pint while you wait.


God Bless
Dominus Vobiscum
Swagman

got any of these $12 dollar weld pics?

Swagman said:

Here at WACK I charge 12.00 for a 1/2 coupler Tig welded and back flow.

I drill the hole and furnish the coupler which is turned down on the lathe half its length to - 1.000

Price has been 12.00 for the pass 15 years. So if your close to the shed come by pull a pint while you wait.


God Bless
Dominus Vobiscum
Swagman

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Daaauum Swagman.

$12 gets a coupler furnished, turned, drilled, welded AND a Pint of beer?

If I was in your neck of the woods I'd have all my kegs done and a scrap one with 100 coupling in it just from hanging out and drinking beer!!!

Thanks for loving the hobby and passing a screaming deal on to the rest of us

Ed

Ohio-Ed said:

Daaauum Swagman.

$12 gets a coupler furnished, turned, drilled, welded AND a Pint of beer?

If I was in your neck of the woods I'd have all my kegs done and a scrap one with 100 coupling in it just from hanging out and drinking beer!!!

Thanks for loving the hobby and passing a screaming deal on to the rest of us

Ed

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Ed

I just try to help where I can. Being retired reliability engineer and have a shed full of tools coming from times past where you couldn't afford to pay someone else to do the work you did most of it yourself. If you didn't know how ask a lot of questions and figured it out. I'm by no means a Michelangelo when it comes to laying a Tig bead. Those that can do stack of dimes are artist in there own right. Myself I start with a high Freq box and a old forney dc welder about twenty years ago. My welds don't leak and have no sugar on the back side and won't break in normal use, picture aaah you would just lol. Most of the welds I do are fusion. A few years ago I had a King high straight flush to full house and won enough to get a miller 180 SD. I'm almost 70 years old and still learning today if the good lord gives a few more years who knows what I might come up with.

Sugar weld most make more of it than what's really there. Just harder to clean, I know a brewer who has all his pots with sugar because the welder he took it too didn't have a clue. But this brewer brews on and you should see the amount gold metals from the nationals. Myself I have a pot that I goofed and forgot to turn on the back flow and I have a nice looking burn sugar look, but still using it after all these years.


God Bless
Dominus Vobiscum
Swagman

yeah they will work...im a process pipe welder ...so its just my everyday routine

tigmaster said:

yeah they will work...im a process pipe welder ...so its just my everyday routine

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A friend of mine sent me some video of Tig welding pipe it was called walking the cup. Now that was some serious bead work. Number one in my book.

Here is a picture or two of an item I build for brewers.









Ok now you can have a lol I use .030 ss wire for bead and try to lay it flat to keep down any crooks and crannies.

God Bless
Swagman

sweet...yeah i love walking the cup...its my fav tig welding method...