Cornie handles leaving marks...

[I_B_Mongo]

So I got a great deal on some cornies ($20 ea.) and went ahead and bought 5 of them. Well, I soaked them in PBW and now notice that the tops and bottoms are leaving black marks on the drying towels and my hands. I got one with a blue top (putting that one aside as a root beer only keg, figured it would be easy to identify) but it's still soaking, so I don't know if it will leave marks too.

Any suggestions out there???


Thanks

 

[Reelale]

I would say to first wash your hands, then wash the towels. Seriously, I think rubber oxidizes and you are removing the oxidation layer with the PBW. I have 5 cornys that still leave marks on the floor. I think that's just the nature of black rubber.

 

[Scut_Monkey]

I noticed mine put black stuff on everything. It wasn't bad but I cleaned it with some oxiclean and wiped it lightly with some paper towels and it was off. Sounds like what you are dealing with is much worse though.

 

[Hammy71]

I scrubbed the handles and bottoms down with Bartender's Helper when I was cleaning the kegs. Very little or any black stuff on my hands after cleaning them the first time... But I think it's just the nature of the rubber topped/bottomed kegs.

 

[JKoravos]

In my experience, there's nothing you can do. The surface layer of rubber is always going to rub off.

 

[Weizenheimer]

Yep mine did that to but I don't see any reason for concern here.

 

[TheCHICompany]

After cleaning the rubber and extracting all oxydized rubber, spray with WD40 and polish.
Problem solved.

 

[lowlife]

Use armor all, it makes it a lot better. and they get shiny.

 

[Scut_Monkey]

I don't know. We are talking food equipment not a tractor. I would rather deal with occasional black marks then spray them down with WD40/Armor All. Maybe on the bottom but not the top.

 

[Munsoned]

I wrapped the part of the handles that my hands typically grab onto with electrical tape. It's not waterproof, but it does provide a little protection.

 

[samc]

Some of this http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0006SL0VO/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20 thinned out with Acetone or similar and brush it on. Do it outdoors because it stinks, but it will seal the rubber. I much prefer metal handle kegs because of this and as home brewers we really don't have the need for stacking kegs or banging them around in delivery trucks so the rubber is not needed.

 

[mordantly]

any rubber product if its drying out or brittled, soak in silicone spray. it will revitalize, supplize better than new! example: the carb boots off my '71 sl350 were so bad i couldnt get the carbs off. sprayed, sprayed, sprayed, got em off. soaked in a zip lock and bam, 39 years new.

 

[FullDraw]

I used tire shine. Worked well. I don't put my beer on the rubber parts anyway. No worries.

 

[homebrewer_99]

When was the last time you stayed in a hotel?

Ever think about taking the shower cap?

 

[jtrainer]

I fought this in the begining... then one day I had the notion of rubbing peanut butter on the rubber.... buffed it with my shop towel I was tossing anyhow... and BAM no more marks left for a good while. a couple of the kegs didn't have as good luck eliminating the black marks, maybe I lazed out.

Time to renew the PB, this time I'll stop at Harbor Freight and get a buffing wheel for the dremmel.

Anyhow seemed to work. Silicone spray and a buffing wheel might work well too.

 

[dontman]

I don't know. We are talking food equipment not a tractor. I would rather deal with occasional black marks then spray them down with WD40/Armor All. Maybe on the bottom but not the top.

At what point does the beer you consume ever come in contact with the rubber either going in or out of the keg that you would worry about cross contamination?

 

[mordantly]

for the same reason i buffed the outside of all 15 of my cornies with brasso. so the beer will feel as sexy as the consumer thinks it is...

 

[dontman]

for the same reason i buffed the outside of all 15 of my cornies with brasso. so the beer will feel as sexy as the consumer thinks it is...

I'm kind of with you on this. I never thought of polishing the rubber on my kegs but I like the idea of it looking good. Plus it is a minor pita to have to scrub my sink wherever the rubber touched it after cleaning a keg.

 

[TheCHICompany]

WD40 is based on fish oil, http://inventors.about.com/od/wstartinventions/a/WDFourty.htm

 

[HempelNet]

WD40 is based on fish oil, http://inventors.about.com/od/wstartinventions/a/WDFourty.htm

No wonder it tastes so good! :cross:

 

[Scut_Monkey]

At what point does the beer you consume ever come in contact with the rubber either going in or out of the keg that you would worry about cross contamination?

When filling the keg I would not like the idea of chemicals around the siphon tubing, disassembled gas/liquid posts and the lid. I realize the beer will not be touching the rubber but during the assembly/disassembly I could see cross contamination. If it works for someone else good, I simply wouldn't do it myself. Something like olive oil or peanut oil I would try as long as it didn't smell like crap in a month.

 

[mordantly]

but it would look like some shade of baby ****, no? i took one and scrubbed it down. sprayed with carb cleaner real good. then sprayed laquer on it. perfect.