My $30 Craigslist Freezer - A Love Story

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Dude! Spray cans can and do work if you make a couple of adjustments. (I am new to brewing but been restoring old card for years!) If your surface ain't slick, the paint wont be no matter what you do to it. Take the time to get all the dents out (or fill them in). Use a good epoxy primer if you can. Most importantly (and this may salvage your current project) you have to put several coats on, color sand with a really super-fine grit (800 or more) then recoat and use an even finer sandpaper or even use a buffer and a extra fine compound. The trick is to build up enough coats to be able to sand without penetrating the finish down to the surface. A nice clearcoat also helps. The problem with spray cans is that the spray is somewhat inconsistent, so you have to build it up enough to level it out. Ya want 1st class, ya gotta spend the time! Most freezers have a rough, veined finish. That's why I went with the vinyl wrap over stock white. I had a UV laminate added to it for about an extra $50 to protect against the sun and weather (my kegger is on the covered deck next to the pool) and it works like a dream. Good luck and, more importantly, HAVE FUN!

I knew a car guy was going to pipe up. Yeah, I've done it with a car, but I'm just not sure I really want to put that much effort in to a '68 Whirlpool.
 
Haha i just put the primer down waiting to dry before hitting with chalkboard. I was trying to tape off the edges and seams make it look nice but the satisfaction said eff it i like it all black haha so i just primed the whole thing

You definitely need to post some update pics.
 
I will post some pics up tomorrow. Primers drying and i.have to cut a hole for the temp control box. Just got my sump fan in today and gonna mount that up as well.
 
New Pics!

I did a bunch of work today on my keezer project, including painting the main chest. I also put some paint on the collar. I was thinking that I wouldn't need to have the collar on for the party next weekend, but last night I realized I was going to need it on so that I could mount my secondary regulators.

I'm waiting on the UPS truck for my new primary regulator, disconnects and thermostat. I also still need to do a bit more painting on the collar. At some point today I need to clean two kegs, transfer one of my beers in the fermenter into secondary to dry hop and transfer the other in to a keg. Hopefully I will be able to move the keezer in to the kitchen tomorrow and get everything put together and cooling.
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few update pics hit the keezer with two coats of chalkboard paint drying the second right now.

Pic of my free keg and the blower ill be using to move air.

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Yeah, exactly. That's why I went with the vinyl wrap. Didn't cost me much more than paint supplies and was one HELL of a lot faster! And you can do almost ANYTHING with vinyl. I've even used it on cars a few times when what I wanted to too intricate (or time consuming) for airbrushing!
 
Looks great, dude! I think I'd still hit it with a topcoat, if for no other reason to keep dust from attaching to it. That satin type finish tends to attract dust and pollen. BTW: if you wanna add some graphics you can still do vinyl. By picking them up and installing yourself (really easy to do) you can save serious money. Now...I still gotta sell the whole multi-keg thing to the ole lady.....thanks, bro! LOL
 
I ran it by her and my wife shot down the vinyl idea. I think that she wants it to be either black or skinned with wood.

She actually helped me bring it in to the house this afternoon. My parts came in and I started putting it together.

I got the regulators all hooked up and everything was looking great. Got the thermostat installed no problem. I attached the lid and there were problems. There was a gap in weatherstripping in the right front, so I looked around back and the back right corner of the collar was separated. I guess I'll be making another trip to Lowes for a brace - but not tonight.

Here's a link to a small album
 
I'm trackin with ya Bro! Gotta keep the other half happy! Looking great, though! I like the satin type finishes. I'm workin on a 79 Ford monster truck that I'm thinking satin paint and green metal flake old-school flame. Old hot rods look really nice in satin paint, and I'm thinkin so will an old-school kegger.......dammit, got me thinkin again.......we gotta stop talkin! LMAO!
 
I'm trackin with ya Bro! Gotta keep the other half happy! Looking great, though! I like the satin type finishes. I'm workin on a 79 Ford monster truck that I'm thinking satin paint and green metal flake old-school flame. Old hot rods look really nice in satin paint, and I'm thinkin so will an old-school kegger.......dammit, got me thinkin again.......we gotta stop talkin! LMAO!

A house I used to own came with one of the old '50s Kelvinator refrigerators down in the basement. I wanted to keep that thing when we moved, but it weighed a ton. Would've made an awesome kegerator.
 
