Cut down 5 gallon keg to 2.5 gallons?

[neubauek]

With the price of 2.5 or 3 gallon kegs, the idea came to me to see if it were possible to cut down and weld a 5 gallon keg to the desired size. Anyone have experiences to share?

I know it is beyond normal home welding since they are stainless. Would require taking it to a TIG welder.

 

[Golddiggie]

It's also going to take someone with really high welding skills to get that done right. The walls of the kegs are very thin. The amount to get the keg welded will make the entire thing cost just as much, if not more, than just buying a new 2.5 or 3 gallon keg.

 

[socalboomer]

So, yes, it's more than just home welding. There are MIG spools for stainless, but they're expensive. TIG is better, gives far more control and for stainless, you want control. I enjoy welding stainless.

Couple of things YOU can do, though.

First, you can cut them yourself. Build a jig and use a cutoff blade on a 4" grinder. You could take a little dolly (cheap ones sold by HF work GREAT for this, btw) flip it upside down and put the keg on it. Now you have a stable platform on which you can roll your keg as you cut it.

You want a VERY straight cut that matches both sides VERY tightly. The tighter the fit the better.

Now take some masking tape and using 8 or so strips, tape both pieces to each other, just so you can match them up and clean up any irregularities. Take your time.

Now when you take the keg to a welder, you've already done quite a bit of the tedious job. Bring a 6-pack and you'll probably make his day.

(yes, I know the blue tape won't hold. . .it's just to help get things lined up and cleaned up)
(yes, I know his cleaning won't be "clean" but the welder is going to want to do the final cleaning on his own anyway - he'd just be getting a head start)