Subject: Re: Cutting Stainless

From: [email-masked] (Bart Smaalders)
Date: 26 Jun 1993 01:50:13 GMT

>I am going to be cutting the tops out of 3 to 5 beer kegs which are
>made out 304 stainless.  The two things which have been recommended
>are 1) you can't use an acetylene torch and 2) use a sawzall with
>carbide blades and be prepared to use 5 or 6 blades for every keg.

Shade tree machining setup:

If the tap is in the center, it seems as if it would be possible to machine
the end of 12" or so of shaft to fit in tightly.  Once this is done, a metal
arm (3' or so) that fits tightly over the shaft could hold a lathe cutter
bit at the right distance.  Secure the keg with shaft pointing up (lashing
it tightly with ropes if nothing else works), and grab metal arm.  Bear down
and start walking around keg.  Note that cutter bit should have narrow nose
& correct angles.  When one gets close to cutting through, ease up to catch
the thick spots before breaking through anywhere.  Don't forget cutting oil.

Rather slow, but will probably yield acceptable cut.  Finish cut
and clean up with small angle head grinder.

- Bart

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From: [email-masked] (Dion Hollenbeck)
Date: Mon, 28 Jun 1993 16:36:04 GMT

>>>>> On 25 Jun 93 18:35:52 GMT, [email-masked] (Guy Cardwell) said:
Nntp-Posting-Host: okazaki.acs.uci.edu

Guy> In article <[email-masked]> [email-masked] (Dion Hollenbeck) writes:
>I just cannot imagine being able to hold a sawzall for long enough to
>wear out 5 or 6 carbide blades (and then do it 4 more times).  Please
>help me!!  Is it really true that you cannot cut 304 SS with a torch?
>One person said it was possible, but would cause a lot of warping.
>This is the top of a beer keg which has a 3" high cylindrical collar
>around it.

Guy> Well, I just cut the top of a keg off.. and I'm still grinding the
Guy> edge down.  I didn't have a sawzall, but did have a TIG torch.  I
Guy> literally burned a hole all around the top.  Very fast, but a real
Guy> mess to clean up.  I'm going over the whole edge with a die grinder to
Guy> get rid of the lumpy bits, but then going back with very low power on
Guy> the TIG torch to make a very nice rounded edge on the metal.  Very
Guy> clean looking when done.

Well, since I started all of this, I will reveal the results.  After
all the various replies including "You can cut it with a torch but it
will shatter afterwards", I decided to go the "safe but potentially
painfully slow" way.  I borrowed a Sawzall and got a couple packs of
BiMetal blades (could not find any carbide for sale) 14TPI.  It took
about 2 blades per keg.  Cut really easy and fast until the blade
would heat up and the teeth melt off, then it would slow down.  Guess
that was my fault for not being patient.  Boy the "duty cycle" in SS
is really low.

I did the plunge cut with a high speed die grinder and cutoff wheel.
BTW, the thinner the cutoff wheel, the faster the cut.  I am now in
the process of using a high speed die grinder to clean up the edges.
These are gonna make great brewing kettles!!

Thanks for all of your help.

dion

-- 
Dion Hollenbeck (619)455-5590x2814     Email: [email-masked]
Senior Software Engineer                      [email-masked]
Megatek Corporation, San Diego, California    ucsd!megatek!hollen

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From: [email-masked]
Date: Sat, 3 Jul 1993 22:46:10 GMT

> Thanks for all of your help.
I'm so sorry to here about all of this agony of cutting stainless steel. Did
any of you ever hear of a Plasma Torch? I'm not suggesting buying one although
Hobart does sell(or used to) a rather neet small one. But any well equiped
metal fabricator should have one. It should cost too much to have it done as a
plasma torch could do the job in less then 5 minutes and also leave a clean
edge . another benifit of the plasma torch is that it does not excessivly heat
the metal.                                           BoB

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From: [email-masked] (Soren LaForce)
Date: Tue, 6 Jul 1993 17:37:00 GMT

In article <[email-masked]>, [email-masked] writes...
>>>carbide blades and be prepared to use 5 or 6 blades for every keg.

much stuff deleted.

I haven't tried this but...

If I were cutting a stainless keg, I'd use a worm drive circular saw
(e.g. skill 77) and an abrasive blade.

I would wear ear plugs and ear muffs!

--Soren            [email-masked]