"polishing your keg" is more than a clever euphemism

[TalonBrew]

Hey guys,

I need a little help. After three pretty long days, I'm to the point where I can start polishing my keg. It has some dark, mottled discolorations in it from the Gator wheels, but I thought the polish would get rid of that. Id does to a certain extent, but not totally leaving me with a polished keg that looks like it has leprosy.

I tried to take pictures of the polished side, but it's too reflective to give an accurate picture, so here is a picture of the unpolished side. You can see the spots. I've tried going back over it with the blue pad and that may or may not remove the spots.

Am I screwed?

Thanks,
Keith
Denver

 

[Bobby_M]

Put a little acetone on a rag and see what comes off.

 

[TalonBrew]

Thanks Bobby.

I tried that and alcohol, but no change. It's like the coloration is in the metal not on the surface. I'm going to go get some #1 polishing compound and try that first to see if it will remove the spots and a few minor scratches. I want to see if the #1 is between the fine pads and the #2.

 

[Flomaster]

Thanks Bobby.

I tried that and alcohol, but no change. It's like the coloration is in the metal not on the surface. I'm going to go get some #1 polishing compound and try that first to see if it will remove the spots and a few minor scratches. I want to see if the #1 is between the fine pads and the #2.

i'd go back to using the sand paper pad get the black off of so its just dull metal, then try your luck with the polishing pad.

of coarse I took a flapper disk to my entire keggle first, then used the coarse pad and compound, then the fine cotton mirror finish pad and compound.

didn't get all the scratched out from the flapper disk, but its good enough.

-=Jason=-

 

[TalonBrew]

didn't get all the scratched out from the flapper disk, but its good enough.

-=Jason=-

I did the same thing and it was a mistake. I thought I was being smart, hitting the roughest spots with the flap wheel, but it turned out to be much harder to get rid of the ridges and scratches.

Thanks Jason.

 

[day_trippr]

Thanks Bobby.

I tried that and alcohol, but no change. It's like the coloration is in the metal not on the surface. I'm going to go get some #1 polishing compound and try that first to see if it will remove the spots and a few minor scratches. I want to see if the #1 is between the fine pads and the #2.

I bet that discoloration is melted backing pad...

 

[megalomani]

has anyone tried to do this with an orbital sander instead of an angle grinder?

 

[Flomaster]

I bet that discoloration is melted backing pad...

Yeah I got black marks when the backing pad made contact with the keggle.

 

[TalonBrew]

I bet that discoloration is melted backing pad...

Turned out I kind of figured it out. It was not on the surface, i.e. not the pad. It's like some sort of oxidation. Everywhere that it's slightly darker, there is either a small scratch, or a depression that the pads can't get fully into. Realize that I even went and got some coarse pads and still cant get all the way down. It took polishing it to actually be able to see what was causing it. So I got a new, fine pad and very very gently went around and lightly hit each of the spots with the corner of the disk, and it would take enough of the surface, and darkness off to make the spots smaller, and harder to see. Where the dent or deep scratches are still have a darkness, but when it's polished up, it's not very noticeable.

I really wish I had a newer keg before I started this, but with one or two more sessions, I think I'll have something worth posting. Oh yeah... and boiling in. :rockin:

 

[PiratesBeardBrewery]

Lots of back and forth on this polishing topic, I think it all comes down to what you YOURSELF are happy with in the end.

I used Bobby's technique (sort of), but I severely underestimated the depth of the scratches on my keg. All I used was the gator fine pad and polishing pad with Lowe's #2 polish, here is what it looked like after each step.

Before anything:

After Gator fine pad:

I was tempted to stop here, almost. It looked a lot better than I thought it would, but boy I'm glad I took the next step.

After polishing pad with #2 polish stick:

Is it as mirror-like as Bobby's or many others on here? Heck no, not even close. But that's fine by me. It looks a heck of a lot nicer than when I started. Also because I used about half the steps than Bobby's method did, I used half the time. 1.5 hours from start to finish for this polishing job.

I might also add, my keg had several small dents in it to begin with, so I knew no matter how much work I put into polishing it that it would never be perfectly mirror-like. For this reason I decided to cut down Bobby's method to save some time, effort, and money. Those gator pads aren't cheap and I went through two fine pads and two polishing pads getting this done (about $30 at Lowe's since I had to buy the backing as well). Well worth it to me!

