Stainless steel welding

[cyberwollf]

I just picked up a couple of kegs to make new homebrew pots out of 15 GALLON BATCHES!!  I'm gonna need to get a few stainless couplers welded in for drain valves? Anyone got a setup that will do this? Will work from homebrew? (or 6-pack of your fav)

[Kenn]

WOW ... Stainless steel is tricky

[slandis3]

WOW ... Stainless steel is tricky

Easy to weld we do it ever day at work. Send me some pics and I'll see if I can fit it in my weld booth.


Want to try welding something tricky, try welding titanium. It turns magnetic when you start welding it.

[Blown76mav]

Easy to weld we do it ever day at work.

+1  its only tricky if you've never welded it before.

[cyberwollf]

Easy to weld we do it ever day at work. Send me some pics and I'll see if I can fit it in my weld booth.


Want to try welding something tricky, try welding titanium. It turns magnetic when you start welding it.

Thanks a million Mike! They are just standard kegs. Basicily the same thing you welded last time for me. I will drill the holes and order the stainless. Are you a beer or liquor type guy?

[slandis3]

Are you a beer or liquor type guy?

Neither but thats ok. If its a pot like last time I can do it no problem but if it looks like a keg I will have to wait until the weekend to bring it in. I already asked the boss and its a go just let me know.

[cyberwollf]

but if it looks like a keg I will have to wait until the weekend to bring it in.

it is an actual keg im about to go get some disks for my die grinder to cut the top off.  They may awesome brew kettles without spending $200 on a 15gallon stainless pot.  This is what Im making:

[slandis3]

Are you sure they are sst? the kegs I have delt with in the past (buggy gas tanks) are aluminum.

[Blown76mav]

I'm gonna say they are aluminum, still easy to weld.

[slandis3]

Yea easy to weld but my welder will not weld alu. Its not a switching welder I will have to see if any of the welders down stairs can do it. Also if they are alu you will need alu fittings in order to weld it together.

[Blown76mav]

I've got access to a TIG or.......... we could spray weld it. (you really don't want to do that its ugly)

[cyberwollf]

Actually now that you mention it, I didn't even think to check.  I think the majority of US kegs are stainless, but there are Al ones too depending on distributor.  I'll check when I get home

[TechGuy]

Actually now that you mention it, I didn't even think to check.  I think the majority of US kegs are stainless, but there are Al ones too depending on distributor.  I'll check when I get home

Everything from Coors distributing is Aluminum But tasty lol.

[Reefinmike]

what tasty beer does coors produce? I thought they only produced gimmicky fridge mini kegs, anodize the inside of the can to "keep it frosty cold" and have mountains that turn blue when your beer is cold.

[Kenn]

what tasty beer does coors produce? I thought they only produced gimmicky fridge mini kegs, anodize the inside of the can to "keep it frosty cold" and have mountains that turn blue when your beer is cold.

Forget about tasty... Just think at all the technology that went into a can... that holds beer

Sorry ... just thought it was humorous 

[cyberwollf]

So, I cut the tops off the kegs.  It took about 45 minutes EACH. It was pretty tough.  I think the die grinder would have sliced through much easier if it was aluminum. 

Stupid question.  How do I tell if it is SS or Aluminum?

[slandis3]

So, I cut the tops off the kegs.  It took about 45 minutes EACH. It was pretty tough.  I think the die grinder would have sliced through much easier if it was aluminum. 

Stupid question.  How do I tell if it is SS or Aluminum?

How heavy are they? Also hit the part you cut off with a hammer, alu will dent much easier than sst. Is the finish on the out side dull or kinda shiny? Alu is actually harder to cut through, it gets gummy when you are cutting it and tends to gum up the disk.

[cyberwollf]

I didn't really notice any gumming of the disk.  It cut fine just took FOREVER. Id say they weight ~25lbs each (im really bad at guessing weights lol)

a few pics.  They are shiney on the areas that are rubbed.  Biggest thing would be the tiny amount of surface rust you see in the pics.  Wouldnt the rust mean that they were SS?

[slandis3]

SST shouldn't rust if it does it has a high iron content in it. From the looks of that it layed aginst mild steel. Being that heavy they may be sst.

[Blown76mav]

Stainless steel can rust Alum won't

[slandis3]

Can you tak an up close pic of a welded seam. That will be the for sure sign.

[Blown76mav]

You could try a magnet, even if its stainless steel a magnet will stick slightly it won't stick at all to aluminum.

[cyberwollf]

You could try a magnet, even if its stainless steel a magnet will stick slightly it won't stick at all to aluminum.

I havent tried it, but durring my google searches trying to figure it out, i saw many folks who tried the magnet with both and it stuck to neither.

[cyberwollf]

Mike, Im looking to get 2 of these welded into each keg, (female on both sides): http://www.bargainfittings.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=49

Very similar to what you welded into my other pot.  Do you happen to have these in stock that I can pay you for, or do i need to order them?

Thanks again.

[slandis3]

That was the last sst fitting we have. We have switched to some new material thats not food safe but has like a 100000psi blow point.