Greenlee 13/16 Round Knockout Punch Unit- Pass-around?

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akthor

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So I have been researching a lot with the building of my Brutus 10 type system and I decided to get a Greenlee 730BB-13/16 Standard Round Knockout Punch Unit as per the electric brewery instructions. I need to make 10 holes in my kegs and I am not sure of my skill with a step bit so I figured less than $40 to have 10 perfectly sized burr free holes was worth it.

Really tho after I make my 10 holes I am not going to be using this thing much if ever so I was thinking we could do a pass-around with it and other HBT'ers could use it. So if anyone is interested in a couple weeks when I have made my holes whoever is first Paypals me $10 ($8 for USPS if it fits it ships box + hassle of going to the PO) for shipping and off it goes to them. All I ask is when you are done with it you get the next guy in line to send you $10 and you ship it off to them and so on and so forth. After it's run it's course I will pay the last person $10 to ship it back to me but hopefully it just goes on and on and on ;)

So what do you guys think?
 
Definitely interested. I'm at that point to start puttin' holes in my two kegs.

Paypal acct? PM if you want.

Todd.
 
Where did you order this punch? I'm looking for a different size punch, or else I'd send you the $10 to use yours. This is an awesome idea and another reason I love this forum. If I decide to go electric I will definitely remember this thread. subscribed! Maybe this should be sticky'd somewhere on here.
 
No need to send me 10 bux yet I haven't received it yet. But you are first on the list, after I make my holes we'll arrange shipping it to you.

Definitely interested. I'm at that point to start puttin' holes in my two kegs.

Paypal acct? PM if you want.

Todd.
 
I ordered it thru Amazon, Ebay had a few different sizes as well.

Just to clarify you wouldn't send $10 to me but to the next person on the list which would be Jonescreek ;)

Where did you order this punch? I'm looking for a different size punch, or else I'd send you the $10 to use yours. This is an awesome idea and another reason I love this forum. If I decide to go electric I will definitely remember this thread. subscribed! Maybe this should be sticky'd somewhere on here.
 
I love this idea! I've been asking around for a punch as well. Not entirely sure what size I need yet as I just started compiling parts for my e-kettle build. My biggest problem is I don't have much for patience so I will probably source one from an electrician friend or buy one on the cheap. If I do end up purchasing one I'll add it to the pass around!!
 
Check out the Electric Brewery, the size I got is the size for weldless bulkheads they list a different size for the electrical elements.

[QUOTE=CannibalAJ;3738324]I love this idea! I've been asking around for a punch as well. Not entirely sure what size I need yet as I just started compiling parts for my e-kettle build. My biggest problem is I don't have much for patience so I will probably source one from an electrician friend or buy one on the cheap. If I do end up purchasing one I'll add it to the pass around!![/QUOTE]
 
GRRRRRRRR So I got my "used like new" Greenlee hole punch from Amazon and the friggin threads are all
****ed up on it! the cutting part will only screw on about a 1/4" before stopping and no amount of force I can exert will make it go any farther.

So I saved $15 bux instead of buying a new one by getting the used one, lesson learned I guess. I managed to seperate the washer/bearing assembly from the main shaft. I am going to head into to town and see if I can find a grade 8 bolt to replace the one with messed up threads and get this to work. I don't want to spend the time waiting for a refund and a replacement since Amazon free shipping is sllllooowww took over a week for this to get here as is.

I will post back later whether I am successful.

Also I am building this jig today:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/simplest-keggle-cutting-jig-143048/

With the Greenlee pass around I will include the keg cutting jig that way folks can cut the tops off and make their bulkhead holes all at once. Seems silly for us all to buy the stuff.

Hell after I polish my kegs I will include the grinder and backing wheel etc. Since once I have polished my kegs, cut the top off and put the holes in them all this stuff would sit in a closet collecting dust and I would never use it again. I'd rather see it go to people to help them with their rigs then just sitting not being used.
 