This forum is awesome, and everyone's input was great as I did my research so I thought I would return the favor for those out there watching and reading from the shadows like I was. Hope you enjoyed it!

 

[akthor]

That's very encouraging I have a PBR keg that looks very similiar to yours. I was wondering if I should even bother trying to polish it. I would be very happy if my comes out like yours!

 

[PiratesBeardBrewery]

If you really want the majority of the scratches out I would recommend you start with the medium gator pad like Bobby's method recommends. Mine looks pretty good from afar, but when you get up close you can really see the deeper scratches that are still there. But like I said, this keg was pretty beat up with dents in several places so I wasn't too concerned with getting it perfect.

Turned out much better than I anticipated for the minimal effort that I put into it.

 

[TalonBrew]

I had to go back to a coarse to get rid of some self-induced scratches from a flap wheel. I've finally got it polished, but it still has a slight haze and/or very fine scratches. I think I need to go over it again with the #2 polish and a new pad. Can someone tell me how much of the polish they are using? I can't tell if it's too much or too little. I used about 2/3 of the stick, but it seldom seemed like there was any on the pad.

Thanks,
Keith

 

[PiratesBeardBrewery]

I went through about 2/3 of the #2 polish stick as well for one pass over the keg plus a little cleaning up in a few spots. I probably used too much but I also went through two polishing pads on just my #2 polish run.

 

[TalonBrew]

Thanks for the info.

 

[akthor]

Oh I definitely will. You can see I got a Bud Light keg that is pretty flawless, thank god cuz I hate Bud Light. After choking down a whole keg of the Bud Lt I don't care how nice the kegs are I got some decent beer. Believe or not PBR on draft ain't horrible, not my fave for sure but not bad. The PBR kegs are more beat up cuz in my area they are rotated alot faster and more frequently than other kegs since all the bars in the area have $2 24oz draft specials all the time. I actually got the nicest one they had lol.

I used to manage a Redemption Center so I still have relationships with the Bud and Miller Distributors in my area who told me I could keep the kegs (if they could come over and try the beer I make in them )

If you really want the majority of the scratches out I would recommend you start with the medium gator pad like Bobby's method recommends. Mine looks pretty good from afar, but when you get up close you can really see the deeper scratches that are still there. But like I said, this keg was pretty beat up with dents in several places so I wasn't too concerned with getting it perfect.

Turned out much better than I anticipated for the minimal effort that I put into it.

 

[akthor]

One other question, how messy is this? It's winter here in Maine so I don't suppose this can be done inside?

Heading to Lowes to buy the stuff, including a grinder and a cut off wheel to cut the tops off.

 

[TalonBrew]

One other question, how messy is this? It's winter here in Maine so I don't suppose this can be done inside?

Heading to Lowes to buy the stuff, including a grinder and a cut off wheel to cut the tops off.

It's pretty bad. I live in Denver and the weather was a little cold and windy, so I did it in the garage. You get TONS of this gritty dust on everything. The problem is that sweeping wouldn't get it all off the floor! I had to put a wet towel in the house to wipe my shoes on then I'd take them off! I had these black footprints everywhere. I blew out the garage with a shop-vac and that helped, but still, there are all sorts of horizontal places that I need to go wipe down with a wet cloth. I just touched my workbench, and even after blowing it out, I got black stuff all over my hands.

Oh yeah.... don't put the cans in there with you either. That's a trip to the car wash for sure.

I waited for a warm day (~40) and finished up in the back yard. Soooo much better.

FWIW. I'm sure others will chime in and say it wasn't that bad, but for my money, I won't ever do it inside again.

 

[PiratesBeardBrewery]

That Bud Light keg is gonna clean up real nice, I'd take that one all the way down to the #5 polish and it'll be a mirror

 

[PiratesBeardBrewery]

It's pretty bad. I live in Denver and the weather was a little cold and windy, so I did it in the garage. You get TONS of this gritty dust on everything. The problem is that sweeping wouldn't get it all off the floor! I had to put a wet towel in the house to wipe my shoes on then I'd take them off! I had these black footprints everywhere. I blew out the garage with a shop-vac and that helped, but still, there are all sorts of horizontal places that I need to go wipe down with a wet cloth. I just touched my workbench, and even after blowing it out, I got black stuff all over my hands.

