Frankenkeezer

[TacoBrew]

So I received this very, very, very worn 8.8cf freezer off Craigslist for free. I would like to turn it into a keezer, but there are some concerns I have about the project itself. The skin is pulling away from the freezer in a few spots. The hinges won't budge and the lid looks like it will need to be replaced. Really about all that it has going for it is that it will hold 6 pin locks no problem, and it gets cold no problem. The model is Tappan, which I guess was an old subsidiary of Whirlpool. In any case, what do you think? Will it be worth the trouble?

 

[TomSD]

Are you going collar or coffin?

I would think removing the hinges all together and fashioning a new lid from scratch would work best... either with a collar or just a flat counter top for the bar/tower. As long as the insulation isn't completely water-logged/trashed on the sides I would think just sealing it up with a heavy aluminum tape or something similar would do it. If you are building a bar/cabinet around it it really wouldn't matter what it looked like but if you are doing it stand alone it is going to take quite a lot of work to look decent.

 

[TacoBrew]

I was planning either on a coffin, or doing a collar with an overhang to cover the skin that has opened up. I have no idea on the condition of the insulation, but I'm pretty sure it's not water-logged. Either way, I think I've resigned myself to making a new lid.

It's possible to fashion a coffin with just a circular saw, right? This would be my first woodworking project beyond building an ugly stand for my fermenting fridge.

 

[TomSD]

Yeah... shouldn't be that hard to make a top from wood if you need to.

How trashed is the lid? For my first ferm chamber I bought a used CL freezer and the lid was TRASHED with the liner dropping off and the insulation full of water and frozen solid. I let it thaw and pulled the guts out then put in new sheet insulation from HD and sealed that puppy back up with silicon caulk and new weather stripping. Was good as new once sanded down the rust and hit it with some spray primer/finish.

 

[TacoBrew]

I'll see when I gut the lid whether or not it will still be usable. Since I will be replacing the hinges, does it have to be spring loaded or can I just use normal heavy duty hinges?

 

[TomSD]

Any kind of hinge should work as long as it can take the weight. You'll just need a kickstand if you don't go with the spring loaded ones.

 

[TacoBrew]

Slow going, but I made the base and dry fit the collar. 1x8 red oak cut with my circular saw. When I get home tonight I will probably glue and pocket screw the collar together. There's no particular reason I should stain the boards before attaching is there?

Tomorrow I'm going to fashion the new lid, and think about what kind of taps to order.