75 Corny Kegs! ... with no bottoms :( -- Seeking brilliant ideas!

[DSorenson]

Don't know the pressure, but one of our regulators failed open on a keg last year... The pressure relief never leaked, but the keg sure bowed out into a football!!! The lid o-ring was under enough pressure that it was flat and fell off the lid when we removed it.

We weren't sure if we should call the fire department in to help release it, or what to do. The co2 tank wasn't that old, so it was pretty full.... Definitely a tense and dangerous situation.

Thats some scary stuff! glad you lived to tell about it!

That seems to imply to me that the pressure relief valve may not be designed to auto-release? I don't know why they wouldn't just build that into the keg, but man... that's too scary to consider.

(but seriously... was the beer okay?)

 

[mthompson]

Any pictures?

I'll see if we still have the keg and o-ring as a memento. I know it didn't sit right anymore, much like the kegs up above.

Thats some scary stuff! glad you lived to tell about it!

That seems to imply to me that the pressure relief valve may not be designed to auto-release? I don't know why they wouldn't just build that into the keg, but man... that's too scary to consider.

(but seriously... was the beer okay?)

I would have assumed these were a static relief deal, to aid in preventing over-pressurized situations. Murphy must have been hanging out in the fridge that day, because everything that could go wrong, did. I'm just still miffed that everything failed to the un-safe side.

Somehow the picnic tap survived the pressure as well....except about a month later, my brother-in-law went to pour a beer and had the misfortune of having the picnic tap disintegrate the moment he pressed the lever. All the guts went flying across the garage, and he was left holding a hose that was streaming beer out 15 ft. in every direction.

He is not a familiar with keg systems, so he was like a deer in headlights....one of us realized what was going on and reached in and pulled the disconnect off the keg.

Beer from the original mishap was fine after a long while of decompression.

 

[TrickyDick]

Here is an idea.

If you have a local high school, find out if they have a foundry in their shop. My high school did. You can ask the shop teacher if they have a metal shop with a foundry. Remove the bottom from a used keg as a template and have them make you some out of aluminum. Use plumbers putty or epoxy or something to bond them together. Might try one first and offer homebrew in exchange. When he tastes how good the homebrew is, you can tell him that you'll need 74 more of them in exchange for more!

TD


Sent from my iPad using Home Brew

 

[TrickyDick]

Thats some scary stuff! glad you lived to tell about it!



That seems to imply to me that the pressure relief valve may not be designed to auto-release? I don't know why they wouldn't just build that into the keg, but man... that's too scary to consider.



(but seriously... was the beer okay?)

Scary indeed. I have one keg that does not have a PRV. The lid is much different than all my others, slightly domed and with a different latch mechanism. I don't think it could be fitted with a PRV. Because of the domed lid.

Considering retiring it,but hey it works.

TD


Sent from my iPad using Home Brew

 

[mthompson]

Now that this thread is back on track, you could also check for local woodcarvers or woodsmith shops....get ahold of someone with a lathe, and have them turn some wooden bases; basically a cylinder with a bowl on the inside that fits the keg bottom. Finish them with nice stains and spar urethane, then epoxy them on.

These could look really nice on a polished corny:

 

[HausBrauerei_Harvey]

I would make a box out of 2x4's and sheet it with 1/2" ply, then I would jigsaw/router out holes JUST big enough for the corney to slide into, and it uses the wood base as a stand. You could configure a keezer bottom in this way with the optimum layout and be in good shape.

Steve

 

[DSorenson]

Now that this thread is back on track, you could also check for local woodcarvers or woodsmith shops....get ahold of someone with a lathe, and have them turn some wooden bases; basically a cylinder with a bowl on the inside that fits the keg bottom. Finish them with nice stains and spar urethane, then epoxy them on.

These could look really nice on a polished corny:

Looks beautiful, but I would worry about water damage. I don't know about you guys, but my fridge seems to always have water in it somewhere.

 

[mthompson]

Looks beautiful, but I would worry about water damage. I don't know about you guys, but my fridge seems to always have water in it somewhere.

Perfect location for Spar urethane. It is marine finish; waterproof and flexible for expanding/contracting in exterior conditions.

Minwax® Helmsman® Spar Urethane is specially formulated as a protective clear finish for exterior or interior wood exposed to sunlight, water, or temperature changes.

