Keggle weld questions

Im gonna go ahead and get 1/2" couplings welded into my keggle instead of weldless. The question I have is does the fitting have to be welded on both sides of the keg wall? The welders I have gotten quotes from have told me that getting under the coupling will not be possible.

 

I TIG weld mine on the outside of the keg only. If it's a full coupler where you want to thread something in from the inside (pickup tube connector), I make the hole in the keg just a big enough to pass a nipple thru the keg wall and use that to center the coupler for tack welds. Then, remove the nipple and complete the welding around the coupler where it meets the outside of the keg wall. If you purge the back side with argon it will minimize "sugaring". The "sugar" can be cleaned up pretty well with abrasives - I keep those flap discs / wheels separate from those I use on carbon steel to avoid embedding particles which will rust.

Half-couplers only require a hole in the keg large enough to pass whatever is threaded in from the outside like a thermowell or thermometer probe so they're just a wee bit easier.

 

Just weld the outside of the coupling. MAkE SURE THEY PURGE THE BACK SIDE OF THE WELD. If they can't just do a weldless bulk head.

 

What does it mean to purge the backside?

 

Good question!!!

 

Check this article out http://brewhardware.com/weldorweldless

 

When welding you place the coupling through the wall of the keg. Then the welder covers the back side with argon gas. He does this with another line coming from a regulator on his argon tank. Some use a can to contain the gas around the fitting. I just use foil tape to create the pocket. If you have a decent welder, he will know what to do. If not find another welder.

 

The argon back flush purges the air out and prevents any contamination from entering the molten steel keeping it sanitary.

Rock Chalk

Chris

 

The preferred method would be to weld the fittings flush to the inside of the vessel.
Check out Junkster's work.

He is not even a welder by trade, but that's what you should be shooting for.
I give him much credit for doing fantastic work.

link to the thread
http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/how-does-weld-look-332934/

 

Am I mistaken... are there two thoughts on this: 1) hole only the size of the close-nipple; 2) hole the size of the entire bulkhead so that the weld is "flush with the inside." I guess I'm just confused about what people mean when they say "fitting."

I'm in the same boat as the OP. I'm drilling soon so I should know what size hole to make. Also, is the weldless hole the same size if you're just sticking the close-nipple through the keg wall?

 

If you are going to have it welded, let the welder drill the holes. A good welder is very picky about the "fit" of the parts to be welded.

 

^ Exactly! The weldor will know what to do with the equipment he/she has to get the proper results if all of the requirements are explained up front.

 

That's all well and good for the welder to know, but I'd still like to be enlightened so that I may understand whether they're indeed 'good' or not. It's just nice to have the information up front...

 

http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/pulling-hole-tri-clamp-fitting-277656/

Funny you are the one that showed me how to pull the fitting flush to the inside. I just got all the gear to pull 1" and 1/2" fitting. I'm welding my fittings much like your yeast tank. That is nice work. To answer the question of ProzHack I would rather the coupling go through the kettle vs. just having a hole the size of the nipple. I guess it would depend on what the fitting is for. If it is the bulkhead for a drain, I would rather have the actual coupling inside. If it were for say a thermometer, it wouldn't matter too much. Only my opinion of course. Finding a welder to do a job like the picture isn't easy. Many say they are welders, but only a few can really weld. There are some really awesome fab people here to get answers from.