[tschmidlin]

I'd give them a pass.  Unknown provenance = unknown risk.  Not acceptable for my beer or my health.

But that's me. 

[alikocho]

It's your call, but I wouldn't risk it unless I was certain what was in them before. I've run accross blue barrels that look remarkably like those, are food grade, and have been used to hold fertilizers.

I'd check out local restaurants if you're after cheap buckets. They generally know what's been in them, and I have some great buckets from the local falafel place that used to hold tahini.

[weazletoe]

Yeah. That makes sense. Should only cost about $500. Way cheaper than new buckets.... errr, wait... 

Dude, he runs his own welding business. Cappo farts money. It's really no object to him, I'm sure. 

[punatic]

Dude, he runs his own welding business.

In that case he could fabricate his own fermenters.  Heck, he could fabricate an entire brewery - grain silos and all!

Cappo farts money.

Hey, a fart with a lump in it!

[capozzoli]

Yeah. That makes sense. Should only cost about $500. Way cheaper than new buckets.... errr, wait... 

Dude, he runs his own welding business. Cappo farts money. It's really no object to him, I'm sure. 

More like bleeds money, or maybe hemorrhage is a better description. 

Buckets are not problem. I can get them for free.These just look so cool and they are stackable.

[Mikey]

Since they're free, keep looking into it. Not worth a health issue, but they could very well be okay for fermenting.

As clean as they look in the pictures, they may have never held anything.

[punatic]

Buckets are not problem. I can get them for free.These just look so cool and they are stackable.

So are caskets...

[bluesman]

Yeah. That makes sense. Should only cost about $500. Way cheaper than new buckets.... errr, wait... 

Dude, he runs his own welding business. Cappo farts money. It's really no object to him, I'm sure. 

Yea...and he fabricates really cool brewstands.  

Hey Cap...they would make nice grain storage containers as well.

[ryang]

no porosity.

clean it well and use them.  I would have no reservations getting a few of those.  hdpe is pretty dang inert

[Steve]

Those buckets are sexy... maybe used for Kimchee or Sauerkraut! 

The food grade plastic fermenters I have, which were purchased from the LHBS have a 2 (in the triangle) HDPE on the bottom just like your photo.  The 2 refers to how it is to be recycled. No?  There is no "Food Grade" stamped on the bottom with the other codes.  Need less to say, if you don't know what was in them before, I'd avoid them no matter how sexy they look or how mega dense the plastic is.  If they were virgin HDPE containers, I'd go for them.

So how do you prove that the HDPE bucket you buy at the LHBS is food grade then?  Is there a Plastics Engineer in the house?

[blatz]

If you do get them, just be sure to mark which ones are for fish and which ones are for beer. 

[hopfenundmalz]

Not a plastics engineer, but have looked into this.  The werber virtual bullet site has good informatiion.  Even virgin HDPE would not be food grade if it had been processed wrong.   The wrong die release compound would make it not food grade.  Exposure to other things in the production process, like lead,  would make it not food grade.

If the container has a NSF in a cirlcle logo, it is food grade, as long as the stuff in it was not toxic.
http://www.nsf.org/business/about_NSF/nsf_marks.asp

[tschmidlin]

Buckets are not problem. I can get them for free.These just look so cool and they are stackable.

So are caskets...

Caskets are free?   

[glitterbug]

I'd give them a pass.  Unknown provenance = unknown risk.  Not acceptable for my beer or my health.

But that's me. 

I am in the (slow) process of converting all my plastic equipment to stainless steel. It is safe, durable, and easy to clean. The only downside is the cost 

[bluesman]

I'd give them a pass.  Unknown provenance = unknown risk.  Not acceptable for my beer or my health.

But that's me. 

I am in the (slow) process of converting all my plastic equipment to stainless steel. It is safe, durable, and easy to clean. The only downside is the cost 

This is my plan as well.  Plastic has it's advantages but I would like to go all SS in the future.