Keggle Salvation

[hialtitude]

I recently recieved two "keggles" from a friend. His co-worker began to convert the kegs, apparently gave up, and let them sit outside for a long time before they got to me.

They are in rough shape, and now I am wondering what can be done to spuce them up. The tops have been cut... er gnawed off, which need to be smoothed out and the inside and outside of the kegs are very discolored and stained (I hand scrubbed them to no avail). Also there are some dents around the bottom of the keg which makes me worry about their ability to safely hold hot wort without tipping over.

Do I bother with these "keggles" or move on to something else? If I keep them, what can I use to clean/scour them? Any tips for smoothing out a burred rim? Any insight would be appreciated.

Happy brewing.

 

[Anthony_Lopez]

check out that thread...

if they are stainless, you should be able to clean them up fine...

 

[hialtitude]

Thanks for that link, it will definetly help with the apperance.

Can that process be used for the inside of the kegs? Or should I just try to clean the inside as best I can and call it good?

 

[Anthony_Lopez]

it all depends on what you want to do with your keggle... I would give the inside a good cleaning with a soft scotch brite pad and PBW, Oxyclean, w/e you like to clean with. If you are boiling with it, scratches on the inside shouldn't matter since that potential bacteria in the scratch will be killed off at boil. Regardless of what I'm doing with my equipment, I try and be as picky as I can when it comes to scratches...

Just make sure after you polish the keg you get some aviator sunglasses and some bling bling for your teeth... Nothing says fine homebrew like a chrome grill and ice on your neck...

The next decision to make in your case is what you want to use it for... Welding is more expensive, however many seem to feel that weldless connections are inferior. There are others that say it doesn't matter. Regardless, you'll want to install a bulkhead fitting into it to drain from the bottom. Some add sight glasses and thermometers as well...

Grats on the Keggle Acquisition!

Also, Yuri and a few other "big time" members have a wealth of knowledge regarding keggle conversion...

Also, heres a link to my thread on the conversion...

 

[hialtitude]

Thanks, good info.

I am going to use the 2 keggles for HLT and Brew pot. That way I can phase out my turkey fryers and upgrade to 10gal batches at the same time! Now I am researching fittings.

 

[Anthony_Lopez]

fittings are pretty easy... just gotta decide if you wanna go weldless or not... If you wanna do it right, go for a welded system...