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Hey all...

I'm wanting to add some 1/2" couplers to my kegs to attach the ball valve and tubes to. Currently I just have some washers and gaskets (weldless obviously), but the gaskets are beginning to crack and leak. I've watched a few youtube videos and have seen some guys dimple the hole and pull the coupling thru, then secure using silver solder.

Wondering if anyone here has done this or if anyone might have made up a tool to do this they they may want to rent out. I'm also open to other ideas or advice. my HLT and kettle (both kegs) each only have 1 hole in them for the ball valve.

Cheers!
-Shaun

I just did this with a slapped together dimple tool. It was really cheap compared to buying all stainless butt weld parts that are impossible to find cheaply in Canada for some reason. I'll add pictures if you'd like, but I used the following parts:
-5/8" bolt
-5/8" Nut
-5 or 6 5/8" washers
-3/4" to 1/2" copper coupling (as the part doing the dimpling)
-1-1/4" to 1/2" copper coupling (as the external die)
-1" galvanized pipe reducer (to allow the parts to pull through)

It probably doesn't work as smoothly as the butt weld pieces, but it works and I only have a couple of hole that needed to be done. It's not as smooth because you need to swap out the 1-1/4" to 1/2" coupling for the galvanized piece since it's too short to pull the piece all the way through. If that makes any sense. I still like the fact that both parts are 1/2" since that eliminates the need to have a centering washer; the shaft of the 5/8" bolt is nice fit for 1/2".

I've only used it once so far, since I haven't decided on where I want my other components. If you're doing more than a few holes, I would probably get a couple of the 3/4" to 1/2" couplings since they wear quickly.

My kettle I put this on is a 1/2 BBL Keggle too.

Thanks for that! I hadn't considered using copper, figured it would just deform as it pushed against the steel. I may pick these parts up and have a go at it.

I would definitely like to see some pics if you don't ind posting a few.

Cheers!

Sorry for the delay. I'm on crutches and the tool was in the basement. I kept forgetting to take pictures whenever I was down there. The photos are hosted in an album here:http://imgur.com/a/Xuv5w. I wrote a bit on the trial and error I went through to get it to work.

Cheers,

Kevin

Thanks! going to give this a go this weekend I think. Or brew...don't know yet.

What did you use for solder and flux?

I used Harris Stay-Clean flux and Stay-Brite solder that I bought on eBay. I don't think it was too expensive as a combo, but I only got a small bottle of flux with a small amount of solder. Probably just enough for my project. That stuff is really expensive if you look at the bigger bottles and 1lb rolls. You could try welding supply shops in Burnside maybe.

Yeah...I figured something like that. The solder I think, is fine to get at CT or HD, lead free, 3-4% silver (I think the good stuff is closer to 6%). Acklands-Granger carries the flux, but it is quite pricey. Gunna have to bite the bullet and just order it up I guess.

I heard that you can use plain old pipe solder, but I only have 1/8" plumbing solder. From the youtube videos I watched, it looked like having 1/16" solder gave a little more control on the joint, since I wanted to wrap the coupling instead of add solder while heating.

Kevin James wrote: ↑

Sun May 07, 2017 2:28 am

I heard that you can use plain old pipe solder, but I only have 1/8" plumbing solder. From the youtube videos I watched, it looked like having 1/16" solder gave a little more control on the joint, since I wanted to wrap the coupling instead of add solder while heating.

Be careful of the lead content of pipe solder. Pure silver solder can be bought from places like Jentronics in Burnside. Just make sure to clean the shit out of it after you apply. Sometimes the flux likes to hang around.