Keggle virgin

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I just got 2 15.5Gal kegs that I’m going to convert into brew kettles and I was wondering a few things before I start. First of all, the kegs are in great condition and I have already had the tops plasma cut off. I have not cleaned the cuts up with a grinder yet but I have the 4 ½” angle grinder that I will use. My questions are mostly about sanding the Kegs down and making them look a little nicer. What sand paper should I use?
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********* Also I have not decided if I want to shoot for a mirror finish or not. So if you know how to do a mirror finish please send me some pictures or a video on how to do it. I was also wondering about SS keg cleaning.
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Thanks guys
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Cheers & Happy Brewing
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Check the DIY section of the forum for Bobby_M's instructions on shining up your kegs (under the project locater). I would paste a link if I could figure out how to... Complete A to Z on how to make them look like a mirror. Awesome

I'm going to be hand sanding and I need to know about grit and all that.

Lamarkid7 said:

I'm going to be hand sanding and I need to know about grit and all that.

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do you mean you'll be using your angle grinder? that's a hell of a workout sanding 2 kegs by hand...

Bobby_M also has an excellent YouTube video going through the process:

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/user/BobbyFromNJ#p/u/14/9Ln-plGzVc4"]http://www.youtube.com/user/BobbyFromNJ#p/u/14/9Ln-plGzVc4[/ame]

Do NOT use sandpaper. Watch Bobby's video and read that thread. You want to buy the Gator Grit stuff from Lowes. Its awesome. I'm in the process of polishing mine and they are almost to the mirror finish.

Ok, I'm glad I asked. So are there different Gator grit pads? Like a rough to fine line of pads?

I found the Gator surface finishing disk pack at Lows.com and also the Gator grit polishing disc... Are these what I need? The Gator grit finishing pack comes with two discs, one tough sandpaper ane one smooth finish...

Are you talking about cleaning up the cuts with sandpaper? If so, that is what I did and just used some coarse sandpaper (not sure the grit as it was what I had lying around for my belt sander). It took like 10 minutes to clean up both keg cuts after deburring with a rat tail file. I tried to dress them up with the grinder but it seemed that hitting the underside of the cut with the grinder and throwing bits of metal out was semi-dangerous.

I was talking about polishing my kegs

Lamarkid7 said:

I found the Gator surface finishing disk pack at Lows.com and also the Gator grit polishing disc... Are these what I need? The Gator grit finishing pack comes with two discs, one tough sandpaper ane one smooth finish...

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You need the yellow backer pad which is what the polishing discs will attach to. They make a black backer pad as well that works just fine under the Gator Grit name. I think the finishing disc pack you saw isn't the one you need. That one has several discs of sandpapers with coarse to fine grit sandpapers. You want the pack that comes with 2 discs that are bue in color and look like furry hair. Looks more like a paint stripper. Comes in either coarse or fine. I only used the fine and went through about 2-3 per keg. Then what you want are the soft white looking polishing discs that also come 2 to a pack. Add some polishing compound that comes in stick form and you're set.

I went to Lows last night and got all the wheels. I got the yellow backer pad, a course set, a medium set, a fine set and the polishing pads. I just need the polishing compound and I should be set to go. I have 2 kegs, you think I could get them done in 8 hours?

Lamarkid7 said:

I went to Lows last night and got all the wheels. I got the yellow backer pad, a course set, a medium set, a fine set and the polishing pads. I just need the polishing compound and I should be set to go. I have 2 kegs, you think I could get them done in 8 hours?

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Good luck. Figure a half-hour for each change in polishing level, per keg.

Lamarkid7 said:

I went to Lows last night and got all the wheels. I got the yellow backer pad, a course set, a medium set, a fine set and the polishing pads. I just need the polishing compound and I should be set to go. I have 2 kegs, you think I could get them done in 8 hours?

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Yes. Your back and hamstrings will get tired from bending over though. I like to lay the keg down on its side and just roll it as I go. I only used the fine blue hairy looking pad to start and it did the job just fine. The coarse will leave deep swirl marks and its not needed IMO. I have a system I go about doing it which makes it quick and effective. I hit all the ribs and grooves first on all the kegs wth the fine pad. The ribs and grooves as well as areas on the top ring by the brewery logos or anywhere there are numbers popping out really tear up the pads. I hit them all first and then grind away with a fresh pad on all the big wide rings. You'll know when the pad is no good because it will start leaving black smudges from the backer pad or glue residue as it wears down around the edges. Once you have them all rough polished with the fine pad then you can start with the white polishing discs and the clay-like polish compound. Start with the #2 compound for the entire kegs. Then change the pad and finish with the #5. Make sure you wipe thge keg down before you start with the #5 compound as the keg will still have #2 all over it.

