Is this corny keg salvageable?
- Thread starter RyPA
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bracconiere
Jolly Alcoholic - In Remembrance 2023
there's still the question of "if it works".....for all i know after the acid soak, it goes up as gas...because i scrubbed, and scrubbed my cast iron with the vinegar...and the rust stain didn't go away until it air dried....so maybe just a gallon of white vinegar dumpped in it then let it dry?
fwiw, iron oxide ("rust") fully reacted with citric acid: Fe2O3 + C6H8O7 = Fe2C6H2O7 + 3H2O
ie: yields iron citrate (a "salt") and water
Cheers!
ie: yields iron citrate (a "salt") and water
Cheers!
bracconiere
Jolly Alcoholic - In Remembrance 2023
the vinegar and citric are both carboxylic acids...just the citric has three, soo it'd be a safe bet....if vinegar don't do it, nothing will...
honestly i want to try this though before hand....
https://www.amazon.com/Sanding-80-3...ocphy=9030226&hvtargid=pla-766316794750&psc=1
https://www.ebay.com/itm/2245398083...dxg9Rfz:sc:ShippingMethodStandard!85650!US!-1
still pushing the price of the new keg though....
Yeah, I already need the extra headspace that the 6g torpedo provides but I was going to try to get this corny to work. I'll try vinegar tomorrow and go from there. If this doesn't work and anyone is in NJ and wants this corny, let me know.
![Craft A Brew - Safale S-04 Dry Yeast - Fermentis - English Ale Dry Yeast - For English and American Ales and Hard Apple Ciders - Ingredients for Home Brewing - Beer Making Supplies - [1 Pack]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41fVGNh6JfL._SL500_.jpg)
IIRC, you need a 4% CItric Acid solution (by weight) for SS passivation. So to fill a 19 liter keg you'd need 760 gram or 27oz of Citric Acid.
If you only treat the (pitted) bottom, half a gallon (or 2 liters) should suffice, so 80 grams or about 3 oz.
By lying the keg on it's side you could passivate the sides with 2 liters of acid too, but only about 1-2" of the circumference at a time.
Sand it out and call it good. Although I can barely fit my arm in one. I got all my kegs from the salvage yard. Created a drill attachment and scotch Brite and went to town with oxyclean.
bracconiere
Jolly Alcoholic - In Remembrance 2023
from what i've read the chromium in the SS aloy will oxidize and be fresh as new with some acid and O2....? or nickel or whatever makes it stainless....it's not cast iron with a carbon layer...it's got a oxidized layer....i think?
Absolutely!
Use a long 5/16" or 3/8" diptube brush and BKF (powder). You won't believe how much gray crud comes out of those.
BrewinInPA
Well-Known Member
Keep it until spring then do the baking soda and white vinegar trick, then hit it with the power washer. I break down and power wash all my used cornies when I buy em. Worst case scenario, hit it with dilute muriatic for a couple hours, neutralize with baking soda, rinse 10 times then power wash. If u go the muriatic route you MUST wear goggles.
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Let her rip. Unless the pitting is serious. Hard to tell in pics.
It's stainless steel and high quality at that. Just don't use any iron abrasive to leave residue behind that will rust.
bracconiere
Jolly Alcoholic - In Remembrance 2023
you took the words out of my mouth.....or drop out of my eye!
acids aren't scary on the skin, but eyes are delicate.....
but to @RyPA we've lead this to $25-30....or $120 and, hold on, that's only a 25% savings over the torpedo... but i WANT to know if the vinegar works! so report back...
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I'm in a place, financially and psychologically, where I don't have to deal with dodgy kegs anymore.
You mentioned getting a Torpedo keg, I've done the same over the past three years. Lock, stock, and barrel, I got rid of my old mishmashed kegs, and I'm so much happier for having done it.
It's a huge relief having kegs you can trust. Best of all, it's so much easier having a single keg in my brewery. I no longer have to keep a confusing stock of replacement parts for the Island of Misfit Toys that I used struggle to keep running.
If I were you, I'd dump your money into converting to a single, known keg that has dedicated spare parts support.
I've been running a full Torpedo Keg brewery for over a year now, and I'm still thankful every time I package. It's so, so much easier.
You mentioned getting a Torpedo keg, I've done the same over the past three years. Lock, stock, and barrel, I got rid of my old mishmashed kegs, and I'm so much happier for having done it.
It's a huge relief having kegs you can trust. Best of all, it's so much easier having a single keg in my brewery. I no longer have to keep a confusing stock of replacement parts for the Island of Misfit Toys that I used struggle to keep running.
If I were you, I'd dump your money into converting to a single, known keg that has dedicated spare parts support.
I've been running a full Torpedo Keg brewery for over a year now, and I'm still thankful every time I package. It's so, so much easier.
You are maybe 10 bucks into a used garage sale Corny keg from 10 years ago that has an unknown corrosion from who knows what. That keg could have held pesticides, fertilizers, fuel, corrosives or worse. Some chemicals cannot easily be removed from the pores of the metal and welds like fuel tanks.
Step back and think about it, not everything needs to be saved. Corny kegs are used for things other than beer. Go use it for pesticides. Or better yet, go find a dumpster and crush it so nobody else gets the same idea to re-use corroded kegs for beer. I’d TOSS IT.
Step back and think about it, not everything needs to be saved. Corny kegs are used for things other than beer. Go use it for pesticides. Or better yet, go find a dumpster and crush it so nobody else gets the same idea to re-use corroded kegs for beer. I’d TOSS IT.
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Thanks for the feedback guys, I'm leaning towards the torpedo 6 gallon instead of investing in turd polish and time/effort for saving this corny. I would like to eventually replace my other corny with a torpedo, but for now it works fine and is spotless.
PCABrewing
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Yes, if you either etch the rust out or sand it you remove the oxide layer, but, as bracconier says below, the oxide layer will renew itself if you expose it to acid like starsan or citric. I'm not sure what works quicker but that is the process of passivation.
As long as the pits are not too deep you can recover the surface just fine. The problem with deeper pits is that they prevent you from getting all the rust out and therefore it propagates. IF you do sand and can eliminate all of it to a 400 finish or better you should have a keg for a lifetime. Just follow passivation steps after you're done sanding.
