cweston
Well-Known Member
Is there any special equipment or knowledge involved in drilling a SS keg?
cweston said:Is there any special equipment or knowledge involved in drilling a SS keg?
Bobby_M said:Ok, so you didn't specify whether you're using a weldless bulkhead or if you're going to have a coupling welded in. This is important in determining which size holesaw to use.
For mine, I measured the OD of a 1/2" coupling and it was 1" exactly so I went out to buy a 1" bimetal hole saw. Drilled slowly, high pressure, cooling oil as Cheese mentioned. I ended up with a 1-1/16" hole that I still needed to debur. Needless to say a sloppy fit. Tried my second hole (for the thermo) and used a 7/8" bit which after a nice deburring hit the 1" perfectly.
Now, if you're going weldless, I suspect the 7/8" with debur might go a little too large. I'd try it on some scrap sheet metal first. You might want to go down to 3/4 and then file it larger.
cweston said:Thanks for all the good info, folks.
I haven't decided exactly what I want to do--my keggle currently has a 3/8" valve in a weldless assembly. It works fine but is pretty slow. I have a dremel for de-burring so drilling a size smaller might be feasible.
I wonder what a machine shop would charge for drilling + welding. It might be worth it, since bi-metal hole saws are not cheap (and that's not a tool I'd expect to get a lot of general use out of.)
cweston said:Thanks for all the good info, folks.
I haven't decided exactly what I want to do--my keggle currently has a 3/8" valve in a weldless assembly. It works fine but is pretty slow. I have a dremel for de-burring so drilling a size smaller might be feasible.
I wonder what a machine shop would charge for drilling + welding. It might be worth it, since bi-metal hole saws are not cheap (and that's not a tool I'd expect to get a lot of general use out of.)
Bobby_M said:I picked up a bi-metal multi size kit from Mcmaster.com a while back. It's nice to have the variety and I use them all the time. If you're going to have couplings welded, I'm sure the drilling would be a small incremental charge. I was charged $50 for two couplings welded in. I overpaid but he agreed to do it on the spot while I waited so I caved. I was tired of driving around with the keg.
People will always suggest to offer up some homebrew but maybe it's a regional thing. No one barters for beer around here. They just kept looking at me funny like, "if I wanted a six pack, the liquor store is down the street" (read: BMC drinker).
casebrew said:Know any electricians? They use a punch that you assemble through a 3/8" hole, then turn the nut with a wrench. It's called a "chassis punch". Quiet.
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