What is the procedure for cleaning the inside of my keggle?

Barkeepers Friend and a scrub pad. Will clean it nicely. And easily. And cheaply

Ok, will PBW also work because I have that already and I don't know where I could find bar keepers friend.

Lamarkid7 said:

Ok, will PBW also work because I have that already and I don't know where I could find bar keepers friend.

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I just cleaned the inside of 2 of my newest kegs last week and did the following: Cut the tops. Used an 80 grit flap disc on my angle grinder to clean up the burrs and rough spots. Made it so it wouldn't cut me as I touched it. These 2 kegs had stickers with 2007 beer on them. NASTY! I had caked crap all over thinside and thought they were lost. Started with the PBW and a scratch free sponge pad from the grocery store. Filled them and then started to scrub away. After 30 minutes and hardly any residue removed I drained and went for the Bar Keepers Friend (BKF). BKF works awesome and makes it easy. It's best used with little water, allowing it to be more like a paste. It will "shine yo ****" nice in no time.

Bar Keapers Friend can be found in the soap isle next to Comet at the grocery store. Its a gold colored can and costs about $1.50-3.00. Will last you forever. Looks just like Comet.

Brewpatrol said:

Bar Keapers Friend can be found in the soap isle next to Comet at the grocery store. Its a gold colored can and costs about $1.50-3.00. Will last you forever. Looks just like Comet.

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They also sell it at Lowes and Home Depot by the cleaning supplies. $1.50 I believe for a large container.

Ok so I'm gettng started tonight and I need to know what size hole I should drill and what to buy for the weldless valve piece.

Holy cow, every thread regarding kegs being collaborated into one. I'm not one, nor is HBT the kind of place to usually do this, but try searching. Or at least reading the threads given when you ask. All the info about polishing that is known is in Bobby_M's thread.

The best place for a weldless kit is Bargainfittings.com and their site tells you what size holes to drill and how to mount everything. I BELIEVE it is a 7/8 hole for the 1/2" fittings.

I'm pretty sure I can start whatever threads I want, but thanks for the imformation.

Lamarkid7 said:

I'm pretty sure I can start whatever threads I want, but thanks for the imformation.

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You certainly can! You can start any threads you would like. Just please keep in mind that someone (a moderator) has to spend half an hour rearranging all of the duplicate posts (not this thread, seven others that were duplicated all over and were the same)and doesn't really enjoy that.

Also keep in mind that this forum is a friendly, welcoming place and everyone is treated nicely. But if people are snarky, many of us just ignore them. That's fine, but it means that many questions that are actually really good questions aren't answered by the most friendly and knowledgable people.

----Signed by the person who spent all of that time putting all of the duplicate posts into one thread. And got pissed off by the snarky remark.

YooperBrew said:

You certainly can! You can start any threads you would like. Just please keep in mind that someone (a moderator) has to spend half an hour rearranging all of the duplicate posts (not this thread, seven others that were duplicated all over and were the same)and doesn't really enjoy that.

Also keep in mind that this forum is a friendly, welcoming place and everyone is treated nicely. But if people are snarky, many of us just ignore them. That's fine, but it means that many questions that are actually really good questions aren't answered by the most friendly and knowledgable people.

----Signed by the person who spent all of that time putting all of the duplicate posts into one thread. And got pissed off by the snarky remark.

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I'm glad you posted this. I was ignoring this thread since his snotty arse remark to IrregularPulse but since you posted I'll respond out of respect for those who have helped me here and try and "learn" this kid a little sumpin' sumpin'.

Lamarkid, you'll get a lot further in your endeavors and more help with your build by not responding with sarcasm. I know you're excited and eager to get every answer to your questions, as I am too with my build, but you can't come here and go "keyboard warrior" on people with your remarks and expect a positive response when all they are doing is trying to assist you. I laid it out in my first post to you and said to READ Bobby's thread and watch his video's. Yes its a long thread but its definitely worth it. We are all here to help you. Please don't take what I say as a negative response to your post. I'm just trying to help others and "pay it forward" so to speak, as others have done for me. We're a family here.