Is this keg ok?

[dave8274]

I picked up this keg a while back, and it was filthy. I cleaned it out, but it looks like some lettering was scraped from the outside, and on the inside of the keg where that was done there may be some rust, at least some off coloring.

Is this keg ok? If not, is there anything I can do, or do I need to toss it?

 

[72Chevelle]

it looks like someone welded something onto it then cut it back off. Not sure if this would cause a sanitary problem or not. Try Bar keepers friend cleaner it works wonders for cleaning stainless

 

[mrphillips]

I know that any scratch or mark on the inside of a carboy/keg COULD harbor bacteria. If it's the only keg you have and you're close to kegging time, I would still give it a go. It's worth a check with a local bar/brewery. If they'd still use it, then I would trust that.

 

[ChefRex]

It was welded for some reason, are any of the spots inside showing penetration? It looks like it in the picture. You could check to see if they used mild steel to repair with a magnet, you would have a stronger attraction with mild steel.
If they used stainless for the repair pressure test it with soap and water, sand and polish, repeat pressure test,you should be good to go.

 

[steveoc]

Looks like it was banged up pretty good and possibly breached, then welded to seal or reinforce. I got one like that in a batch I bought. Since I have a bunch of kegs anyway, I'll use it as a Star-San dispenser. If push came to shove, I'd consider using it. It's not like you are using it as a fermenter.

 

[dave8274]

You can't see it in the picture, but on the inside you can see lettering, so I think that is what was scraped off on the front. If you run a finger over it on the inside, its actually smooth, but it has a rust color around the edges. My biggest concern is whether the rust would ruin the beer.

 

[ChefRex]

Then i would just sand it with finer and finer paper then polish, a little work but you should be able to make it look like it never happened.

 

[Devilsnight]

As I know it, If you have rust on stainless steel you can sand it back out and after sitting clean and dry for a few weeks the natural "coating" will restore itself. As long as its "pure" though. To me it looks like it was welded on the outside and the inside got discolored. Definately was hit with a flap disc or die grinder.

Like, if someone was burning it with their wire feed the stainless is probly contaminated. I'm not an expert but do lots of metal fab with steel and aluminum mostly. Thats what it looks like to me. Good Luck!

 

[dgr]

You can try to clean and re-passivate it. Google has plenty of information on using oxalic acid (wood bleach) or citric acid (LHBS) to passivate stainless. Remember to use new everything when cleaning stainless. Any carbon steel contamination will just be rubbed back into the surface.