Keg to Brew Kettle Conversion

[danssv8]

Good day mate have a look on my channel for a nother idea to weld the pressurecooker to the top of the keg , work great , good vid

[brewmagic]

Nice demo but you show others that it's ok to use an AB keg without a discussion of legal ownership. Did you buy this vessel or decide to keep it after drinking it dry? I'm sure you did the right thing, but others need to know how much breweries pay to replace 'lost' kegs.

[lakesidebier]

@brewmagic I am stunned that you didn't just post a link to your site where LEGAL kegs could be purchased at a huge markups.

[brewmagic]

@lakesidebier Talk about a markup... ?? New keg manufacturers now charge brewers upwards of $140 to replace their "lost" kegs. You can see why brewers prefer to get them back . . and yes,,, when we have

LEGAL kegs to sell, we post them and they go quickly. Huge markups? You need to see a Sabco kettle.

[howsthatsound]

Just used this method exactly as posted here. Glad to say it worked perfectly! Cutting time as only about 2 minutes tops. Thanks Bobby!

[smellpickle]

great info, subed.

stay cool...

[HokieHomeBrew]

what kind of saw can be used to cut through stainless?

[barendts]

That seemed easy.. Aren't you afraid for sparks denting the inside of your keg with such little water in it ? There's no repairtricks for such damage

[dukegeren]

Bobby, just used this method today and it worked perfectly. Thanks for the video!

[EuanRams]

That jig is pure genius!

[garyhaygood]

The Beer Song from South Park, Weird Al

[garyhaygood]

The Beer Song from South Park

[tdorr420]

What's the name of the beer song? It's totally awesome!

[BobbyFromNJ]

I wish I could remember where I found it. I think it's Weird Al or...?

[pozzi2thee]

Bloodhound gang did this song:)

[tdorr420]

"When your stupid friends come over asking for beer, hand them that bucket."  That's awesome.

[Angelachristinewalk]

Thanks for the jig idea. Just want to point out it is important to always use a new cut off wheel whenever you cut stainless steel. If you use one that has cut ferrous metal it will transfer and embed ferrous particles in the stainless. This will cause rust at your cut points.

[ibander]

ive never had an issue with cut off wheels and contamination with stainless. the amount of contamination would be so small and the sanding and finishing process knocks off anythign that could be contaminated. just make sure u use a new sanding disc when using stainless tho, thats where it gets ugly :P

[BourneAggressor]

Excellent system Bobby. Just picked up three kegs to use for wart and fermenting. Have you made any that you have attached threads on to wing nut a lid down?

[anthony99179]

Great video Bobby. I'm moving up from a long history of stovetop extract brewing and this was a big help!

[Squinchyy]

Great video, do you have a video of how to drill a hole in it for a valve ?

[BobbyFromNJ]

I don't, but I've used both a 7/8" bimetal hole saw as well as a step or uni-bit and they both work well.

[adamwheel]

This worked perfectly. Great enginuity. I would've never thought of the jig idea and the 2" hole saw does fit easily. Cheers

[wml4928790]

That's for the great info Bobby! I love the part at the end hahaha!!

[patterm2]

This works! Thanks Bobby.

Now, for my two cents worth:

Instead of using 2" hole saw to center your jig- take the value assembly and cut off most of stainless steel stem leaving about 5 inches above the valve. Next grind off the two small keyway extrusions on the value.

Drill a 1 hole in the center of your jig. (A Forstner bit will leave you a clean bore)

The value goes into the hole it came out of, but upside down; the stem goes through the hole in your jig.

[dnostin]

This works amazingly well! Find a lid that you can use and cut the hole to fit it. Next stainless fermentor.Thanks Boby!

[ajaake]

Bobby your are a genius! Thanks man for the video. I cut mine with a plasma cutter, but I like your idea better!!

[ibander]

using a plasma torch would take less than 5 minutes to cut off 3 tops with no prior jig time required. but grinders are a household item, plas cutters arent :P cheers

[BobbyFromNJ]

The thermos and valves were just lucky finds on Ebay since I wasn't in a hurry to find them. The sight glasses were a DIY project using stainless fittings I found also on Ebay.