• Contains UV blockers to reduce the sun's graying and fading effects.
• Forms a protective barrier against rain and moisture.
• Special oils allow the finish to expand and contract with the wood as seasons and temperatures change.
• Ideal for use on doors, windows, trim, bathroom cabinets, bar tops, kitchen countertops, outdoor furniture.

 

[NickTheGreat]

You can lathe plastic too. I like that idea.

 

[IslandLizard]

If you want to use these kegs in a keezer or so, where space is at a premium, don't make the base wider than the keg, or you won't be able to fit as many in.

It makes me wonder why these are all bootless. Was/is there a specific use for them that way?

 

[nextgenxx]

You could probably just make a silicon mold of the corny keg base then once you have your mold made fill with a plastic resin and repeat till you have 75 bases made.

http://youtu.be/FQ1A7ZjTsx8

 

[johngaltsmotor]

I'd agree, the easiest would be to use an existing rubber base and a batch of 2-part molding rubber to make a mold. Then put that on a keg, pour in a harder rubber 2part (for durability) and you'd have the contour of the keg bottom. Depending on how you prep the keg it may stick or you may need to epoxy it on.
A single mold would likely get you 10-15 parts, maybe more since it's a pretty simple shape. The stuff is really easy to work with, and you're not talking about it needing to be perfect.

 

[johngaltsmotor]

I'd agree, the easiest would be to use an existing rubber base and a batch of 2-part molding rubber to make a mold. Then put that on a keg, pour in a harder rubber 2part (for durability) and you'd have the contour of the keg bottom. Depending on how you prep the keg it may stick or you may need to epoxy it on.
A single mold would likely get you 10-15 parts, maybe more since it's a pretty simple shape. The stuff is really easy to work with, and you're not talking about it needing to be perfect.

 

[patthebrewer]

You can lathe plastic too. I like that idea.

Sure can! I've done it numerous times to make foot end caps for various pieces of furniture, and pens as well. I HDPE is pretty inexpensive, and it would make a really great bases, impervious to liquids. You can also spin copper on a wood lathe as well. I've made a few bowls that way, so corny keg bases wouldn't be impossible to make. As far as attachment, press fitting or soldering would be the way to go. Hdpe would definitely be the cheaper of the two

 

[poptarts]

Make a giant test tube rack out of wood.

 

[Stealthcruiser]

Good idea on the plastic on a lathe!

The wood, would look nice, but I fear it would split along the grain from rough handling.

Concaving the bottom:Fluid dynamics and all that other stuff aside, when the bottom was domed, it was domed from a flat piece, meaning it's stretched all to hell.

To concave it, there is no place for the now bigger piece of metal to move to during the transition from convex to concave, so it will kink all to hell, and be as wrinkled as a sack full of buttholes!

THEN, that's where your problem would lie, pressure wise, along all those lines of stress and work hardened metal.

I wouldn't pressurize one with 30 PSI afterward!

 

[sumbrewindude]

Some really cool, complicated ideas here for a simple solution, IMO.

If they're out full/empty, store them upside down. on the lids

If they're fermenting, tip them away from the dip tube on a simple wooden rack.

If they're in a keezer, cut a piece of 2" foam board big enough to fit the bottom of the keezer and put slightly undersized holes in the foam in a pattern to fit the kegs in snugly, and rest the kegs in the holes vertically.

You have 75 kegs, they don't all need to be full (but that's helpful!), so take some empties and use them to help support the full ones in the keezer.

Keep it stink'en simple - brew more.
:rockin:

 

[day_trippr]

I rather doubt the OP actually intends to keep and use 75 kegs, and was considering ways to make them more marketable.

I for one would not be interested in buying weebles to hold my beers...

Cheers!

 

[patthebrewer]

I rather doubt the OP actually intends to keep and use 75 kegs, and was considering ways to make them more marketable.

I for one would not be interested in buying weebles to hold my beers...

Cheers!

No real cost effective way of adding bottoms to them to make more marketable, IMHO just sell them as is, and understand you'll probably take a slight hit in profit, vs kegs with bottoms (depending on what you paid, probably not a big deal) Given the looming shortage of stainless cornies, I'm sure someone will take them off your hands.