Short of sand blasting, what can I do to clean my SS brew stand after 5 years of brewing?? I'm moving from gas to electric so this is a good time to spiffy the rig up.
Ideas?
Thanks
Ideas?
Thanks
Deep Clean...
- Thread starter nealperkins
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Wire cup and a drill, wire wheel on a angle grinder, power washer..
OP
OP
I betcha it'll work too!
Golddiggie
Well-Known Member
Fine Gator finishing pad on a right angel grinder should work too. Same type you use to polish a keg before you start using polishing pads and compounds. 
You can find them, and the backing pads, at Lowe's...
You can find them, and the backing pads, at Lowe's...
OP
OP
I used the wire wheel and was surprised how much effort was required to bring the SS back to pristine...but it does look great now. That baked on wort is tough stuff!!
Holy crap, I really really hope you used a stainless wire wheel.
Golddiggie
Well-Known Member
Or a virgin brass wheel...
OP
OP
It is a 3" Kobalt wire wheel brush. You realize this was the frame and not the kettle?
Golddiggie
Well-Known Member
If it was stainless, you don't want to use something that was used on anything except stainless before. Using it on mild steel before can embed mild steel particles into the stainless making it rust. Not something I would do considering the effort it took to clean it.
brewingmeister
Well-Known Member
Hmm.. that sort of makes sense. Dissimilar metals will corrode if placed next to each other but doesn't an electrolyte need to be introduced to produce galvanic corrosion? With a dry application why would this be a problem?
Golddiggie
Well-Known Member
It won't corrode, but you will get rust to form. Not to say that the stainless itself will rust, but you'll get rust in the stainless (the mild steel particles that you embed). You'll need to grind those out after it forms in order to remove them. Not something I'd want to do since it would be my own damned fault.
I have a set of cutting wheels, and grinding wheels, for my right angel grinder that have ONLY seen stainless steel (kegs actually). No issues using those at all. I'm about to start using a hydraulic hole punch to make the holes for the 1/2" NPT fittings. :rockin:
brewingmeister
Well-Known Member
Should have just said rust. Just regular old corrosion not galvanic corrosion.
The iron rubbed on stainless will start to corrode when moisture is present. The stainless isn't rusting but the iron which rubbed off the wire wheel is rusting.
The iron rubbed on stainless will start to corrode when moisture is present. The stainless isn't rusting but the iron which rubbed off the wire wheel is rusting.
Golddiggie
Well-Known Member
Don't you mean oxidize??
brewingmeister
Well-Known Member
no. rust is the most familiar form of corrosion.
Yes, I see what you mean. The iron will rust in the presence of oxygen or water. The stainless steel will be fine but the iron will rust. I wonder how much effort it will take to remove the iron debris from the stainless steel, or if there is something that could be topically applied to inhibit the iron rust?
brewingmeister
Well-Known Member
Yep, that's why the scrubbies for the kitchen are typically plastic, stainless or copper. Regular steel wool would damn near start rusting before you were done with it and leave its mark on everything.
Seems counter productive to have stainless and then cover it in clear coat, paint or something else. Just seems easier to not rub iron on stainless if at all possible and especially if cosmetics are a big concern. You could always let the regular steel rust off the stainless and clean up from there I guess.
Seems counter productive to have stainless and then cover it in clear coat, paint or something else. Just seems easier to not rub iron on stainless if at all possible and especially if cosmetics are a big concern. You could always let the regular steel rust off the stainless and clean up from there I guess.
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