Keg lubes

I'm out of keg lube and I went though my house looking for something that could work.

All i could find is a small can of Bag Balm that my wife uses on her fresh tattoos.

Could there be a problem using Bag Balm, or Tiger Balm as keg lube? Or how about petrolium jelly?

I don't know about bag balm, but petroleum jelly eats rubber. Didn't you pay attention in health class?

the_bird said:

I don't know about bag balm, but petroleum jelly eats rubber. Didn't you pay attention in health class?

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So does yer ma!



You don't *need* keg lube.

Ah, ahem, uuuuuuh..... Got any KY jelly? *cough*

You want a food grade mineral oil lube. I use a tube of stuff I got at www.austinhomebrew.com. You might be able to find something similar in the drug store for use on "sensitive areas."

I think Chapstick and products like it (Bag Balm, Carmex, etc) have petroleum jelly and/or paraffin in them, neither of which are good for rubber.

When I need some keg lube, I "borrow" a little from work. I cook for a living. We use food grade lubricant on the moving parts of our meat slicer. If you have a restaurant food or equipment supplier locally ask there. I think the smallest tube you can get is about 4 ounces, but you will never have to buy any again. If you know someone that works in a restaurant, try talking them into putting a little into a plastic portion cup for you.

Wayne
Bugeater Brewing Company

I've had a lot better luck sealing the lids with a light coating of lube on the big O-ring. You may not NEED it, but it's a nice insurance policy for about a hundredth of a cent per keg cleaning.

digdan said:

I'm out of keg lube and I went though my house looking for something that could work.

All i could find is a small can of Bag Balm that my wife uses on her fresh tattoos.

Could there be a problem using Bag Balm, or Tiger Balm as keg lube? Or how about petrolium jelly?

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Tiger Balm? That has camphor, menthol, cajuput oil, mint oil and clove oil in it. Are you trying to make a spice beer?

In a pinch I might use mineral oil, in a real pinch I might use canola, but anything marked "for external use only" probably isn't a great choice for keg lube.

Go to your local hardware store and buy some silicone faucet lubricant. I think it is the same as keg lube. Keg lube sounds fancier so it costs more.

http://www.brewersdiscount.com/item153481.ctlg

$2.75 for 4oz. Will last for about 4500 keg rebuilds.

Doesn't rubbing this stuff on make it not sanitized anymore?

I doubt much of anything can live in keg lube, so I wouldn't worry too much about it.

Would the antiseptic qualities of Bagbalm make it a good, or bad choice for keg lube?

digdan said:

Would the antiseptic qualities of Bagbalm make it a good, or bad choice for keg lube?

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A major ingredient of bag balm is lanolin, a water soluble oil. You don't want that getting into your beer. It may be sanitary, but it will kill any head on your beer.

Wayne
Bugeater Brewing Company

Ok, I'll wait until my Brown Ale is done aging and I'll let you yall know how it turns out. If its headless I'll stash it outside the back of the homeless shelter in gallon jugs.



One mans trash is another mans treasure right