DIY sankey "Kegmenter"

[apache_brew]

My original plan was to build a conical from a sankey keg, however since I got used to fermenting in regular sankeys with a floating dip tube, the lure or the conical dump has faded away. I've also switched over to dry yeast (500g bricks) and brew much less frequently so I have no desire to recollect yeast. The major complaint with fermenting in sankeys is the 2" opening and cleaning them. So my solution to that was a 6" tri clamp with a single 2" and two 1.5" tri clamp ferrules in the end cap. The beauty of tri clamps is being able to mix and match as well as compound multiple components from a single port. I ferment in an upright freezer and tape the Inkbird temperature probe to the side of the keg (covered with insulation). I like keeping all the keg modifications to a single top mounted port for the purpose of limiting modification to the wetted beer area inside the keg. I still need to grind, polish and passivate the inside of the 6" topside ferrule with Citrisurf, but I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out so far. Looking forward to filling it with sweet wort soon. Prost!

 

[OleBrewing]

impressive. i was just going to use the original keg port and cuss a lot cleaning it out.

 

[apache_brew]

First time using this Citrisurf 2310 product. Picked it up on Amazon for about $40. Appears to be a good solution to cleaning and passivating stainless. After scotch brighting and buffing down the heat affected zones with compound, gave the tank a good cleaning with PBW before spraying the product. This variety is gel like and sticks to overhead faces nicely. Let it sit for 20 minutes and after all the magic has taken place, gave it a good rinse.

 

[apache_brew]

First batch in the new fermenter. 12 gallons of Munich Dunkel bubbling away.

 

[apache_brew]

Latest addition is a 1.5” thermowell that I fabbed up in order to slide the temp probe down into the beer from the top. Still using tape to adhere the heating pad to the side of the fermenter though.

Here’s a shot of my transferring setup. After the beer has cold crashed to 34F under pressure for 3-4 days, use a second keg as a brite tank to rack off yeast/dry hops and add biofine. The beer will hang out in the brite tank for a week or two with top pressure to finish carbonating until it’s ready for racking off into serving kegs. The brite tank uses the same floating dip tube and filter screen that the fermenter does.

 

[jdubdvdt]

I think this is a really sweet build. I wish I could TIG, but I have two left hands. Bad dad joke. I am pretty good with MIG, but TIG was never my strong suit.

 

[apache_brew]

I think this is a really sweet build. I wish I could TIG, but I have two left hands. Bad dad joke. I am pretty good with MIG, but TIG was never my strong suit.

Thanks. It’s always just been a hobby activity for me. Took a handful of junior college courses and worked at a friends sheet metal shop over the summer to get lots of practice.

 

[jdubdvdt]

Thanks. It’s always just been a hobby activity for me. Took a handful of junior college courses and worked at a friends sheet metal shop over the summer to get lots of practice.

I would definitely get some use out of it myself. I recently got an estimate from a guy to weld 4 stainless tabs on my brewzilla bucket and he wanted $450. I know he has bills, but dang!

Keep up the good work.
Also, I love Apaches! My goal is to get one before I retire to work on. 58-59 lover here - looks like you love them too!

 

[apache_brew]

I would definitely get some use out of it myself. I recently got an estimate from a guy to weld 4 stainless tabs on my brewzilla bucket and he wanted $450. I know he has bills, but dang!

Keep up the good work.
Also, I love Apaches! My goal is to get one before I retire to work on. 58-59 lover here - looks like you love them too!

Yikes. Ya welding/labor prices can be all over the place. If you’re looking for a machine, the Everlast line seems like a great option.
Nice, I’ve had my 59 step side for about 20 years since high school. It’s been sitting for most of that time under construction but hope to get back into it as my kids get older.

 

[jdubdvdt]

Yikes. Ya welding/labor prices can be all over the place. If you’re looking for a machine, the Everlast line seems like a great option.
Nice, I’ve had my 59 step side for about 20 years since high school. It’s been sitting for most of that time under construction but hope to get back into it as my kids get older.

I looked into the Everlast back when I was buying my MIG. I thought about getting a multifunction Everlast and ended up with a Millermatic 211 which is great for mild steel, but I haven't tried it with a spool gun on aluminum or anything fancy yet. Just 1018 and 1045.

I would probably consider an everlast or even the cheaper Yes! welders for a strictly TIG machine. With how rare my welding projects come up I still would probably splurge for an AC/DC machine. A few weld projects and the welder has paid itself off... if a guy is charging me $450 for 4 tabs, I can't imagine what a kegmenter conversion like this would run me!

I picked up (8) 1/4bbl kegs for $320 and I think they will do great as kegmenters for 5-6 gallon batches if I can figure out how to use the TIG.

Thanks for the reminder that I can still learn.

Most of my projects get put on hold from my kids too, but maybe I can excite them enough to help on something like an Apache.

 

[apache_brew]

I looked into the Everlast back when I was buying my MIG. I thought about getting a multifunction Everlast and ended up with a Millermatic 211 which is great for mild steel, but I haven't tried it with a spool gun on aluminum or anything fancy yet. Just 1018 and 1045.

I would probably consider an everlast or even the cheaper Yes! welders for a strictly TIG machine. With how rare my welding projects come up I still would probably splurge for an AC/DC machine. A few weld projects and the welder has paid itself off... if a guy is charging me $450 for 4 tabs, I can't imagine what a kegmenter conversion like this would run me!

I picked up (8) 1/4bbl kegs for $320 and I think they will do great as kegmenters for 5-6 gallon batches if I can figure out how to use the TIG.

Thanks for the reminder that I can still learn.

Most of my projects get put on hold from my kids too, but maybe I can excite them enough to help on something like an Apache.

I'm sure either the Everlast or Yes welder would be a fine option. I was briefly looking at the 4-1 (plasma/TIG/mig/stick) everlast machines as something to burn some cash on, but I don't really do that much fabrication anymore and have the old Syncrowave 351 that works great.

I'm a big fan of the Kegland ball lock sankey keg adapters. Those work fantastic to convert sankey kegs into ball lock kegs and even have integral PRV. You can get creative like I have before and use tri-clamp tees and those adapters to use unmodified kegs as fermenters/brite tanks/serving kegs with ball lock fittings.

Its been years since I've touched my truck. Luckily free covered storage at my parents house has kept it in the same condition for the past 10 years... The link below is basically everything I did to it and as far as I got before life got in the way haha.

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/showthread.php?t=403875