Sealing brass to Stainless Steel.

[DEMPSEY]

Using brass fittings and drilling a hole in stainless steel pot,what would be recommended for using as a good sealant to use in a boil kettle with all that lovely hot sweet wort sloshing around. :-/

[Shanna]

Hi Dempsey

Get a pair of steel washers and a pair of high temperature food safe o r ings. Get a threaded nipple that goes through your hole with equal amount of thread on either side.  Take two threaded nuts and put the two orings over the threaded nipple up against the wall of the pot. Push the two washers up to cover the orings and then tighten the nuts so that they compress the washers and the washers in turn compress the orings. This should firm as tight seal.  I have done the same with a bottom drain.

Shanna

[DEMPSEY]

What about silver solder and brazing a brass bulkhead on to the S/S.

[Shanna]

http://www.ebay.com/sch/items/?_nkw=Food+grade+silicone+sealant&_sacat=&_ex_kw=&_mPrRngCbx=1&_udlo=&_udhi=&_sop=12&_fpos=&_fspt=1&_sadis=&LH_CAds=

http://www.theelectricbrewery.com/parts-list-for-building

Hi Dempsey

Don't imagine that any thing destined for an engine is going to be food safe.  I spent a lot of time researching sources of food safe high temperature silicon sealants here in Ireland but could not find anything.  Eventually got some from
Mcmaster in the us.

I suggest you check out theelectric brewery website see link above and it has links to eBay, amazon and mcmaster (Unfortunately they won't ship to Europe) for high temperature silicon and loads of other bits and bobs.


I would imagine that you want something stronger than silicon sealant to secure a ball valve. Re the use of silver soldeer I don't think you would get s strong enough bond with it but this is a guess at best.  Starting to have seconds thought s about using copper for dip tubes. Any chance you can let me know where you got your stainless steel tubing?

Shanna

[Shanna]

Per remark on other thread about using copper v turns out I don't need c the stainless after c all.

Shanna

[JD]

I sealed my keggle using home made silicone washers. These can be 'made' by cutting them from one of those flat silicone baking sheet. Cost a couple of Euro in the likes of Arnotts and will each provide a couple of dozen washers.

Just use a piece of pipe as a cutting template and slowly cut around it using a sharp craft knife. Alternatively, sharpen the end of a piece of pipe and use it like a punch to cut the holes in the silicone sheet.

If your vessel has cylindrical walls, as most kegs do, and your fittings are flat, as most fittings are, you can get a seal by using two layers of the silicone washers inside and out coupled with a bit more elbow grease when tightening.

Works a charm.

/JD

[DEMPSEY]

Another way to make a flat fitting fit to a curved wall on a tank is to drill your hole in the tank and using a piece of wood bang it with a hammer to flatten the area around the hole. Bang is a crude way of saying tap.

Anyone ever used jb weld to fit a brass bulkhead fitting to a stainless steel tank. :-/