Question about using a steel wire Brush on Stainless Steel & then Pickling

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I have a stainless steel beer keg that I'm making a meat smoker out of and want to polish it  out of with a steel wheel on my grinder.  I know carbon from the steel wheel will be enbedded in the Keg when I do this and since the keg will be used outdoors it will rust when exposed to the eliments.  I also have a some Avesta BlueOne 130 Pickling Paste.  My question is if I use the pickling paste after I use the steel wheel will that counter or remove the carbon from the keg after using the steel wheel?  I would use a stainless steel wheel but they are just too expensive.Thanks
Reply:if you use pickling paste and a 3m scotchbrite sponge with water there's no need to use any wire wheels, ss or notpickling paste will not get rid of the carbon steelthis is an award winning thread, guess what award--------------------------------------------------------------www.becmotors.nlyup, I quit welding.. joined welder anonymous
Reply:I didn't know pickling paste would make make a dull S/S beer keg shinny.   That was why I was going to use a wire wheel to bring out some luster and then pickel it.  I've never used paste before so am I wrong.
Reply:hotrod123If I understand you correctly:  your plan is to corrupt theentire exterior of the keg with a steel brush, so you can use one of the nastiest acids known to clean-up the mess you just made.Pickling Paste, amongst others, contains hydrofluoric acid [melts glass].  It's is expensive, and for safety sake, requires the utmost attention to procedure.S/S brushes are expensive, but the cost isn't the down side; brushes will abrade the surface.  You have removedall of the crude, but now the surface is striated.Consider using a buffing wheel/pad with stainless buffingcompound.  Both are inexpensive, and you start at the finish stage, eliminating all redundant steps.Opus
Reply:I use mild steel brushes on kegs all the time.  I then scrub them with barkeepers friend and let them air dry to restore the stainless steels oxide layer. Never had one rust yet.
Reply:ok I tried using the steel wheel and it didnt much more than the emery wheel did so I didnt use it very long.  I did however coat the keg with the pickling paste and I am leaving it on over night.  I will flush it tomorrow and then probably buff it with some scotchbrite discs or one of the my 3m plastic paint/rust remover discs.
Reply:Once you get it all nice and shinny, If you leave it outside, after awhile it isn't gonna be shinny anymore anyways.
Reply:the pickeling paste worked great!!!  All my welded seams are super shinny now.   Only thing is don't rinse the paste off over cement pavers......otherwise you'll need to use a different type of acid, Muriatic acid to clean up the previous mess.  Live and learn.