Leaking weld in a beer keg

[Ferrous]

I bought a beer keg that had been converted into a brewing kettle. A twelve inch circle was cut into the top, and two holes were drilled near the bottom. A 1/2 inch NPT full coupling was welded into the two holes. One is for a ball valve to drain the kettle, and the other for a thermometer.

The kegs are type 304 stainless. The problem is, the welds on the couplings were poorly done. They were ground down too much, I think, and there's rust around them like maybe a mild steel wire wheel was used instead of a stainless one. But the main problem is that the keg leaks at the coupling weld.

I have a Hobart Handler 187 that I bought earlier this year. I've never welded and I haven't even plugged it in. I put off learning how to do it earlier this year due to a home remodeling project. But now that's done and I'm ready to start. I had a 230 volt circuit put in to my back porch. I just bought a bottle of C25 and a bunch of mild steel for my first project, which will be a beer brewing stand.

I'm thinking about trying to fix my keg kettle myself. I understand I need pure Argon for stainless. I'm wondering if I get a bottle of Argon and some stainless wire, how hard would it be for a rank beginner to fix those leaky welds on the 1/2 inch full couplings? How would I go about doing it without ruining the keg? Will the wire add enough material to the weld by itself to stop the leak? I'm not sure what gauge the keg metal is, but it's pretty thin compared to the 2 by 2 by .120 stuff (11 gauge) I bought today for my brew stand.

Or is this a job for a more experienced welder? I'd hate to ruin the keg, as they are fairly pricey. Still, I might give it a try if it doesn't sound too difficult.

[tansit234]

that sounds tricky, kegs are thin and the fittings are thicker. i honestly haven't clocked much time with my mig which is not far off from yours (not much room in the shop these days). plus with the gas and wire, that could get expensive real quick. personally if i could get a decent price i would have someone tig or torch it. come to think of it theres always brazing. besides a round part so small is tricky for me. the choice is yours. if you do it practice on similar thickness materials so you don't screw up your keg.

[thingy]

Yeah,well,you might try some of that liquid weld stuff,[believe its jb weld,or something like that],if you get the steel real clean and rub it with alchol and make sure its dry,that stuff might work?? thingy

[Hotfoot]

Well, your title had me reaching for the RED PHONE...many guys on this forum would simply not let any Nectar of the BarleyHopper go to waste (but they will allow it to GO TO WAIST!)...but I see its not an emergency of the pressurized type, so I did not flash the Sparky symbol in the sky with my Plasma Cutter to rally the troops....Whew!!! Near Miss!!

[Canadian_Miller]

One correction. For stainless steel, I believe instead of Argon for a shielding gas, tri mix must be used. This is a mixture of 90%helium, 7.5%argon, and 2.5% co2. If someone could please clairfy, that would be great

[Steve Crum]

Too bad your not nearby, I'd fix you up for say a 12 pak of Molson Ice. Realistically the couplings should be cut back off and prepared properly. the keg should be back gassed and the couplings welded back on by tig process to insure good fusion and a sanitary weld joint, although you will never achieve a 3A approvable joint using a threaded fitting but it does beat a badly carburized weld. I would seek out a local tigger with some dairy experience. He/She would likely fix you up for way less that a bottle of Stargon (trimix) and a roll of 316 ss wire (even a small one). Mig is great for a lot of things but I don't think it's good a option in this case, especially if your not well practiced.

[Ferrous]

Thanks for all the comments guys.

Hotfoot, if I ever have the pressurized kind of emergency you envisioned, don't worry, I'll be asking for some kind of help quick. Best kind of help in that case is having a bunch of friends come over to help drink the beer quick! That way it won't go to waste (or waist, not mine anyway)!

Yeah Steve, I'm in Texas and Pennsylvania is quite a ways from here. Thanks though. I hope to find someone around here who'll help me out, and even better if they'll take beer in payment.

Skill aside (easy since I have none), it does seem more reasonable to get an experienced TIG weldor to do it for me just based on cost of the gas and wire setup alone. It might be more practical if I had some experience and was planning to weld stainless regularly.

[drizler]

laugh all you like but I have used the stuff on all sorts of odd, hard to fix things. It won't hold up a bridge but it sure will hold in yer liquids and most important of all its easy to work with.

[Ferrous]

laugh all you like but I have used the stuff on all sorts of odd, hard to fix things. It won't hold up a bridge but it sure will hold in yer liquids and most important of all its easy to work with.

What is that magic rod made out of? Some metals will react badly with the beer. Beer is food, so I don't want to get poisoned for my pleasure.

[drizler]

ITS MAGIC SEE..................... Probably some sort of aluminum alloy I would guess. Who knows, if its some sort of puky American beer you are making it couldn't do anything but help it. SARANAC BLACK FORREST AND BLACK & TAN excepted.

[menace]

I've made some custom oil tanks for Harleys, and the first one gave me a lot of trouble with pinholes! I realized the problem was O2 burping past the weld as O2 heated up in the barrel, coming out and contaminating the weld!! To cure this problom purge the barrel with tri-mix to clear the O2 and continue as you weld!

Steve

[Ferrous]

ITS MAGIC SEE..................... Probably some sort of aluminum alloy I would guess. Who knows, if its some sort of puky American beer you are making it couldn't do anything but help it. SARANAC BLACK FORREST AND BLACK & TAN excepted.

I don't know how to make puky American beer, if you're talking about those tasteless BMC types. It's funny though, that's what most of my friends are interested in. I keep telling them I brew with malted two-row barley, water, hops, and yeast, not with rice and corn like the big breweries use to produce their tasteless chill swill.

I make all kinds of ales and stouts, and mine are definitely not lite beers! They'll make you fat! I'm drinking a clone of Rogue Shakespeare Stout that I made last Christmas, and boy is it ever a fine beer, if I do say so myself.

[Ferrous]

I've made some custom oil tanks for Harleys, and the first one gave me a lot of trouble with pinholes! I realized the problem was O2 burping past the weld as O2 heated up in the barrel, coming out and contaminating the weld!! To cure this problom purge the barrel with tri-mix to clear the O2 and continue as you weld!

Steve

Thanks for the info Steve. I've decided this is not a job for me. I'm a beginner weldor and I only have a MIG with a C25 bottle, and no skill to speak of. Seeing that this needs to be food safe and leak proof, I'm definitely going to get someone who has some skill at it do it for me.

[Winger Ed.]

Call some of the welding supply houses down in South Dallas:
(you're looking for addresses on Ft. worth Ave., Beckley Blvd. or along Irving/Industrial Blvd).
If the guy at the counter doesn't know customers who can TIG it for ya as a side job, thier delivery truck driver will.

.

[usmcpop]

Hey Ferrous, as for "puky American beer", my Grandpa said it best. When it came to beer, he said "There's none bad, just some better than others." That was the practical, German side of him... He, having gone through prohibition and the great Depression, passed this ditty on: "We sell near-beer here, because near-beer is the only beer sold near here."