Ideas to fix up my brew keg drain?

[Hunky]

I've thought about putting a drop tube inside my kettle to help filter loose hops and see that I don't have any threads with which to work. It is just a .5" nipple cut off about 1/4" into the pot.

I was wondering what great ideas some of you may have before I go look at putting in a new port - redoing this one, etc. I am not a welder but have seen how to install weldless ports and the like.. but I'm very rural so would have to mail order any stainless nipples and hardware. One thought I had was to drive some .5" copper tube into the nipple but that would then neck down the drain to 3/8" as well as either present a cleaning challenge or, if I used a fitting it would introduce brass into the pot. I could explain further, but was thinking of some kind of tube like dennybrew's. I'll try to attach a couple pics:

Inside the keg showing the stub:

 

[Bobby_M]

Depending on the manufacturer, the ID of the nipple may allow a near press fit of 5/8" OD tubing.

 

[Hunky]

Thanks Bobby,
It is half inch, so I am going to see how it drains with a 1/2" O.D. copper tube (3/8" I.D.) driven into it friction fit. Fairly tight. So I drove a short piece in and found a copper union (or rather sleeve) that is probably made for 3/8" copper pipe (if there is such a thing) but seems to fit perfect for the tube, so I can then just press fit in the dip tube to that. No brass fittings.

I did just order from you yesterday a weldless bulkhead fitting so I can work up something in case I'm dissatisfied with what I now have. Good price on shipping to Alaska.. I appreciate that.

[edit] oops, got you confused with bargainfittings.com. Sorry about that. Ordered my fitting through them.

Here's what I ended up doing and hopefully it will work. Otherwise I'll just yank it out.

and installed (I need to scrub the kettle, been a few years sitting in the shed unused.):

regards, JD