Now this is the way to polish a keggle

[dragonfire540]

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[Jupapabear]

Let's see it after your first brew!

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[dragonfire540]

Yeah well I do expect some blemish from heat but then I can put it back on and turn it on. With it spinning like a lathe all I gotta do it hold an abrasive on it.



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[Jupapabear]

Haha, pimped out keggle. I need to do something like this.

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[jpalarchio]

This forum never ceases to amaze me...

In version 2.0, maybe you drive a wheel inside the lower lip instead of a belt around the whole keg.

Nice work, how about a pic of the finished product?

 

[dragonfire540]

I thought of fabricating a jaw chuck to hold it on and spin that but the belt was easier and cheaper. It also helped with adding downward force to stabilize it at high speed. I just move the keg down a few inches to get under the belt.
I do plan to add a motor with more hp and a belt tensioner
The was so much faster then doing it with a grinder or sander and no swirls.



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[dragonfire540]

Will add pics when finished


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[microbusbrewery]

Yours must be in much better shape than mine. Mine has a few flat-ish spots on it...I'm afraid it'd beat itself to death even at slow speeds on something like that. I hope I never see any "Homebrewer Killed by Flying Keg" headlines.


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[iaefebs]

Nice idea dragon. I like the thought process and build. What rpm is the keg? I'm guessing a tad over 160. Only concern I have is the caster rpm, those must be spinning over 850 rpm.

 

[passedpawn]

Nice!

I'd like to see pics of the finished keg, and also a pic of the polishing pads without the keg on there.

I polished 3 kegs and it was a big solid pain in the ass. Actually, pain in the back. However, I did polish the cracks and crevices that a robot would miss.

 

[dragonfire540]

YEa, that is why I have the belt under it. That way the downward pressure helps keep it on it. It is not moving that fast, just fast enough to keep the abrasive effective.

 

[EthanH]

I don't use keggles, so I've always wondered: is the polishing for aesthetics, or does it serve another purpose?

 

[dragonfire540]

I haven't figured the RPM on it yet. The castors are not getting hot or anything they are holding up ok so far. I think if it were going much faster (which I think would be beneficial if it did) then I would want castors with bearings instead of bushings on it. Those I picked up at Harbor Freight.

I built the frame to let the keg sit on the castors deep enough int the frame to help keep it stable and not fly off the frame. The castors have rubber wheels on them to aid in grip.

I have an unfinished keg that I polished just the bottom half to test it. I will post those pics. you can see where it is polished and where it is not.

Polishing pads are not mounted on it but that might be an idea to try. I manually hold an abrasive sanding pad using a sanding sponge to hold it on the spinning keg. It is very similar to the way we sand spindles and such on a woodworking lathe which is where I got the idea for this. I just move the abrasive back and forth, left to right and back again slowly and it will polish itself. just start with like 80 or so grit and work my way up to 400 and 600 grit in various increments.
nice thing about it vs using a angle grinder or sander is it will not leave swirls. the scratches and streaks and more strength along the circumference. that allows me to work them out much better

 

[dragonfire540]

I don't use keggles, so I've always wondered: is the polishing for aesthetics, or does it serve another purpose?

Aesthetics because it looks nicer, easier to keep clean as well. I personally like the polished look of it. It does not make it any more functional though. It is also a good way to clean up an old keg for a high temp Powder coating on it as well. if you choose that route.

 

[jpalarchio]

Aesthetics because it looks nicer, easier to keep clean as well. I personally like the polished look of it. It does not make it any more functional though. It is also a good way to clean up an old keg for a high temp Powder coating on it as well. if you choose that route.

I think I'd classify "easier to keep clean" as "more functional" but I agree that largely it's aesthetics.

 

[dragonfire540]

Here are a couple I still need to sand more on the keg on that table saw. But you get the idea
The other one is done just enough to show the difference it makes







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[dragonfire540]

Attached are some more photos of the finished Kegs and some modifications. Such as beefier Casters with bearings and a 1 1/2HP motor. This thing really moves with that motor. Took 30 minutes to policy a keg from beginning to end including removal of graphics and paint markings.

 

[Miket1099]

This is so amazing haha I love it


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[dragonfire540]

This is so amazing haha I love it


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Thanks


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[Hoppity]

Very cool. Next step is to make it mobile and provide keg polishing services at beer fests and competitions. A weighted inside polishing arm might be nice. Perhaps a sledge covered with a pad? Once you're mobile you could do driveway service like the knife sharpeners of my youth.

 

[dragonfire540]

Very cool. Next step is to make it mobile and provide keg polishing services at beer fests and competitions. A weighted inside polishing arm might be nice. Perhaps a sledge covered with a pad? Once you're mobile you could do driveway service like the knife sharpeners of my youth.

Lol yea I can hang outside the airport with a sign will polish for beer

I thought of inside polish but figured I would stick my hand in and hope it doesn't get cut off by high speed spinning steel!
Hammer is good idea I can play with that



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[IslandLizard]

Are you a crazy dragon?
I love your method, but I would never stick my hand and arm inside a spinning drum. A sledge on a pivot with a tensioner may do the trick and definitely more safely.

 

[Bobby_M]

Nice and clean, but you've still got plenty of work to do to call it polished. I think you have more of a brushed finish now. I could still see the lathe shaving off a lot of back breaking work, but the polish step would benefit from mounting terry cloth buffing wheels on a polisher or angle grinder.

 

[Hoppity]

Bobby, I think you missed a spot. I can't make out the logo on your right sneaker. Nice job!

 

[dragonfire540]

Are you a crazy dragon?
I love your method, but I would never stick my hand and arm inside a spinning drum. A sledge on a pivot with a tensioner may do the trick and definitely more safely.

I was kidding about putting my hand in




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[dragonfire540]

Nice and clean, but you've still got plenty of work to do to call it polished. I think you have more of a brushed finish now. I could still see the lathe shaving off a lot of back breaking work, but the polish step would benefit from mounting terry cloth buffing wheels on a polisher or angle grinder.

True. I was not intending for mirror polish I only took it to 400 grit. I could wet sand it further and buff it with compound but I thought that would be overkill


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[MrNatural]

Yeah well I do expect some blemish from heat but then I can put it back on and turn it on. With it spinning like a lathe all I gotta do it hold an abrasive on it.



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Please post a video of re-polishing after fittings are installed

 

[dragonfire540]

Please post a video of re-polishing after fittings are installed

Oh yea that would hurt

Course there is weldless options



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