I did not use a keg - because;
The cost of a keg is more than my budget
My simple hand tools will bounce off a keg
I do not have cutting/welding equipment or skills
I do not have a car to take the keg to a fabricator
The nearest fabricator is two bus rides plus a 1000m walk away.
Where's the fun in getting someone else to make it?
In the event of scorching the inside of the keg, I do not have the physical attributes to be able to shake the keg with a chain or similar cleaning aid inside it – I also do not have a chain. I much prefer the notion of being able to take the lid off to clean it.
I cannot get crabs & lobsters thru a 3 “clover clamp.
Anyone following my posts will know that I have always leaned towards a stockpot with internal electric heater, while I was looking for a suitable pot I stumbled on a second hand 2.5kW - 6 gallon tea urn (Burco) for £25.00, I spent about £15 pounds more on other bits and pieces including screws, nuts and bolts, varnish, 2”x1” and a broom handle. A lot of the timber cladding & lid is cut from recycled floorboards.
All in all £40 / £45 so far to get me started, I will be adding refill port, sight glass, pressure gauge / switch & thermometer as time goes by.