[kingspinna]

Bobby, where did you purchase the sightglass and thermometer and valves?

[BobbyFromNJ]

I got mine welded at a custom motorcycle shop but I'd recommend also calling places listed as fabrication/welding shops.

[flananuts]

Dya know who I could hook up with in Nj(I'm in Monmouth county) for some keg conversion work? I prefer to pay someone to do it and would like to keep the business in Jersey

[BobbyFromNJ]

I see the suggestion to barter with homebrew every so often but it must be a regional thing. Around here people want cash. I had the same idea when I wanted some fittings welded into the kegs.

[sig7707]

GREAT IDEA... Can't wait til I make mine. Once suggestion. Just take your kegs to a local body and fender shop and in about 10 minutes they can cut all 3 for you with a Plasma Cutter. Easy no noise and safer for you. Plus they will do it for free if you offer them some homebrew. Cheers

[fly2000jtb]

The jig you made was GREAT!! It has to be neat, if anything with me. That makes a real clean looking cut, old man use to say; if your going to do it, do it right! Well done, Joseph T.

[wzl46]

Thanks for the video. I finally got myself a grinder and a couple clamps to do try my hand at this project. Everything worked out very well due to your demonstration. What kind of grinder do you have, and what kind of wheel do you have on it? I got a light duty mitsubishi with the stock grinding wheel, and it took about 15 minutes to cut the top. A few extra minutes was a small price to pay for such an easy job. Thanks again.

PW

[yugamrap]

I just finished cutting my keggle exactly the same way as BobbyFromNJ, and lived to tell about it. If you're careful and use quality clamps, everything is okay. My clamps were just as tight as when I started. I wore gloves, hearing protection, long shirt and pants, and a full face shield. It took about 15-20 minutes to build a jig from stuff I already had in the garage, then about 2 minutes to cut the keg. I'm really pleased with the results. Thanks, BobbyFromNJ - what a time-saver!

[enjoi525]

Very informative video, but I was wondering what kind of saw and blade did you use to cut the top off? And can I rent those tools at Home Depot or something?

[BobbyFromNJ]

It's called a 4.5" angle grinder and I used a thin metal cutting disc in it. You might be able to rent it.

[egautreaux]

I just love the ending Bobby, could not have been better music.

[simpleplan96]

Awesome video and that jig you made is a really good idea. Thanks for the informative video.

[strompwafel]

Wreckless to cut without holding the cutter. Just not safe at all, plain dangerous even. The clamps may work in this video, but can easily come loose depending on circumstance. Imagine the carnage. Don't try this.

[BobbyFromNJ]

You're correct though it's sad that we have to put a warning on just about everything as if we suppose everyone is devoid of good judgement. This was within the realm of general safety for me but feel free to NOT do it if you're worried about absolute safety. In fact, don't drink beer at all, it might damage your liver. Don't forget to wear a helmet and look both ways when you cross too. ;-)

[BobbyFromNJ]

Kidding aside, I should have had long pants and sleeves on and probably a full face shield. I'd recommend that if you want to increase safety. Carnage though? That's a bit alarmist if you ask me. It's not like I removed the guard. Disc shrapnel COULD be a concern but I've done 5 kegs like this so far without incident.

[velcroman98]

Don't steal kegs, that is THEFT. If you ask you can problably get a keg for less than a deposit.

[BobbyFromNJ]

The word "steal" was tongue in cheek. Sorry you didn't pick that up. And for the record, obtaining a keg in any way other than direct from a beer distributor, keg manufacturer, or a refurb/reclamation company is theft. They belong to the brewery embossed on the side.

[BobbyFromNJ]

I got all mine from a scrap yard who was days away from crushing them. This is a grey area because technically they still belong to the brewery. Someone just unethically decided to sell them for $30 instead of returning them for the $10 deposit.

[OPE08]

Okay, so the question begs: whats the point of having a sightglass??

For checking the color?

[BobbyFromNJ]

It tells you the volume of water or wort in the vessel. You have to calibrate it with gallon/quart increments on the tube. Then you can fill the mlt to the exact infusion volume you want. At sparge time, you watch the hlt sight as you pump it over. Also goot on the BK to measure pre and post boil volumes.