Found very expensive that too!

I'm located in Italy and not open to spend such high amount for making just some holes...

I've found a quite cheaper alternative, shipped from UK

THIS

I'm successfully using this with my kettles, probably not the same top-of-the-art quality of the greenlee, but well enough for my needs

cheers

gm
 
Wish I had seen that before. Didn't have much luck at the hardware store. Monday going to see if a machine shop can tap and die it real cheap, if it's more than $15 it's going back to Amazon and I will get a new one. I'm really frustrated and the fact that they sold it listed as new and then you can't screw it more than a 1/4" cuz the threads are so messed up really makes me angry. But at this point I just got to try and make it work if I can if not return it and start over.
 
Good news! Took the Greenlee to a machine shop today and they drilled and tapped and cleaned up the threads so that the unit functions properly now. Only cost me $10 bux which is what I saved buying a used one over a new one grrrrrrrrrrr :mad:
 
Ok, I definitely might borrow this when u are thru, or when the next person is thru. Awesome find and glad you to it to work
 
modobrew said:
Ok, I definitely might borrow this when u are thru, or when the next person is thru. Awesome find and glad you to it to work

Off topic, just browsing. Love the avatar!! Lol. Ok. Back to beer.
 
Sounds like a great idea, but unfortunately will prob get sold on E-Bay by some thief .

But i will keep up and maybe participate in a few weeks. If you can keep it Straight, Great idea!!
 
Well hopefully anyone in here who participates will be a decent person and respect the pass around.

Like I said what I think I will do is put it all in a box, the grinder, the jig for cutting the tops off the kegs, the greenlee, pilot hole bit, smaller unibit (I need to buy to make the smaller holes for my sight glasses) the backing pad and whatever I have left for polishing supplies.

That way someone would have everything they needed to polish, cut, and put holes in their kegs.

People just pay shipping to get the box to them. Seems like a better use for this stuff than it sitting on a shelf in my closet ;)

Be a couple weeks till I will be done, once I get the kegs polished the cutting and putting holes in the kegs will only take a couple hours if that. But polishing them is the tedious time consuming part but I gotta say the results are well worth it!
 
akthor said:
Well hopefully anyone in here who participates will be a decent person and respect the pass around.

Like I said what I think I will do is put it all in a box, the grinder, the jig for cutting the tops off the kegs, the greenlee, pilot hole bit, smaller unibit (I need to buy to make the smaller holes for my sight glasses) the backing pad and whatever I have left for polishing supplies.

That way someone would have everything they needed to polish, cut, and put holes in their kegs.

People just pay shipping to get the box to them. Seems like a better use for this stuff than it sitting on a shelf in my closet ;)

Be a couple weeks till I will be done, once I get the kegs polished the cutting and putting holes in the kegs will only take a couple hours if that. But polishing them is the tedious time consuming part but I gotta say the results are well worth it!

I think this is a good idea, however, I'd hate to shipping for all of that, when all I need is the punch. Maybe do the punch separate from all the cutting and polishing tools? Just a thought.
 
Understandable, everyone cuts and drills their keggles not everyone polishes them, probably best to split them up. Won't be expensive to ship either way since USPS has those if it fits it ships boxes.

Certainly way less expensive than buying the stuff outright.
 
If I have said it once, I have said it a million times: If you need a tool that you will only use once or twice, rent it! It will be FAR cheaper than shipping the darned thing all over the country, and you won't have to wait for it to arrive. There are rent-it shops in every little burg in the country.
 
I am not trying to make any money out of this, if anything in the end I lose money by doing it since I have to pay the shipping to get the stuff back to me.

A greenlee punch is $40, a unibit is $20 - $40, my Porter Cable grinder was $50, the backing pad was $15, not to mention whatever misc cutting/polishing supplies I would have left I would throw in, the bottle of cutting oil for instance. I bought it all new. What will I do with with it when my keggles are finished? Just thought I could help someone out and they wouldn't have to buy everything like I did.