Oh yeah.... don't put the cans in there with you either. That's a trip to the car wash for sure.

I waited for a warm day (~40) and finished up in the back yard. Soooo much better.

FWIW. I'm sure others will chime in and say it wasn't that bad, but for my money, I won't ever do it inside again.

It was pretty messy. The sanding portion wasn't so bad but the polishing portion gets little fibers from the polish pad and little black specks of polish everywhere. I thought I just got it on my shirt and pants but when I went inside and looked in the mirror the only part of my face that wasn't black was the part that was covered by my glasses.

Luckily I did it outside so didn't have to worry too much about cleanup. I will say though that I'm finding it very hard to clean up all the leftover fibers and black polish residue that got stuck in some of the holes/handles and such in the keg

 

[day_trippr]

[...]I'm sure others will chime in and say it wasn't that bad, but for my money, I won't ever do it inside again.

Not this guy - I totally agree with you on this. I polished up a corney keg just for poops and chuckles. Took a couple of hours to finish, at which point I flipped up my face shield and realized I had just thoroughly dusted my workshop with a coating of grey/black flecks that wouldn't come clean with just a shop vac. I ended up have to wiped down every horizontal surface in the shop with dampened rags. Royal pita.

If I ever do that again it'll definitely be outdoors...

Cheers!

 

[megalomani]

It seems the orbit sander works fine. I got some gator pads for it and two of the polish compounds. Just did a small spot of the keg with the fine pad and it looks nice. Unfortunately did it in the basement and got dust all over. Hopefully I can work on it outside tomorrow and post some pics.

 

[TalonBrew]

. at which point I flipped up my face shield and realized I had just thoroughly dusted my workshop with a coating of grey/black flecks that wouldn't come clean with just a shop vac. I ended up have to wiped down every horizontal surface in the shop with dampened rags. Royal pita.

Yeah. It's hard to describe that unless you've done it. I read plenty in here that said it was messy, but I thought a broom and a shop-vac.....

I was wrong.

 

[akthor]

Okey dokey not inside for sure. Of course the Lowes I went to didn't have the rubber backing pad or the soft polishing pads in stock Gotta try the other Lowes.

 

[Bobby_M]

After the first 20 minutes of polishing in the garage, I realized I was making an insane mess. If you overlook the respirator, you'll blow black snot into the tissue later. That can't be good. I eventually rigged up a small isolation booth with some thick clear plastic to keep the mess down. It worked well but it concentrates the mess inside. Don't even think about walking through your wife's newly carpeted areas without stripping down first.

 

[megalomani]

Here is what a cheap orbit sander was able to do. Don't have a before picture, the bottom pic is after the first time over with 220 grit paper.

Not a mirror but pretty good compared to before. I went through lots of sanding discs and the motor was too weak for hard pressure. May get a cheap grinder to finish it off.

On an unrelated note broke several bits trying to drill pilot holes.

 

[Brickout]

Just stopped at Lowes to pick up everything. Just as an FYI, the polishing sticks are no longer offered under the Task Force name. They have them under the Porter Cable brand over by the bench grinder accessories.

 

[akthor]

Ok got all the stickers and old sticker residue off was putting the grinder together to get ready to attempt this and need a little clarification.

The medium and fine gator discs have one side that is more abrasive then the other which side do we use? Also do I use the center nut that came with the backing disc or the one that came with my grinder?

Also if you look at the picture that is the center nut that came with the backing pad. Is that set up right? So I have to be careful that the center nut doesn't come in contact with the keg right? I mean it would mess up the keg surface? So I only have like an inch and a half of surface area to polish with?

The tool that came with my grinder also doesn't fit the holes in the nut that came with the backing pad so how tight does that nut need to be?

