Keggle cleaning question

[HollisBT]

So I just recently had the tops cut out of my future keggles using a plasma torch. I have been trying to clean up the smoke residue from the insides of them, and have been reading a lot about tips and techniques for cleaning them, the most helpful of which has been a soak with BKF. My question here is, how clean is clean enough for removing the leftover mess? I know the obvious answer of "clean enough to make beer in/drink from", but I am wondering if you fellow homebrewers would consider something like the following pictures to be clean enough, or if I need to keep scrubbing. Any input is appreciated here

 

[OneHoppyGuy]

Tip for next time: fill the keg with water before you cut... works for me

 

[HollisBT]

Tip for next time: fill the keg with water before you cut... works for me

they were both filled halfway with water before being cut.

 

[OneHoppyGuy]

wow... okay... learned something new...
It works for the cut-off wheel, thought it would work the same.

 

[HollisBT]

The water keeps the slag from sticking anywhere, and if I had filled them completely with water it would have kept the smoke residue off. But they were only half filled... No slag stuck to the insides, but the plasma cutter makes a lot of smoke that sticks to the walls.

 

[Duckfoot]

Barkeepers' Friend and a scrubby....

 

[sdo630]

I have done the same this weekend. Did not fill the keg with water, so I wire wheeled the slag off and drilled my valve hole. Rinsed with water and installed the valve. I was happy with my new keggle! Filled it with water and checked for leaks. Put a little brew wash in to the water, so I could scrub the keg clean. I found the wire wheel marks starting to rust! Has anyone had this problem? and is there a fix? I thought stainless was rustless.

Thanks for the help.

 

[cracked1]

I have done the same this weekend. Did not fill the keg with water, so I wire wheeled the slag off and drilled my valve hole. Rinsed with water and installed the valve. I was happy with my new keggle! Filled it with water and checked for leaks. Put a little brew wash in to the water, so I could scrub the keg clean. I found the wire wheel marks starting to rust! Has anyone had this problem? and is there a fix? I thought stainless was rustless.

Thanks for the help.

I think I read somewhere that using a wire wheel, steel wool, etc... can impregnate the stainless with regular old steel and/or it removes the passive layer and then rusts. I think you can re-passivate by doing an acid soak. I don't know if youd use some BKF first though. Does anyone else know anything about this?

 

[HollisBT]

BKF should repassivate it from what I have read.

So is the general consensus that what is pictured is clean enough? Or should I try some fine grit sand paper?

 

[Bobby_M]

That's not smoke residue but rather beer stone. Its clean enough to use.

 

[HollisBT]

That's not smoke residue but rather beer stone. Its clean enough to use.

Thanks . I'll stop scrubbing it now then lol.

 

[dutchoven]

If you want the beer stone off, you'll need to sand. I recommend wet sanding with 120-grit or finer. DO NOT USE A WIRE WHEEL OR STEEL WOOL, and don't use sand paper that was used on regular steel -- This forces steel into your stainless, which will cause rust formation.