Yuri's Keezer

Does that plastic T in the pic of post 22 really work to distribute CO2 to two kegs? If so that is much cheaper than than the manifolds and splitters I've been shopping for.

Yuri_Rage said:

Engraved, drilled, and mocked up:

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Very nice! Do you plan on staining the wreaths a darker color so they stand out or just let them blend?

509inc said:

Does that plastic T in the pic of post 22 really work to distribute CO2 to two kegs? If so that is much cheaper than than the manifolds and splitters I've been shopping for.

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They work just fine, why wouldn't they?

Beernip said:

Very nice! Do you plan on staining the wreaths a darker color so they stand out or just let them blend?

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I'm not going to use a different color, but I'm going to apply stain liberally to the engraved detail, allowing it to soak before wiping it clean. Allowing some stain to "pool" and soak into the design will provide some contrast.

509inc said:

Does that plastic T in the pic of post 22 really work to distribute CO2 to two kegs? If so that is much cheaper than than the manifolds and splitters I've been shopping for.

Click to expand...

Works great for two kegs. For a system with more than two kegs, some check valves would be nice but not completely necessary, so long as its well maintained.

You might try burning the routed area with a micro torch and then runing it through a planer or sanding off the surface material I have had great results with this method the resessed areas are very defined and you can kind of shadow with the torch.

Just an idea you might try out on a scrap piece to see how you like it.

I like the idea sanch. I may try it.

Here's the progress today (sorry for the bad lighting):

Here it is, mostly assembled along with one of the granite tiles I'm going to use on the front. I still need to make the top/lid, but that's a piece of cake.

lookin good yuri!

Got the tile cut tonight after work:

Just qurious what machine did you use for the engraving?

Also glaze works wonders for creating contrast in carvings and defanitions. Just be sure to seal the wood well post stain, then apply the glaze and then top coat, or it will take more like stain. most home improvement store stains are designed to penatrate, they will penatrate outwards as well as downwards and kind of make the carving fuzzy looking especially on oak as it has a stranded pourous fiber structure. I like sherwin williams glaze it has a longer open time than the home improvement store brands I've tried. You might have to go to a commercial branch to find it.

After you stain and seal the piece flood the surface with the glaze, work it in to the cracks and crevasses. then with a clean rag buff the glaze off the surface and leave it behind in the carvings. The better the piece is sealed the less the glaze will change the base color.

Subscribed!! Looking great!!

I used a CNC mill with a router attached. Good tip on the glaze.

There's plenty more work to be done, but it's in working order at last! I used some RGB LED strip lights under the taps. They came with a remote that has a pretty broad selection of colors and effects. What you can't see is the piece of 1/2" plywood bolted directly underneath the sheet metal of the freezer lid to reduce the flexing that happens under the weight of the tower.













Mmm...smoked porter...

Love the detailed engraving!

It's taken me months just to do a basic collar for a freezer - I can't imagine doing the tower, lights, etc...

Nice work!

Looks pretty awesome. The link for the CNC didn't work for me. I'd like to check out that build.

Link's fixed.

sweet.

Niiiize!

Yuri,

How has it been pulling a pint from the peninsula configuration? I'm looking to do the same thing and had this concern. Hopefully you have found it to be acceptable.

Thanks

Yeah Id be interested to know how the peninsula configuration works as well. But looks amazing!

No problems whatsoever. It's not hard to reach the middle taps at all.

Yuri_Rage said:

I use argon with my stout faucet. It's much the same as nitrogen (in terms of its properties relative to liquid solubility and pressure), and it's readily available since I weld. It's a little more expensive than nitrogen, but I'd rather have argon on hand since it's a "multitasker" (to quote Alton Brown) in my house/garage.

IP - I just might split the lid as you suggest!

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How do you know the Argon you buy is food safe? I believe all Co2 in US is food safe but curious if you confirmed on the argon...

Food safe gas is a big myth. If it's good enough for welding, it's good enough to eat. Impurities cause weld defects. In fact, most welding grade gases have to exceed FDA standards in order to be useful. From what I understand, Argon is typically not FDA tested, but that's simply because it's not often used in food applications.

Yuri, one more questions and this might be a stupid questions so I apologize but how do you plan to be able to access the keezer? Will the gray part in the diagram be removable to so you have access to the lid? And how did you run the hose up through the lid into the tap tower? THanks again! Im in the process of building something like this and I those are some of the sticking points I have

I'm going to open the lid, just like any other design out there. I'll keep the bar top light so that it doesn't stress the hinges too badly. I ran the lines through a 3" hole drilled in the lid.

Here's the bar top - 99% done:





It's red oak framing a piece of cheap 3/8" underlayment plywood with Pergo-style flooring filling the center. I used the cheapest Pergo-style flooring that Home Depot sells, and it looks pretty nice, IMHO!

I'm going to run a round over bit around it, then stain and clear the oak while it's installed.

I'm not going to encase the entire freezer in wood, as the original design shows. I move too often to spend time on a furniture project that's likely to get destroyed. I may paint the freezer black, instead.

And one more...because I like this one:

Nice!!!

Sweet!

Here's a long overdue, high-res pic of the finished product. Look for it in a possible article feature soon.

Great work!

Thanks, Jester. Austin and I are very loosely collaborating on a keezer article showcasing some of the designs at HBT. Yours will easily top the list!

Did you ever publish that article?

It remains on a "to do" list. You just reminded me that perhaps I should pick up where Austin left off.