[TheForge] Stainless Steel raising

Wed Sep 24 23:11:01 2003

I cut the top out of a 16 Gal. keg to make a slack tub.  Thought I was going
to use a metal cutting blade in  the sawzall, that lasted about 3", wound up
using an abrasive wheel.  Then rolled the sharp edge over to make a smooth
top ,used a rose bud and did it hot. Pretty tough stuff.
Randy Mundt
----- Original Message -----
From: "RIES NIEMI" <[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Wednesday, September 24, 2003 11:06 AM
Subject: Re: [TheForge] Stainless Steel raising


> on 9/24/03 5:56 AM, Bela Beke at [email protected] wrote:
>
> > Friends,I  wish to enter into the mysteries of mash brewing.I have some
> > dented stainless kegs.
> > I need to repair these .Also need to make some close fitting lids from
the
> > top part of the kegs
> > for canning , and other stuff.I'm familiar with the hand raising of non
> > ferrous metals , and
> > work hardening /annealing.Have read that stainless steel work hardens
.How
> > does
> > one anneal SS? Any suggestions /discussion welcome.
> > Regards , Bela Beke .
> > [email protected]
>
> Its true that most 3 series stainless steels can be annealed by heating
red,
> then quenching in water. This does not work for all alloys of stainless-
you
> just have to try it and see.
> However, even annealed stainless is pretty darn hard. Sure, if you have
both
> mill finish and annealed, you may be able to tell the difference, but they
> are both still tough stuff.
> Thin stainless should be able to be raised by using a wooden mallet and a
> shot or sand bag, but it will take a lot of hits to move it.
> You could raise it hot, but on really thin stuff like a beer keg, you run
> the danger of melting it. I have had success using a rosebud tip on my
> torch, turned low, and being careful, working areas about 3"-4" in
diameter
> at a time.
> You can use a steel hammer and a raising ring- a circle of 3/4" round bar,
> say 6" in diameter, welded to a "y" shaped yoke that sticks down. You
clamp
> the long leg of the yoke in your vise or size it for the hardy hole of
your
> anvil, and work the steel over the hole in the donut.
> Thin stainless, up to maybe 18 ga or so, can also be worked on the english
> wheel.
> But any way you look at it, stainless takes a lot of force to move, and
that
> means big, expensive tools. Beer kegs are made with hydraulic presses with
> hundreds of tons of power.
> This is why traditionally beer brewing vats and equipment were made of
> copper. You can hand form it much easier, and it will anneal repeatedly.
>
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