How does this weld look?

[user 98891]

I recenlty had a local welding company weld a 1/2" port into a keg as a test to see if I should get my other two kegs done. I am not a welder and I am not sure what to look for.

So I have two questions.

1) Was this done right?
2) Any suggestions on how to clean up the keg so it looks nicer?

 

[OneHoppyGuy]

Nothing you would want to put in a display case but it will do the job just fine. Use Barkeeper's Friend and a green scotch pad to clean it up.

 

[user 98891]

Awesome, just wanted I wanted to hear. My other two kegs are in a bit better condition (which is why I used this one for the test). My hope is to get these three kegs welded and then build a brewstand.

 

[Airplanedoc]

Its not the prettiest weld I have ever seen. However, it is easier to weld a 8" pile into a tank than it is to weld in a 1/2" coupling.

Does it hold water? If so it's all good.

As already said bar keepers friend will clean the scorching right off.

 

[raouliii]

That looks horrible. As long as it doesn't leak it should work as a brew kettle. It will harbor bad stuff in a low temperature environment like mashing.

A good weld uses only enough filler to get the job done.

Straight from the shop, pre-cleaning, a good TIG weld looks like this:

OUTSIDE

INSIDE

 

[tasq]

Even the above welds have sugaring and were not back-gassed properly.

 

[user 4295]

Even the above welds have sugaring and were not back-gassed properly.

I agree. The outside looks pretty nice, but the inside leaves something to be desired. Just to put things into context, here are two pics of an old boil kettle that I had ruined by a local, self proclaimed welding "expert"! I think he completely embarrassed himself with this POS job! I had all I could do to keep from laughing in his face. The laughing ensued in earnest after he stated that he actually wanted me to pay for this, and that he was proud of his work! I told him that I had no intentions of paying him for this, but that I wouldn't be asking him to replace my ruined kettle. I just had to look at it as a learning experience.

Just wanted everyone to see what a bad welding job looks like.

 

[Klickmania]

@johnsma22: Those look like freakin dog turds.....what a joke lol. You definitely did right to not pay him.

OP Those look ok for a mig weld and as long as they hold liquid you should be ok. Definitely not the prettiest thing out there, but welding stainless is different from regular mild steel.

 

[raouliii]

Even the above welds have sugaring and were not back-gassed properly.

I also agree. Notice I called it a "good" tig weld, not a perfect or even great weld. However, that weld is easily in the top 10% of the welds I've seen posted on this board. Perfection is certainly something to shoot for but oftentimes you have to settle for just good. But never settle for bad. Johnsma22, that's BAD.

 

[Junkster]

deleted

 

[Junkster]

I hope you didn't pay too much! I consider myself an amateur weldor and only weld SS a few times per year - here are some pics of my kettle.....

 

[day_trippr]

[...]
INSIDE

Utter ****e, that. Hopefully you didn't have to pay for that side...

Cheers!

 

[raouliii]

Utter ****e, that. Hopefully you didn't have to pay for that side...

Cheers!

I'll have to disagree. I don't think the inside looks too bad. There is no filler on the inside, only some sugaring caused by a poor job with the shielding gas.

 

[dmfa200]

Utter ****e, that. Hopefully you didn't have to pay for that side...

Cheers!

The outside looks like a fusion weld(no filler) and the inside looks like there was NO shielding!
Still very acceptable for what it's being used for though.
Just hope you didn't pay too much for that.

 

[dmfa200]

I'm impressed Junkster.
Not too shabby for someone that doesn't weld for a living.
I'm especially surprised that you took the time to blend the welds on the interior of the keg.
Nice work!

 

[kh54s10]

Utter ****e, that. Hopefully you didn't have to pay for that side...

Cheers!

I'll have to disagree. I don't think the inside looks too bad. There is no filler on the inside, only some sugaring caused by a poor job with the shielding gas.

It was said to the OP that it was OK as a boil kettle because of the hot temps and not as a tun because of the low temps and harboring nasties. This weld looks worse, IMO!

 

[AndrewT]

Junkster - How did you roll the lip on your keg?

 

[Junkster]

Thanks dmfa200 - I have only had limited success with my back-gassing attempts so I weld the fittings onto the outside of the keg so the inside is flat so I can do some cleanup with flap wheels. I have to improve my back purge setup....

AndrewT - I cut that keg off at the weld where the upper skirt is attached. That left the keg too flimsy, so I had a local shop roll a ring from 1/2" SS round stock. They got it close and left the ends a little long and I cut them and welded it onto the keg and did the finish work. My original thought was to have a lip rolled from the upper edge but couldn't find a shop nearby that could do it. This way worked fine and really adds strength. I'm gonna use it for a modified BIAB and I wanted a straight-sided vessel on a low budget and like playing with the welder making things from "junk"!