A house I used to own came with one of the old '50s Kelvinator refrigerators down in the basement. I wanted to keep that thing when we moved, but it weighed a ton. Would've made an awesome kegerator.
Yeah, I got snookered on ebay. Bought an old refer that had been converted. Guy was supposed to be a commercial refridge servie tech and said he had "rewired, reinsulated, and upgraded the system to the modern refridgerant"... Lied is ass off. The thing wouldnt work more than a day or two. finally got a partial settlement out if him through PayPal (still lost a couple hundred bucks), THEN had a local guy look at it who told me if he'd truly modernized it, would have had to replace the compressor (not done). Started to just junk it, but thinkin I may just go ahead and fix it up (and do it right), just because the thing looks really cool!
 
Well, I just rebuilt the collar and plugged it back in. We'll see how it goes this time. I think I'm going to have to put some washers on the hinges to act as spacers. It's pinching the freezer gasket in a couple of places and I don't want to have to readjust it each time I open the lid.

I also put some black electrical tape on the outside of the gasket (the gasket was white and really stood out when the lid was closed) to hide it. When I compete the collar and put the 1x6 oak facing on it you shouldn't be able to see the gasket at all.
 
Nice buddy I'm pacing back and forth waiting for all my stuff to show up
 
Update: Ok i got my kegging supplies this morning so yay to that. Still waiting on my damn temp controller but am crossing my fingers its down at my PO box. Im working right now so in a couple days ill be back to building. I need one more keg to complete and now i just realized i need to brew to put something in there haha.
 
DUDE! That thing is WICKED cool! Love the color. You gonna graphic it up or just go as is? Looks great just like it sets, or I can imagine a thousand different ways to jazz it up!

After I built mine (and got it well broke-in this summer) I've had the urge to do more/different/bigger. The idea of adding a whole bank of taps I'm definitely stealing! Think I'm gonna change out my 2 tap tower to maybe 8 or 10, then keep a keg of Badweiser for the tap-kitties and keg my own varieties for the others. Thanks for the idea (though my wife ain't sure she likes you very much! LOL) I've also been thinkin something really radical in coloring, and I like the foundation you have here to work with. Maybe I need to build me a 2-4 keg setup and build it into the monster truck I'm working on...how cool would THAT be? I can already see the wheels turning....
 
I picked up a 100 pound pig this morning for the Pig Pickin'. I plan to start the grill at around 4:00 tomorrow morning, should be ready tomorrow afternoon. My Cascade SMaSH is ready and the dry hopped version has been force carbing since Wednesday. I also made a Orange Cream soda from a recipe I got at https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f95/recipe-natural-orange-cream-soda-133260/. The soda is force carbing as well, and right now just tastes like sweet orange juice.

So far the freezer is working well, the only issue I have is that the temp is swinging between around 37 degrees and 51 degrees. I have the thermostat set around 30 degrees because the minimum temp was only getting to about 39. The temp probe is in a quart mason jar filled with water. I thought that would help keep the temp pretty consistent. I may have to rethink my thermostat choice when I continue building the keezer.

Updates are also going to come a bit slower here soon. I am starting a new job on Tuesday and will be out of town for the next couple of weeks.
 
Awesome man. Wired up my temp controller yesterday while brew just an ipa and stout. So close haha
 
Takes a while to get the settings stable. I had the same issues @ first but stabilized @ average of 36, perfect in my opinion! Who gives a rat's ass what temp the controller says... Get it like you want it & call it all good!
 
Here's mine finally done now just waiting for the other keg and my brews to get done

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Sorry guys, this new job is kicking my ass. Haven't had a chance to brew since August let alone time to pretty up the keezer.

I was out of town for three out of four weeks in September and my wife was out of town the remaining week so I had to take care of the kids.

But, the keezer has been operational and dispensing beer while I am here. It doesn't appear as though I have any CO2 leaks and the compressor hasn't **** the bed. I should also say that our Labor Day party went over well and the keezer was a big hit. The pork was pretty good too.
 
Same old story, work is still kicking my butt and I haven't brewed since November.

My wife got me some Perlick faucets and shanks for Christmas so I'm not having to use the picnic faucet now at least. I have come to the conclusion though that I am going to need to make a new collar for it. Because of the hinge design of the freezer it puts a lot of pressure on the collar when it is opened and closed. So in a way it's kind of lucky that I wasn't able to complete the thing last fall and make it pretty since I would just have to start all over again anyway.

I promise though, I will update this thread when I get back on this project.
 
Keep chugging away bro its worth it when its all done. Mines still going strong it aint the prettiest but im not picky about my beer servers haha
 
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