Making a keg bigger

[sils13]

So I'd like to have a bigger mash Tun and I wanna cut top of a keg off and the bottom of a keg off and then bring them together weld them up to make one
Hoping mayb some People if any have done this and if so how much of a pain it was hope to get some input thanks

 

[beaksnbeer]

Some one on here did it and it was a pain to clean/stir/lift

 

[sils13]

kk thanx bud it would be awesome but after some digging im thinking it may turn into a bad idea thanx for the reply

 

[outside92129]

I did it, though i didn't use two entire kegs. I mig welded the kegs together with solar flux on the back. SS is a pain to deal with (it's nothing like mild steel at all) so i had a few areas to grind down. In case i had some porosity i silver soldered the entire bead on the inside just to make sure it's clean.

It works well, but you need the right gear. If you don't have the equipment then I'd say it's not worth doing.

 

[Golddiggie]

I was thinking about doing it a while back but the logistics of doing just made it not happen. I don't have an electric welder (MIG or TIG) so it would have needed to be farmed out. I couldn't find anyone willing to do it. I might give it a try, if I get a welder that can do it. Plus set up a jig to hold it in place during the process. Best thing to do involves cutting a untouched keg in half then using inert gas inside while its being welded. Then cut the top for use. Probably cost more to do just that than build up a second keggle mash tun. Or get a larger mash tun to use.

 

[outside92129]

One problem i found is that kegs are often different sizes, even from the same brewery. Add dents to the mess and it's very hard to line up the two parts. Just a few mm difference is enough to consume hours of your time. I was lucky enough that the one of the kegs was small enough to fit inside the other, and they jammed together with about an inch overlap. A few tack welds and i was off to the races. Solar flux is great stuff if you don't have a rig for back porting. You just have to bang it off afterwards. Just mix with water and slather it on, there's a guy selling small batches of the stuff on ebay.

A trip to HF, some gas, and some SS wire is enough equipment to get you going. But like i said SS welding is sooo different from mild steel. I like doing stuff DIY and take pride that my rig is all home grown. Fabricating the setup is just as much fun as brewing, but everyone is different and to each their own. If this is the only foreseeable welding you'll need then it'll be cheaper, faster, and better final product if you just bought a 20gal Blichmann I have to admit that's some pretty snazzy gear!

 

[Golddiggie]

I was looking at getting a piece of 304 stainless rolled to fit the keg. I know it would have been more than trying to put another keg section in, but I wanted it done right. No one was willing to do it for me (I don't have the tools to do it myself). I'm probably going to build up a second mash tun at some point, so I can mash more than 30-32# of grain at a time. :rockin: I have pretty much everything except the false bottom. I hope to at least win one of the dozen that NorCal is giving away. Maybe I'll get REALLY lucky and win the full size one. Yeah, and monkey's are going to fly outta my bunghole.

 

[beaksnbeer]

I was looking at getting a piece of 304 stainless rolled to fit the keg. I know it would have been more than trying to put another keg section in, but I wanted it done right. No one was willing to do it for me (I don't have the tools to do it myself). I'm probably going to build up a second mash tun at some point, so I can mash more than 30-32# of grain at a time. :rockin: I have pretty much everything except the false bottom. I hope to at least win one of the dozen that NorCal is giving away. Maybe I'll get REALLY lucky and win the full size one. Yeah, and monkey's are going to fly outta my bunghole.

Only when the monkey returns to his hole/home.