The beginning of my first Keggle

[Prymal]

Just picked this up today for $35, now I need to figure out who I know that owns an angle grinder.

I plan on using this Keggle for BIAB, the only question I have is how big should I cut the opening? Any suggestions?

 

[NTOLERANCE]

Mine have about 2" of the original top remaining on the outside edge all the way around.

Youll also want to power sand the edge you cut. If youre using a grinder it will be really jagged and easily cut your self on it. Put a sanding disc on the grinder after cutting.

 

[Prymal]

Holy crap that was just about the worst thing I have ever smelled. I degassed and opened the keg to clean it out. I didn't realize it still had about a half beer left over from 2008 in it. I found a buddy with an air grinder who said he can cut the opening. I am gonna try to get him to cut it with the biggest opening possible to leave the most room for the biab bag to exit. Any thoughts.

 

[bucfanmike]

when i cut mine i too went for the biggest i could cut and it worked out without a jig by letting the angle grinder guard rest along the rim while i was cutting. I would never do that again,. What I would do is go get a nice lid and use that for making your circle. I have had to make some makeshift lids because my holes are about 1/2 too much for a standard size lid. You'll appreciate a tight fitting lid when you are getting 12-13 gallons of water to strike temp.

 

[RoadKing]

I would drill a pilot hole and use a Saws-all rather than a grinder to cut the opening. Then buff up the rough edges with a grinder or even a file if your cut was close enough.

 

[adivito]

make yourself a cheap jig and use the angle grinder. there is a number of posts around for a jig setup, i can send you pics of mine if you want.

 

[Flomaster]

$40 angle grinder will cut the top and polish the keg and do so much more.

-=jason=-

 

[Prymal]

I wanted as little lip as possible left on for the BIAB I just used an angle grinder running it along the top lip as a guide. It took about 20 minutes and 1 blade to get it done. Amazingly the lid to my electric wok fits perfectly! Now just to drill a set of holes for a sight glass/thermometer from Bobby M and a hole for the spigot and I'll be in business.

I can't decide whether or not I want to isolate for the mash or not I guess I'll find out after using it for the first time.

 

[bucfanmike]

nicely done

 

[Prymal]

Has anyone used a plastic guard around the edge of a keggle to protect from scratching and snags of a BIAB bag? I sanded down the edge to make it dull but if I run a paper towel around the edge it still catches really small bits of fiber. I am trying to figure out what I might be able to use to prevent this. Or a suggestion for a manual product that I could use to sand the offensive areas, I don't feel a power tool to be accurate enough for what I want to do.

 

[LordUlrich]

A file, sand paper and patience are the best tools I know of for the job

 

[TrainSafe]

I used an angle grinder on mine and it is smooth enough that my BIAB bag doesn't snag. The edge feels slightly rough to the touch. Still, the voile curtain material is very tough. No problems to worry about.

 

[day_trippr]

Find some heat-resistant tubing, slit it length-wise, and press it over the cut edge...

Cheers!

 

[Prymal]

I used an angle grinder on mine and it is smooth enough that my BIAB bag doesn't snag. The edge feels slightly rough to the touch. Still, the voile curtain material is very tough. No problems to worry about.

What are the dimensions of your bag? My next step was figuring that out.

Also thanks for the idea of cutting some heat resistant tube day trippr.