Slot Keg for 15" FB?

I'm in the process of converting some new kegs for my new all-electric system. I'm planning to make these inverted so I can drain out the bottom by attaching a 2" tri-clamp fitting.

I want to keep as much of the pellet hops and break material out of my plate chiller as possible. So, for the BK I intend to try 2 sheets of perforated metal riveted together as a 15" round false bottom. The bottom sheet will be 14ga SS, 1/8" holes, 40% open area, and the top will be 22ga SS, 1/16" holes, 40% open area. I'm having to go with 2 sheets since you can't buy heavy enough steel with small enough holes. I have screen gaskets at the 2" outlet to catch debris that might get by. I'll be using a heatstick on top of the FB, which I'll remove when I start recirculating through the chiller.

So now to my question. I know BobbyM and some others have slotted their kegs to slide in the FB whole (without hinges), but Bobby's thread is missing the pictures. He said something about the keg deforming when he did this. Can anyone provide some more info on doing this? Has anyone done it without the keg deforming? Any other thoughts?

Also, I'm considering the same 1/8" holed sheet for my MLT (since I'll have some left over. I know Jaybird and probably most others use 3/32" holes. Has anyone used 1/8" holes with good results?

Thanks

BH

I used the 1/8" hole on my MLT as I found one cheap. Never really liked it as it took longer to get clear wort. Then I solved the problem by using a Voile BIAB bag and now the hole size does not matter, clean up is much faster as well. $5 or less in material and put the wife to work on the sewing machine!

For my MLT I made a two piece FB so that it would fit the keg perfectly without the need for slots. It's more stable and sturdy than most of the other FB's I've seen. Not sure if it would work for you depending on how much space you want between the two, but it's a pretty simple design.

You know, its easy to get so caught up in building equipment that you overlook the simplest solution. I hadn't even thought about the Voile bag, but that does make things alot simpler. I think I'll still use the 1/8th holed sheet to keep the bag off the bottom and allow better flow in the MLT. But I can easily put a hinge on it then and not worry about how perfect the sides meet up.

You also got me thinking differently about the BK. Maybe I'd be better off using my sawzall to cut the entire bottom out, then I wouldn't have to worry about cutting slots. The BK doesn't need a lid, so there's no need to cut the hole smaller. Thoughts?

A smaller opening in your BK will give you less boil-off. But that's easy to remedy with a large opening by just adding more water. I can't think of any other down sides. Then again, I haven't finished my first cup of coffee yet...