[Sicktrickintuner]

how the heck does 36 seconds x4 equal 1min 24???

it equals 2 min, 24 seconds

[BobbyFromNJ]

Yup. You're right. We settled that in some of the earlier comments. The thing is, I edit these videos quick and make mistakes. There's no easy way to fix it without deleting this one and uploading a new one.

[jrbeebe]

Great video!

I'm curious about the sight glass you mentioned. Is that something you made or can it be picked up somewhere?

[BobbyFromNJ]

You can buy sight glass kits from all the major homebrew suppliers but they're usually plastic tubes. I am currently selling some kits based on pyrex glass if you're interested. You can send me a private message.

[OPE08]

"...when your stupid friends come over asking for beer, hand them that bucket..." Priceless.

I am assuming, because I havn't checked, that buying a keg and converting it is cheaper than buying the same sized pot??

[BobbyFromNJ]

It really depends on where you get the keg and how much you pay to have it welded. Just as an example, I got one from the scrapyard for $36 and paid $50 for welding. All said and done, I got a 15 gallon pot for $100. I'd say most stockpots that size with bulkheads installed would be over $200.

[OPE08]

What did you weld?

Don't those kegs have a bung on the side as well?

[BobbyFromNJ]

No, you're thinking of Hoff Stevens kegs with the side bung.

I had couplings welded in for the drain, a thermometer and sight glass for each of the three kegs. It's running me about $135 for the welding labor.

[reddreads]

Um, all this talk of deposits, raising beer prices. You do realize that breweries do sell their "retired" kegs all the time?

[BobbyFromNJ]

I think the deposit should cover the cost of replacement personally. This video has nothing to do with the morality of aquiring a keg. If you have a keg and want to cut the top off, I'm showing you how. I really don't care how you got it. Use your own judgement.

[philyfred]

This is why the beer companies raised the deposit on kegs, kegs are going to stop beeing sold to private partys if this continues, Yuengling has a shortage of kegs right now.

[BobbyFromNJ]

Cool, wanna buy me one?

[paintballers]

a plasma cutter works faster

[BobbyFromNJ]

It's an 1/8" metal cutting disc, not so much a "pad". Without the jig, draw the circle as shown in the video, hold the grinder vertical and hold on for dear life. I cut one like this and found that you always want to cut about 1/4" inside your line because you can then change to a grinding wheel to open the hole up to your line.

[ABSScott]

what kind of pad did you use on the grinder.. and what is the process of doing it without the jig?

[BobbyFromNJ]

Airgun what? Are you suggesting someone use an air powered die grinder instead? They have a lot less power than an electric one and the compressor would run the whole time. Then again, why am I wasting time responding to someone that can't write more than one word.

[xelpmok]

airgun

[BobbyFromNJ]

Right you are. I calculated it right but typoed when I was adding the text to the video. I'm too lazy to fix it so I'll just acknoledge right here... the cuts took about 2-1/2 minutes each.

[mtbeedee]

36 secs at 4x speed = 2 mins 24 seconds... no?

[BobbyFromNJ]

Good point. I tend to cut out some important points in editing just for time savings and sometimes because I said it in a stupid way.

[robhay2]

Hey chillhayze from HBT here.

Nice video! I like the jig. The water idea is a good one to prevent molten SS drying on the bottom, but I didn't hear you mention it in the audio?

[BobbyFromNJ]

Purely hypothetically of course, but say you asked the guy at the liquor store to call you when he gets an empty back. Then say you gave him the deposit money that he just paid back to the person. Then say he acts like THAT guy never brought it back at all. Just sayin.

[Zat01ch1]

Hey mward from homebrewtalk, thanks for the vid. The jig is a great idea. I have to see how much the uh... deposit, for a keg is around here. Eck, I just realized I would have to drink a ton of bmc to empty it. I'm going to hit up a frat house. Thanks!

[hogiewan]

Breweries pay a LOT of money for each keg. Keeping a keg for the deposit is stealing - plain and simple.