If a rental place even rents a Greenlee punch I don't know what it costs but it can be shipped USPS in a if it fits it ships $5 box.

I was into audio for years and a car forum too and we did stuff like this to help each other out all the time. There are some really nice and helpful folks on this site but the more I am on this site the more convinced I am that the home brewing community is not like other forum communities I have been a part of :(
 
So I used the greenlee to put the holes into my 1st keggle, does work amazing, nice clean hole no need to grind off any sharp edges.
 
I'd love to use the punch. I've got three kegs in need of holing (is that a real word??) and a stepped bit still in the package for fear of my screwing it up. To whom do I send the paypal cash?
 
It'd be me. Give me til the end of next week and I will have all my kegs holed. I will also send the stepped bit I bought to get the pilot hole done (I also had to use it because the sight glasses require a smaller hole than the step bit) and a bottle of cutting oil for using the stepped bit.

Then whoever was first on this thread if they still need it gets and so on. I will post next week when I am done and ready to ship it out to the first person for the pass around.
 
I have gotten behind on my build since I just moved, I just have my last vessel to finish which I plan on finishing this weekend.

Sorry for the delay guys. Next week I will start contacting folks to start the pass around.
 
OK guys finally got all my holes punched so who wants the greenlee first?

I will send the greenlee and the bits I bought to make the pilot holes and to use for smaller holes like sight glasses.
 
I might want to be the first. Let me see if I need a 13/16 or something smaller. I have a few fittings to install so this may work for me
 
To follow up with what i said one post up, I would def like to be first in line to get this punch from you if possible. I have confirmed that the 13/16" size will indeed work for me. Please PM me and let me know how you would like to handle it. Thanks!
 
Yeah sorry for the delay guys. With moving the end of the semester it was tough finding time to finish up my rig.

The punch and step bits are on their way to Modobrew so when he is finished we will figure out who needs it next.
 
Keep me in the loop. As I mentioned, I have a couple of guys here that need kegs punched, so I could knock out several in one stop.

Do those things get dull after doing several punches? What's the useful life of it?
 
Hmmm not sure I don't notice it's any duller after punching 11 holes in my kegs. Didn't seem to take any extra turns to get it to punch thru as I went. I think perhaps it's made of hardened steel so it's harder than the SS the kegs are made from?

I had to use a step bit to make the holes for my sight glasses and having to debur the holes after I made them was a pain. The punch makes a clean perfect hole everytime. Was it worth the extra cost over a step bit? If mine had arrived perfectly and not required a trip to the machine shop to get working than yes it is?

But they do still cost a ridiculous amount of money so that's why it seemed silly to throw it in a junk drawer and never use it again. Glad folks can get some more use out of it.

JonW if you have several guys that can use it you should definitely get it next PM or email Modobrew to arrange for him to ship it to you next. Just PP him $5, the punch a step bit, cutting oil, and a ???? the word escapes me? a thingy to make a dimple so the drill doesn't skid when making the pilot hole? All fit in a small USPS priority box which was like $5 and change to ship.
 
So, how is this getting passed around (decision on order)? Akthor, I was expecting a PM from you as I was first to reply. Not trying to be pissy, just curious.

Does the "kit" come with a flare/dimple tool to expand the hole to the size of the coupling to be added? I/we could add one to the box of goodies as it goes around.
 
Sorry man I haven't been too organized about it I took so long getting it started I figured most of the early guys got something else to do it with. My bad.

Modobrew has it now so PM him and you should get it next then JonW if no one from earlier posts.

No flare or dimple tool since I went the weldless route.

So, how is this getting passed around (decision on order)? Akthor, I was expecting a PM from you as I was first to reply. Not trying to be pissy, just curious.

Does the "kit" come with a flare/dimple tool to expand the hole to the size of the coupling to be added? I/we could add one to the box of goodies as it goes around.
 
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