Good Day mordantly, I am located in central Tennessee, and do not fully understand California dialects very well, Please explain "i had to bar keeper friend that girl a grip of times before it would stop rusting over in those areas" Thanks.

Thanks Joshua,I just got back from getting my eyes checked!

Bar Keepers friend is a metal polish. I'm guessing Mordantly had to polish out all of the slag marks to ensure that his keggle wouldn't rust.

Starting to make sense.Thanks hashie.

Good Day, 1mm blades make a fine kerf, but shatter very often. 2mm make a wider kerf, and take longer to cut, but last longer. If the metal is thin go 1mm, if its thick, go 2mm. Just IMHO.

The blade you are after is most likely the thinner blade which are made for cutting stainless steel. Check with the shop owner before you buy. The thinner blade means less heat stays in the stainless steel which leads to minimal discolouration and easier cutting. I'd buy about three blades as they sometimes splinter.

Using a dremel would take you forever so you are thinking on the right track.

Good Day, Of course, If there is a metal shop nearby, a plasma cutter can do a perfect job. a 2mm cut is normal, if the shop man uses a jig the hole will be perfect and can be made into a lid. Just my $0.0196Au

I cut the top off my keg with a Dremel. I tied a string around the center (fill hole)? and tied the Dremel to the other end. I made the length of the string so that pulling the string taught would let the cutting wheel land where I wanted it. I slowly and lightly scored the top in a perfect circle. After scoring the top I removed the string and hand cut the now marked top. It took a lot of time (1 hour ?) and a six pack of home brew but the cut was smooth and it looked professional. I used about 6 cutting blades which are cheap but were a pain to change.

I saw a few kegs that were cut with plasma and they were sloppy and messy looking. The top I cutout is now a cover that fits perfectly. I pop riveted some scrap metal to the top to keep it from falling in. Always relieve pressure before cutting into a keg.

Good Day Chinaski, Looks Great! Well done Sir. Instead of 3V, Have you thought of a couple of 5500watt heating elements and a false bottom, and maybe a PID control system.

Good Day Chinaski, A PID controller Is a temperature controller that raises temperature quickly at start, and slows the rate quickly as it nears the setting temperature, and can hold the Temp.+-1C,

Two 2400watt heaters can boil 40 liters in around 20 minutes. In America, We have "Ulta-low-Density" water heater elements that never get hot enough to burn our bags, and are available in 2400w to 5500w Check out http://www.biabrewer.info/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=649 a real "Bling" brew system. And http://www.biabrewer.info/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=1026 an all new electric build.

Chinaski wrote:...I think down the track I might move to a 3V system when I get my head around it so this will just turn into my kettle!

Hi there chinaski. Make sure you have the reasons clear in your head before you ever go three-vessel. BIAB produces at least the same quality beer with less equipment, space and hassle. There are lots of guys like myself who used to three-vessel, tried BIAB and never looked back.


PP

I don't have a drilled kettle, but if I did, I would use a pickup tube.

If I used whole hops, then I would either fit some sortof hop-blocker, or use a hop bag.

Whole Hops love to block things

Pellet hops, not so much of a problem.

Chinaski wrote: Quick question in relation to ball valves (if you have one) - Do you guys use a pick up tube or just an elbow piece inside you kettle?

I have a pickup tube on mine. It was a 'center' but I flipped it and cut it a little to make it a side pickup tube so my immersion chiller would sit on the bottom.

FYI: Anyone using a valve and a pickup tube must use a long enough hose to maintain a siphon. see example; http://www.flickr.com/photos/madscienti" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; ... 754235881/