put your thinking cap on

now this is just a general question. im a scavanger by nature, call it a poor upbringing if you will, and i was thinking about different things i could create, conical fermenters and such, by going to a scrap yard and doing some do it yourself welding. my question is, is there a way to seal regular steel so it has the same qualities as stainless steel? like not absorbing odor, flavor so on and so forth. i would assume chroming would do it, but then that defeats the minimalist (spelling?) approach.

Unfortunately, no. Palmer goes into detail on the subject, but it comes down to ordinary steel & rust will dissolve in acid solutions, stainless won't. There is a rather complex process involving high temperatures and pressures that will result in forming resistant rusts on ordinary steels, but scratch them & it's gone.

By the way, don't think of it as scavaging: it's recycling and a good upbringing. My dog run has 500 feet of recycled hog fencing, including most of the posts and gates. The only new parts in my kegerator are the taps & hoses. More money for makings!

how did you rig the thermostat control?

Like David said, not much you can do for carbon steel to make it suitable for homebrewing. Stainless steel is a whole 'nother animal.

I, too, have thought about fabricating some of my own equipment when I start some AG batches. I'll probably keep it limited to making keggles and the stand itself. Working with SST at home can get expensive quick (TIG welding machine, plasma cutter,...). But, maybe you have access at work or through a freind.

luckily the base im at right now (offutt afb) has a pretty extensive automotive shop that we have access to. im not sure if they have a welder, but seeing as they have a couple of spray booths, im sure they have a few welders and cutters.

You could try the same thing we do for steel boats in saltwater, a barrier coat of epoxy. Be sure to use epoxy and not polyester resin which will absorb water.

subwyking - The fridge I purchased can't hold a temperature below 45F. I had a controller on it, but that fried itself. Turns out the fridge does a better job all by itself.

I've never heard of people flame spraying stainless over ordinary steels, but if you can get aluminum to stick to cast iron, SS should work as well. You would only have to do the inside and it doesn't require much more than a plasma torch.

subwyking said:

luckily the base im at right now (offutt afb) has a pretty extensive automotive shop that we have access to. im not sure if they have a welder, but seeing as they have a couple of spray booths, im sure they have a few welders and cutters.

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What base are you at, and what service. Im a marine here on guam

usmcruz said:

What base are you at, and what service. Im a marine here on guam

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He already told you! Offut AFB, which implies Air Force. Offut is in Nebraska.

bikebryan said:

He already told you! Offut AFB, which implies Air Force. Offut is in Nebraska.

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I know what it stands for. I think Im pretty familiar with the Military, but thanks

figured you were a devil dog, the name kinda implies it.

usmcruz said:

I know what it stands for. I think Im pretty familiar with the Military, but thanks

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Sorry, but you asked! All the info you asked was in the post you responded to!

I'm retired Air Force myself.

what job did you do bryan?

subwyking said:

what job did you do bryan?

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I worked in medical care (primarily Acute Care/ERs) for 11 years and taught the other nine years.

AETC the last nine?

subwyking said:

AETC the last nine?

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Nope. AMC the last three, AETC the previous 12 (although the first three years of that was ATC, before they changed the MAJCOM name).

Well, I feel obligated to jump in here...

'Nother A.F. Member here checking in.

I'm @ Sheppard, but I'm originally from northeast Nebraska.

Back to the original topic..

How do they ceramic coat canning pots? Maybe you could try doing that. Is that the same as powder coating? If so then the hardest part would be the heat curing.

thats a good question. i know powder coating is heat resistant, and it shouldnt oxidize i would think. (but im no chemist )

merc said:

Well, I feel obligated to jump in here...

'Nother A.F. Member here checking in.

I'm @ Sheppard, but I'm originally from northeast Nebraska.

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I did my AF teaching (nine years) at Sheppard before being transferred to DC. I'm very familiar with it AND Wichita Falls.........

I'm loving it here at Sheppard. Great area, and a brewshop run by true enthusiasts.

As far a powder coating, this place advertises food grade coating. I don't know if it is for coating equipment around a food prep area, or directly coating equipment that comes in contact with the food itself. It can't hurt to call and ask. http://www.uniquecoatings.com/advantages.html