Strange and Odd Kegs

Just bought two of these kegs yesterday. I thought they looked strange when I bought them, but I thought I could convert these into home brew kegs. You can imagine my excitement and the eye roll that I got from my wife when I explained my plans!

Pictures in Link:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/90590115@N04/



Here is some information on the kegs:

They hold about 2 - 2.5 gallons and weigh at least 15 lbs. each. The steel that these are made of is much thicker than usual cornelius or firestone kegs

Labels on the them say "King of Cream" Manufacturer of Whipped Cream Dispensers. Underneath it says something about being a Div. of Swift and Co.

These are high pressure kegs, the label on the back indicates that they are to be operated for whipped cream at 175 psi.

They have pressure gauges on their tops.

My plans for these kegs has changed, I am not going to convert them. Since they are capable of holding high pressure, they might be more useful to someone in their current condition. However, I may just sell them to a more modification minded brewer. When I do sell them, I'll place a listing in the classifieds section of the forum.

I researched and found little information. Very little information. So I'm turning to my fellow brewers to give me a little more insight. Has anyone used or came across any kegs like these before.

Any information is appreciated.

-- Thanks

ipe:

Those look pretty neat, they sound robust as hell and I like the built in pressure gauge (though since the lowest number is 50 psi it's not too useful for this application!). If you're sure they only held food products, I wouldn't hesitate to use them.

Is the dip tube welded on? It almost looks like the inlet already has a corny-style gas post on it! Is that a poppet peaking out?

The base fittings (with the PTFE tape) are almost certainly NPT, so you can always just bring it into a well-stocked LHBS and see what they can do for you. I know you can get posts, you'll just need to figure out what size NPT that is.

If it's 1/4" NPT, you could get a 1/4" MFL adapter like this:
http://www.mcmaster.com/#5482K12

And then a FFL to post adapter like this:
http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/adapter-for-corny-plugs-1-4-ffl-x-19-32-18.html

Then a post like this:
http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/plug-assembly-liq-type-b-all-cornelius-ball-lock.html

It'll be pricey though, I'm not sure how much you paid for these. You should be able to swap out the pressure gauge for pretty cheap.

If you want to keg like a badass, you could just get the NPT to flare fittings, if you have FFL swivel nuts on your lines you'd be able to screw right on. But you'd lose the ability to quickly disconnect and it would be a pretty "balls to the wall" way to go about things.

First off. Thanks for the awesome reply!!! I may have more questions for you.

If you're sure they only held food products, I wouldn't hesitate to use them.

Click to expand...

I don't know what has been in them. But I figured I'd get some PBW and let them soak. It is stainless so guess anything will wash away. Right????

Is the dip tube welded on? It almost looks like the inlet already has a corny-style gas post on it! Is that a poppet peaking out?

Click to expand...

Yes, the dip tube is welded on, it's connected to the the post with the corny style gas post on it. The disconnect is corny style but smaller. And yes that is a poppet sticking out.

I think those look like dairy fittings on there. Not sure, no expert here but a friend has a keg with a dairy fitting and that's what it looks like.

Do they look clean inside? Sometimes things like this are used in labs (you can buy new ones from companies like Alloy Products Corp), and in that case who knows what they held. It could have been a pressurized arsenic solution! My company uses things like this to hold deionized water, but since they're stainless they could hold a lot of things.

PBW should take off all kinds of gunk, but I'd just be worried if these were used with any poisonous industrial chemicals. I remember seeing another thread where a chemist suggested different ways of cleaning glass carboys that had held chemicals in them, maybe see if you can search around for that. I'm an engineer but not a chemist, so I can't help too much

In terms of the fittings: is there an o-ring under that mini ball lock looking post? If that's the case, I'd suggest going to a LHBS that stocks the posts and seeing if any of the different style ball lock posts will thread onto it. Firestone, Cornelius, Challenger, etc. use different threads so maybe you'll luck out.

Thanks again for the replies. Very helpful. My mechanical skills are pretty mundane.

I think those look like dairy fittings on there. Not sure, no expert here but a friend has a keg with a dairy fitting and that's what it looks like.

Click to expand...

Probably is a dairy fitting since these were for whipped cream dispensers or imitation whipped cream. "King of Cream" is written on the label.

Do they look clean inside? .... It could have been a pressurized arsenic solution!

Click to expand...

Yes, they look clean and smell clean. Maybe the scrap yard will remember where they are from. Arsenic Solution or other poisons... I hate the thought. I definitely will research the post you suggested.

In terms of the fittings: is there an o-ring under that mini ball lock looking post?

Click to expand...

No, there is a larger o-ring that fits under the plate portion of the lid. It seals the lid. I guess. You can see it sitting on top, in the last picture.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/90590115@N04/8227010629/in/photostream

If they look clean, and still have dairy fittings on them, you should be fine. My guess is if they were used for something else, the dairy fittings would have been swapped out

re: o-ring under the fitting, I was suggesting unscrewing that post (the notched one) to see what kind of fitting it's screwed onto. I know nothing about dairy fittings, but they seem like they might be similar to ball locks...

I have an odd one, and if I get fidure out how to get it to work for me, I have a line on many more.
So here are some pics...
The posts have a steel piece that fits inside with gaskets on the top and bottom of it. (Shown with gaskets removed) I can not find these types of gaskets at my local shops. They were hard rubber with straight sides, (o-rings won't work beacause they are not thick enough to createa a seal). If you look at the opening of the keg you will notice the lid is shaped differently than standard cornies. The sides are a bit straight instead of a perfect oval. That may help ID it for you (if you seen these around). I am at my wits end and need the help of the Brew-mmunity.