 

[Flomaster]

I used the center nut that came with the backing pad. I also had to remove the bottom nut off my grinder in order to get the flat center nut to screw down

-=Jason=-

 

[Bobby_M]

Yup on both counts. The back washer has to come off so that there is enough threads to make it all the way down. Put a leather work glove on and with the spindle lock on, put your palm flat on the nut to tighten it. It should recess slightly below the surface of the pad. It will get tighter as you work.

I don't know how to describe which side to use, it's the side that is most like a 3M scrubby pad.

 

[akthor]

Well it was in the high 30's today so I took advantage and went out in the shed where I didn't have to worry about a mess and got started on my first keg.

As someone who has never polished or grinded anything with a grinder the process wasn't too bad. As with anything the more I did the better I think I got at it.

My 2 cents:

Wear hearing protection! I didn't think it was too loud but now after an hour of grinding I have a ringing in my ears like when I get home from a rock concert.

Keep the grinder moving. Helps keep the annoying black smudges down. Which I assume are from the pad itself burning if you push too hard or stay in one place too long.

Took two medium gator grit pads to do my 1st keg. Is this normal???? How many pads did you guys that did this use up?

When I have better light I will take a picture of what it looks like after the med pads. If it's not too cold I will tackle it with the fine grit ones tomorrow.

 

[Im_Lars]

My 2 cents:

Wear hearing protection!

LOL............. I found with the top cut off mine it acted like a echo chamber and magnified the sound. I stuffed the keg with some old blankets and it cut the noise down.

 

[akthor]

I figured it would be easier to polish it before cutting the top off and putting the bulkhead holes in it.

 

[Bobby_M]

Well it was in the high 30's today so I took advantage and went out in the shed where I didn't have to worry about a mess and got started on my first keg.

As someone who has never polished or grinded anything with a grinder the process wasn't too bad. As with anything the more I did the better I think I got at it.

My 2 cents:

Wear hearing protection! I didn't think it was too loud but now after an hour of grinding I have a ringing in my ears like when I get home from a rock concert.

Keep the grinder moving. Helps keep the annoying black smudges down. Which I assume are from the pad itself burning if you push too hard or stay in one place too long.

Took two medium gator grit pads to do my 1st keg. Is this normal???? How many pads did you guys that did this use up?

When I have better light I will take a picture of what it looks like after the med pads. If it's not too cold I will tackle it with the fine grit ones tomorrow.

My first keg took two medium pads but the second one I did only used one. It may have been a difference in the initial surface condition or perhaps I just took my time more and applied less pressure. I'm not sure.

 

[akthor]

Before and after 2hrs and 2 gator grit med pads. Hope to hit it with the fine pads tomorrow and then Sunday the final polish while the weather holds.

 

[akthor]

And here it is after the fine gator grit pad (didn't take a picture of that it wasn't a hose difference looks wise from med) and after the first polishing stick.

Last step is the #5 high gloss polishing stick and a clean up with a buffer and Brasso and she will be done.

Hopefully finish tomorrow.

I have to say it is a lot of work but you see such a difference as you go along that you have a constant sense of accomplishment so it doesn't seem so bad.

 

[Golddiggie]

Here's my first polished keg...

I need to hit a few spots again, with the jewelers rouge compound and a buffing/polishing pad. But it's about 99% of where it needs to be. Next time, I plan to use just the medium and fine pads (used course and medium this time) and then maybe something else to buff/polish it to the final shine. Still, getting a lot of good comments on the results so far.

 

[ron,ar]

I have been to 2 different Lowes in the Little Rock area looking for those polishing compound sticks. No luck under Task Force or Porter Cable. I had 3 people looking in North Little Rock Lowes, I think I'll just get mad and paint em black!!!

 

[day_trippr]

I have been to 2 different Lowes in the Little Rock area looking for those polishing compound sticks. No luck under Task Force or Porter Cable. I had 3 people looking in North Little Rock Lowes, I think I'll just get mad and paint em black!!!

Lowes has free "ship to store"...

Cheers!

 

[Golddiggie]

Amazon has them... Some of them are even eligible for free shipping if you have a Prime membership (I do )... So free 2 day and $3.99 overnight shipping. I went with some 5oz sticks the first time. You can get a full keg buffed with them and still have some left over. It all depends on how far you go before you start buffing. Or how far you go with the first compound.