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Refinishing/Regraining Stainless tanks..

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  • Refinishing/Regraining Stainless tanks..

    Has anybody regrained their stainless tanks. My new/used tanks are pretty ugly on the outside...Many scratches in shipment and it looks like the last owner used some sort of abrasive to clean the outside of the tanks.

    Lots of ugly swirly, light scratches. And there is a thin layer of oxidation over everything.

    Anybody have any opinions on what works before I start hitting the local welding shops and asking them?

    Thanks!

  • #2
    I'm far from an expert on this topic (like all topics really), but I've had some success with a slightly worn green scrubbie, some Bar Keeper's Friend, and some "with the grain" hand scrubbing.

    Try it on the back side first, and of course, never inside.

    Scott

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    • #3
      At the factory a scotchbrite wheel is used to dress the welds, and provide grain. You can use fine paper as the previous poster recommended. http://www.csunitec.com/sand/surfacefinishing.html makes a nice handheld wide-swath finisher, it will cost you some good money but you might get a deal from a local tool supplier.

      You could always get someone from JVNW to come out and do the job.

      Oxidation on stainless steel, is it rust? If so I would acid wash them with a soft bristled brush until the rust is gone. Then rinse and return to service.
      Last edited by zbrew2k; 08-19-2005, 02:59 PM.

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      • #4
        Thanks for the replys!

        No, it's not rust. Maybe oxidation was the wrong term. It's just a general milky dullness. I've spray foamed it with acid, and caustic. Still dull and scratchy. My boss would never spring for a JVNW guy to come and do something like that, so it's up to me. I'd rather do it myself anyways..

        But it is ALOT of surface area. a 15 bbl. system, 4 BT's and 3 Unis, HLT...So I will look into the Portable Surface Finisher idea that I saw on the link. Maybe I can score a used one.

        On another note...My Unis are copperclad, and I want to refinish those as well. Would you use a surface finisher on those as well?

        Thanks
        Tomas

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        • #5
          Since you brought up copper clad vessels, I would also like to know if anyone has an idea how to make spots damaged specifically by acid (CIP the inside and splashed on the outside of copper clad brewing vessels-highly polished) Is it done for good?? do they need to be resurfaced?? or is there a miracle solution to restore that wonderful shine that was there 9 years ago??
          Thanks
          Matt Van Wyk
          Brewmaster
          Oakshire Brewing
          Eugene Oregon

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          • #6
            Dull Milky surface...well, that would probably be called the "2B" mill finish. When the stainless sheet is finish rolled at the steel mill it takes on a dull milky white appearance. It is actually a very fine surface that can be sanitary (in contact with product). Sometimes "pickling" can provide a dull finish also. You may be talking about something else too. There is a a brewhouse pic attached. The weld lines are brushed, and the surfaces are 2B Mill Finish.

            I would leave the tanks alone unless you have one or two in the public eye. Making a brushed appearance look good is not impossible but it is difficult. Like you said alot of surface are = lots of work!!

            As for copper, I made a detailed posting on copper http://probrewer.com/vbulletin/showt...pper+polishing
            or search the forum with "copper polishing"

            To remove an etched spot, use scotchbrite.
            Attached Files

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            • #7
              No, it's not that type of finish. I have pictures of the system from when it was new. It was gleaming, shining, uniform grain SS. And it's not all that white of a milky either, more just a dull, old steel look.

              And they are all in the public eye.

              Thanks for the info on copper. I'm going to gleam these bastards and then clear coat them. (crossing fingers)

              Cheers!
              Last edited by Triose; 08-19-2005, 05:12 PM.

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              • #8
                After you clear coat them, be sure you never scratch them.

                to BMOOR, go to http://www.flitz.com then go to products. Buy the metal polish and a Buffing Ball that fits on the end of a drill. The microfiber cloths are great too. You can mirror polish copper back to its original state. (Best to try on a site not seen by the public first, until you get the hang of it. These guys will come over from Germany to do it for you: http://www.hofe-gmbh.de but you'll need a 220V/50 Hz power source for them.

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                • #9
                  I am general manager at AAA Metal Fabrication, have built about 30 or so breweries (including the Monster Garage firetruck brewery!) and have worked with stainless for about 35 years. About graining-we use BriteRite heavy duty hand pads for hand graining (same as Scotchbrite). They come from Standard Abrasives and the part number is #827510, 10 6 x 9 pads per box. There are, for breweries, 2 types of typical surface finish--2b and #3 (or #4). The 3 and 4 finishes comes from taking 2b and basically (and simplistically) running it through a giant belt sander. Unfortunately for the 2b material there is no way I know of to "get back to the original finish" if you have a single scratch or surface mar--the best thing to do is live with it--or plan on doing the whole tank to a grain finish. When contemplating this keep in mind that graining by hand will look like--graining by hand-even if using say, a belt sander with Scotchbrite type belts. On the 3 and 4 finish you can "blend" some scratches out with pads as described above but it's difficult to make any mars totally disappear.

                  You can try this product, Walter Stainless-Clean, for cleaning and deoxidizing (www.industrialtool.com/stainless-clean.html.). It's a little labor intensive for our production use but could work well for a one shot cleanup.

                  Here's a little secret for you guys. To remove rust from stainless steel use a product called Naval Jelly found at most hardware stores. It's a phosphoric based semi liquid that is easy to use, benign, and the ONLY THING I'VE FOUND that really works. Don't waste your time grinding, polishing etc rust away, it will only reappear. Also, stainless DOES NOT rust. It has to come in contact with carbon steel as a surface impingement. Never use carbon steel brushes or grinding/sanding discs that have previously been used on carbon steel.

                  I avoid copper like the plague in brewhouses (way to partial to ss for the obvious reasons) for the exact reasons you guys have already talked about so don't have much info. Clearcoat it only if you have a love of paint remover--it's mainly elbow grease boys elbow grease...

                  Hope this helps....

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                  • #10
                    Just a reminder that there are three grades of Scotchbrite, and a tank manufacturer/welding shop only uses the coarse brown scrubbies. If you have ever used sandpaper on wood, it's all the same. Brown is coarse, green medium white is uselessly soft. If you want to remove deep scratches, the earlier post is right that it will look like it, but it can be improved. Consider a deep scratch in a polished wood table. Of course it can be done, what is your time worth? How about painting on a brewery logo over the scratch?

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