Thread: How did he make this?

Quite a few years ago a family friend made this pot for us. He made it at a time when I didn't have much interest or knowledge about metalwork. He is now deceased unfortunately. It's a pot that we have used for boiling tomato sauce bottles among other things. The bloke that made it would have only had basic tools and was not a metal worker. I know he had an arc welder and perhaps an angle grinder. I believe he took a beer keg and modified to make this pot. I don't know much about beer kegs but can anyone tell me what type of metal this would likely be and how did he rivet/join the handle to the top of the pot? I've been asked to make something similar and this pot is very sturdy and convenient. It has a few hammer marks which I think our family friend was responsible and I can see the welding near the bottom, apart from that I don't know much else.

Originally Posted by Tiger

Quite a few years ago a family friend made this pot for us. He made it at a time when I didn't have much interest or knowledge about metalwork. He is now deceased unfortunately. It's a pot that we have used for boiling tomato sauce bottles among other things. The bloke that made it would have only had basic tools and was not a metal worker. I know he had an arc welder and perhaps an angle grinder. I believe he took a beer keg and modified to make this pot. I don't know much about beer kegs but can anyone tell me what type of metal this would likely be and how did he rivet/join the handle to the top of the pot? I've been asked to make something similar and this pot is very sturdy and convenient. It has a few hammer marks which I think our family friend was responsible and I can see the welding near the bottom, apart from that I don't know much else.

Hi Tiger, if it was a keg, it would probably have been stainless steel, with the top cut off.You could try scrap metal merchants to see if they have any. The handles are a U bolt that would have been cut to length, drilled, one hole drilled into the pot where the handle was required, then a rivet would have been set and peened over. Once one rivet was in, the rest of the holes would have been drilled and then riveted.
Another alternative is a hot water system tank, they are usually steel and could possibly be picked up from plumbers, a bit cheaper than a S/S keg. Cutting it would be the same as for the stainless keg.
Kryn

Thanks Kryn, sounds like you know your beer . Great info and very helpful, tell me is there much to this setting and peening? And do you reckon the weld near the bottom was already there?

Originally Posted by Tiger

Thanks Kryn, sounds like you know your beer . Great info and very helpful, tell me is there much to this setting and peening? And do you reckon the weld near the bottom was already there?

Hi Tiger, the only thing I know about beer, is that draught beers always show the manufacturers on the labels, (Draught Horses), I find beer tastes terrible.
Setting and peening is (I could stand to be corrected) where a rivet is put into a hole (usually a sliding fit) then a setting tool is used, this tool is similar to a punch, but has a hole in it for the rivet to slide in, this forces the 2 parts together, then the rivet is peened over using a ball peen hammer, with a lump of steel to prevent the rivet coming out when peened.. Getting the rivet the correct length is the fun part, to short and it won't hold, to long and it looks ugly.
It's hard to say if the weld is new or old because of the dirt on the side of it, but looks as if it is original.
Kryn

Thanks again Kryn, I'd shout you a beer but I don't have any.

Originally Posted by Tiger

Thanks again Kryn, I'd shout you a beer but I don't have any.

That's OK, cos I don't touch the stuff anyway.

If you have access to a welder it would be a whole lot easier and quicker to just weld the handles to your new pot. I understand that a welder might not be an option. If not, you could also use screws in place of rivets. I'm thinking gutter screws with the head inside the pot to give you a fairly low profile, nut on the handle side and if you cut the screw to the right length you could then pein the end over like a rivet. It wouldn't come loose if you did it right.
bollie7

It looks like half of an old air compressor tank to me. Is it stainless steel or regular carbon steel?

Actually, its also possible that its an old cornelius keg. Home brewers tend to use these for beer as you can open the top to clean them. Maybe if there is any home brewers here they can confirm what the kegs look like with the bottom plastic part removed.

Tiger--- It looks to me to be the top of a hot water system. Try scratching the metal to check if its shiny or 'red'. If it's shiny then its probably steel, and if its 'red' then its copper.
I suggest that the weld on the bottom was made during manufacture and not by your friend, who possibly just cut the hot water tank in half.
If you have a friend who is a plumber then he could look out for one when hes doing a replacement, since they usually go to the dump or scrap merchant.
Good hunting
Brian

Thanks for the comments, I can weld to an extent but the weld on this item looks very clean and measured. I've been told that the item may have been a beer keg but we've never been certain. I think it's stainless steel, it's fairly heavy (and very sturdy) but I'll do that scratch test to see. Brian, you may be right, could be part of a hot-water system, I'll do some searching on the Internet and see if I can find something similar. Not sure why it was riveted as I agree screws would have been a bit easier but the way the guy did it, there's been no movement with the handles at all despite the weight we've put in the pot.

Hi Tiger,

Personally I think the most important issue you will need to address, is to ensure whatever material you use (maybe bar stainless steel) is to have the inside surface coated especially if it is to be used for human consumption. I know a lot of people are skeptical of these claims but it is better to be safe than sorry...

http://www.naturalnews.com/036029_co...hemicals.html#

Regards
MH

Originally Posted by Metal Head

Hi Tiger,

Personally I think the most important issue you will need to address, is to ensure whatever material you use (maybe bar stainless steel) is to have the inside surface coated especially if it is to be used for human consumption. I know a lot of people are skeptical of these claims but it is better to be safe than sorry...

http://www.naturalnews.com/036029_co...hemicals.html#

Regards
MH

So what are you suggesting it should be coated with?

Ray

Reading that naturalnews link, I think I'll wear my sceptical hat with an added sceptical scarf, gloves, belt and braces. Apparently the only safe saucepans are the ones made from titanium! (obviously hasn't seen the research on titanium toxicity!)

Interestingly, the article says that cast iron is bad, but a link further down the page promotes cast iron as good.

However, reading it in detail it definitely says that iron is bad for you...I wonder if I can get it chelated out of my blood!

Mainly used for boiling bottled tomato sauce so nothing eaten directly from the pot.