JB weld for keggle?

I'm working on getting set up to do 10 gallon batches and I've had an ad up on craigslist looking for Kegs for the past 3 weeks or so. (Only legally owned kegs, lets not do that discussion)

The person I'm talking to right now has two kegs that he had turned into chairs years ago. Turns out this means that there are a couple holes in the lid (no problem there as I"m cutting it out) but there are two holes further down on the keg where he had riveted a bar for your feet to set on; Still waiting for pictures. I don't know how big the hole is yet.

Now I'd like to use one of these for a keggle, and not sure about the other. Would JB weld be good enough to fill those holes and have it hold boiling water? Should I put an aluminum rivet in the hole and also seal with JB weld? Should I just skip this and keep waiting for a holeless keg?

I don't think JB Weld will hold up to the heat a kettle will experience. I could be wrong, though.

Website says 500F.

Are these holes anywhere near where you would place a coupler for a ball valve, site glass, thermo? Most keggles have between 1 to 3 couplers added.

My understanding is that they might be able to be welded if you are going to a welder anyways.

I don't plan on going to a welder since I already have a weldless fitting to put in



I don't yet know where the holes are so if they are in the right place I would use one of them for this. I suppose I should invest in a sight glass but I am very low on money right now (Any DIY sight glasses?)

I have used JB as a patch. However, I chose to also use a couple stainless steel washers as fillers. Basically, I welded the washers over the holes and used a ss bolt to hold them together. I used the JB to wled the edges rather than "fill" the hole.

It looks like crap (even after I shaped it with a dremel) but works like a charm.

Nominal temps for JB (cured) are 500*F with a high point limit of 600*F. So, if the welds are going to be near the flame I imaging it would fail eventually.

It's all speculation until you see where the holes are.

Should you even use Jb weld for brewing beer? I would be afraid it would leach some nastes out.

Your "weldless" kit can be welded. The coupling can be welded into the kettle. You will only be wasting the nut and o-rings. Every thing else will be put to good use. Find a good stainless welder and he can fix the holes and weld in your coupling.

stevehaun said:

Your "weldless" kit can be welded. The coupling can be welded into the kettle. You will only be wasting the nut and o-rings. Every thing else will be put to good use. Find a good stainless welder and he can fix the holes and weld in your coupling.

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Thats a good idea!!!!!

JB weld will withstand the temps of boiling as I have used it to patch a radiator on my tractor.

It is some good **** I love JB Weld

I used JB to seal up the fitting in the lid of my pressure cooker/ steam generator for my steam infusion mash system. It's some seriously tough stuff. To avoid leaching chemicals, let it begin to set. JB gets kinda hot while it is curing. As it cools down, pour boiling water on it or in your case, boil water in the keg for a while to keep it good and hot while it finishes curing. The boiling water will also rinse off the little bit of oily residue that comes out of the stuff as it cures. Maybe rinse the keg out and refill and boil some more water to get it really clean. I would also recomend using a piece of metal to cover the hole and seal it with JB. I don't think it will "fill" a hole effectively, but it will definitely seal/glue a patch extremely well.