Dremel for cutting Keg

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Nostrildamus

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I seem to recall someone on here saying they cut out the top of their keg with a Dremel. I tried to take the top off the other day with a cutting blade on my angle-grinder and gave up after fifteen minutes of not getting through it.

What exactly did you use and how long did it take?

I'm considering going out and buying one as I need it for other things too and there doesn't seem to be anyone around with a plasma cutter who will take it off for less than the cost of a dremel.
 
Nostrildamus said:
I seem to recall someone on here saying they cut out the top of their keg with a Dremel. I tried to take the top off the other day with a cutting blade on my angle-grinder and gave up after fifteen minutes of not getting through it.

What exactly did you use and how long did it take?

I'm considering going out and buying one as I need it for other things too and there doesn't seem to be anyone around with a plasma cutter who will take it off for less than the cost of a dremel.

Be careful! I burned out a dremmel trying to cut a thick piece of metal.

With a grinder, you need to make several passes.
 
Angle grinders are like $30. Buy one, you'll use it more than you think and it's an uber-cool tool to have.

Take your time with it. Get a couple cutting disks, the thin ones, you'll probably only need one, but get a backup, they're cheap enough. Again - take your time, probably four passes. Draw out the circle you're cutting out - the bottom of an Ale Pail was the perfect size for me.

Or, send it off to BierMuncher - he'll hook you up ;)

4050-poster40548490.jpg
 
Get a pack of the really thin 4.5" metal cutting disks for your grinder. Should take two easy passes, 10 mins tops. Use a grinding wheel/flapper disk and sand paper to clean it up.

Edit, dang an early bird got the worm. ;)
 
Nostrildamus said:
I seem to recall someone on here saying they cut out the top of their keg with a Dremel. I tried to take the top off the other day with a cutting blade on my angle-grinder and gave up after fifteen minutes of not getting through it.

What exactly did you use and how long did it take?

I'm considering going out and buying one as I need it for other things too and there doesn't seem to be anyone around with a plasma cutter who will take it off for less than the cost of a dremel.

I just used a grinding wheel on my keggle... the cutting blade works well if you are not attempting a curved cut. The grinding wheel works on a curve because you are making such a wide swath of a cut (1/8"-1/4"). I'd make one pass to get a "track" ground in and then it should go well from there.
 
I second the grinding disk.
You take more meat out but it's easier and because you make multiple grinding cuts then you get a better cut.

Rest the back of the grinder against the rim of the keggle and use it as a guide.
 
Every time I go to Home Depot, I see the Return rack full of Ryobi angle grinders for half the cost of a new one. Look there first.
 
I gotta say, I've tried both the grinding disks and the thin cutting disks. I think the thin ones were much easier and I ended up with an almost perfect cut. I can't imagine how cutting more metal with a grinding disk could be easier.
 
i used a dermel to cut my keg open. it gets the job done but you need about 15-20 disks and it doesnt cut very fast. it leaves a nice round edge though so i guess thats a +
 
the_bird said:
Angle grinders are like $30. Buy one, you'll use it more than you think and it's an uber-cool tool to have.

Take your time with it. Get a couple cutting disks, the thin ones, you'll probably only need one, but get a backup, they're cheap enough. Again - take your time, probably four passes. Draw out the circle you're cutting out - the bottom of an Ale Pail was the perfect size for me.

Or, send it off to BierMuncher - he'll hook you up ;)


He stated he already had an angle grinder and it didn't do the trick. Maybe it was a cheapo?
 
Ó Flannagáin said:
He stated he already had an angle grinder and it didn't do the trick. Maybe it was a cheapo?
Bad technique, or, more likely, thick cutting disks. Get the ultra thin cutting disks (1/32"). They eat sheet metal...FAST.
 
You could also try a reciprocating saw. They can be tricky at first, but once you get a feel for them, they do a nice job. More manouverable than a grinder.
 
Trust me, the thin cutting discs are the cat's a$$. You don't want to plunge all the way through in one spot then try to move following the circle. That's trying to get a 4" flat disc to make a 6" radius... not gonna happen. You use it to grind away the metal along your cut line in several passes. Even the one I did freehand left a top that is reusable just by tacking on a few SS washers. If you use a grinding wheel that's thicker, you'll just be there longer and make more metal dust and sparks. I cut three tops with the same disc.

I like the youtube tags soooo much:
[YOUTUBE]LthGdMk_avk[/YOUTUBE]

By the way, I know my math is wrong.. it takes 2 minutes 24 seconds per cut.
 
I can't imagine your angle grinder didn't work.I did it yesterday and it too 10-15 minutes tops.Used the .042 4" discs(2.5 of em)and it was SOOOOOO easy!It even turned out nice and i freehanded it.Try it again,it'll work!
Cheers:mug:
 
I used a dremmel with about 10 reinforced cutting wheels. I sprayed the cutting wheel with water from a spray bottle while I cut. It did take a while, and it did go through lots of wheels, but it turned out really nice (almost as nice as Biermunchers :)) Plus, I didnt have to buy any new tools. More money for beer!!!!
 
Bobby_M said:
Trust me, the thin cutting discs are the cat's a$$. You don't want to plunge all the way through in one spot then try to move following the circle. That's trying to get a 4" flat disc to make a 6" radius... not gonna happen. You use it to grind away the metal along your cut line in several passes. Even the one I did freehand left a top that is reusable just by tacking on a few SS washers. If you use a grinding wheel that's thicker, you'll just be there longer and make more metal dust and sparks. I cut three tops with the same disc.

By the way, I know my math is wrong.. it takes 2 minutes 24 seconds per cut.
Nice jig - very nice job. For the inexperienced, you have to be very careful using cutting discs in an angular motion. Thin cut-off wheels are not meant to take any side force, they have a tendency to shatter and can cause serious damage to your body. I would recommend using a full face shield when doing any grinding. I've seen more than one messed up face from an exploded disc.
 
Actually a Dremel will do a great job at cutting a keggle.

You will need the EZ-Lock kit to do it without having to go through 30 cutting discs.

EZ406_lg.jpg


You should be able to finish the job with 3 to 4 discs. I did and it took about 10 minutes.
 
I just used a dremel to open up 2 kegs. Maybe 15 discs and 20 min each. I wasn't timing it but it wasn't to long. Nice smooth cut since the cutting wheel is so small.
 
I snagged a cheapo angle grinder from Harbor Freight along with some thin cutting discs. Worked like a charm on all 3 of my conversions. Sliced through each one in about 10 mins a piece
 
I used a plasma cutter (wish I remembered to relieve pressure).

I need to make the hole wider now to fit my immersion chiller. I am thinking about using one of them 3-pronged air chisels.
$(KGrHqVHJF!FDy,2kw48BR!WmdOd4w~~60_1.GIF


Ingersoll Rand Slotted Panel Cutter 950012


Gross.. just googled exhumation.
 
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