Barrel repair that worked for me

[Rocky]

I wanted to pass on a repair technique that worked for me on my two 23 liter Vadai barrels. I was having a terrible leakage problem even though I felt that I had prepared the barrels per the instructions with very hot (boiling) water, etc. No mater how long I soaked them or how much hot water I used, I was still getting a significant leakage. I contacted Vadai and Sandor's suggestion was to use bees wax to seal the leaks.

This seemed a ponderous scheme and I thought back on what we had done at home years ago with our wine barrels. Ours were stored empty over the off season. When it was time to make wine, my Grandfather had a tool that looked like a wide chisel with a grooved face that he called his "barrel tool." He would tighten all the barrel hoops by tapping them down with a hammer and this tool until they were very tight. He would then reset all the hoop nails against the new location of the hoop. After this was done, the barrels were filled with tap water to swell the wood. Once they swelled and there was no sign of leakage, the barrels were emptied and a sulfur stick was burnt in the barrels to produce SO2 and sanitize them.

With all this in minds, I decided to apply it to my Vadai barrels. I let them dry out completely, so much so, I could see light between the staves looking down into the bung hole. Once they were dry, (I now have the tool!) I tapped the hoops down to tighten them. They all moved anywhere from 3/8" to 1/2" when they were tight. I removed the nails with a pair of needle nose pliers and reseated them against the new hoop location. I then filled the barrel with a strong k-meta solution and let them swell. Badda Bing! No leakage!

After letting them sit with the k-meta solution for about two to three weeks, I drained them and rinsed them well with hot top water. I now have 12 gallons of my Cabernet Sauvignon in the barrels, gently aerating away.

If you have a problem with leakage, this may help you. Good luck.

 

[robie]

Thanks for the tip, Rocky.

Not sure that wine will be fit to drink after all this, so maybe you should send me a couple bottles to make sure.

Just kidding!!! Bet that Cab will turn out excellent. I really love what a barrel will do for our wines.

Keep up the good work!

 

[ibglowin]

Good to hear Rocky. I know you have been fighting this problem for quite some time and have been less than completely satisfied with your Vadai's because of this.

Can you tell us about the barrel tool? Did you make it or purchase it? If so can we get a link? Might be nice to have one on hand.

 

[Rocky]

Mike, the barrel tool was my Grandfather's tool. I think he may have made it or had it cobbled up at the mill where he worked. It would be easy enough to make one with an old chisel. I would grind the chisel point flat and with a triangular file, file a goove in the flat. The groove is just there to catch the edge of the hoop so it does not have to be very deep. Attached are some pictures. You can see how much the hoops moved by the stains on the barrels and you can see the groove on the tool best in the shadow cast of the head.

 

[ibglowin]

Love the fact that your fixing a barrel in 2012 with a tool you got from your grandfather. Somewhere he is smiling down on you with approval.

Great job!

 

[altavino]

any barrel supplier will sell a hoop driver or hoop hammer . Vadai sells them

this repair is pretty much standard practice , anyone with barrels will have to set the hoops sooner or later.

you can often tighten them up without drying the barrel out.


http://barrelbuilders.com/products_cooperage.html

http://www.thevintnervault.com/index.php?p=view_product&product_id=992

http://vadaiwinebarrels.com/index.asp?action=page&name=25

they also come up on ebay pretty often

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Coo...125?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item35bfaa94ad

http://www.ebay.com/itm/COOPERS-HOO...825?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4d040b37c1

 

[Rocky]

"any barrel supplier will sell a hoop driver or hoop hammer."

John, at those prices I imagine they would! People could get the same effect by purchasing a cold chisel at a garage sale for $1, grinding the face flat and using virtually any kind of hammer.

"this repair is pretty much standard practice, anyone with barrels will have to set the hoops sooner or later."

Just about everything that is discussed on this forum is a "standard practice" that some people have experience with and some do not. That is the reason to have a "forum," i.e. a place where subjects of common interest are discussed. I sincerely hope that nothing in my post implied that either my Grandfather or I invented this process.

"you can often tighten them up without drying the barrel out."

Sure you can but we believed that you get a tighter fit by letting the barrel dry thereby producing spaces between the staves, tightening the hoops to eliminate these spaces and then swelling the wood with water.

 

[altavino]

If I somehow offended you it wasn't my intent , since someone had asked where they could get a tool , I was only trying to help people who might want to do a similar repair. hence all the links. I don't see good tools as expensive , I've had my hoop hammer and driver for 5 years and my grandsons will inherit it , these things last for generations. looks like your Grandfathers tool has lasted along time already.

morewine used to sell a cheap little mini hoop driver, it doesn't seem to be on their website since the update but it might be worth contacting them or like you say modifying a cold chisel.

the cool thing about a hoop hammer is its stepped face . My Dad and I recoop all our barrels ( and he learned from his Dad and Grandfather back in Italy) and the stepped hammer is a great tool. you slide it along the stave and use the weight of it and step to move the band. easy to use with a full barrel on its side too. . if modifying a cold chisel you might consider getting a chisel collar to protect your hands. wearing some good leather work gloves is also important.

"you can often tighten them up without drying the barrel out."

I highlighted this because you can often tap the bands a little tighter even when its full of wine. a handy thing to know if presented with a minor leak. these sort of leaks are common if you are rolling full barrels around. ie from a warm room where mlf was done and into a cool cellar.

if you are going to dry out the barrel first , a strong sulfite rinse before you dry them or burning a wick in it might be a good idea to lessen the risk of spoilage bacteria taking hold.

this picture of the hammer shows the step on the backside .

 

[MrKevin]

Rocky

I have a barrel seeping and what treating do I need to do to dry my barrel? Its a new barrel and I would hate to ruin it. How long should I let it dry before I attempt the repair. Any advice would be great.

Thanks
Kevin

 

[flyguy958]

If I somehow offended you it wasn't my intent , ..... hammer shows the step on the backside .

Nice Post, I learned something today. Thanks

 

[Rocky]

MrKevin, mine was really dry, so much so that I could see light between the staves when I looked into the bung hole. The reason we like to dry the barrel out is that the staves shrink slightly (that is why I could see light between them). Once they have shrunk, we tighten the hoops taking up the space caused by the shrinking. When the wood is hydrated and swells, it goes from a relatively tight dry barrel to a really tight wet barrel.

For your new barrel, letting it dry for a week or two (depending on the RH) in your wine making area (mine is 75%) should be enough. Pour a cup of sanitizing solution (3 T k-meta to 1 gallon of water) before beginning to tighten the hoops. Stand the barrel on one end and tighten the hoops on the top side of the bung hole. Move the hoop nails (if there are any) at this time snugly up against the hoops in their new position. Turn the barrel on the other end and tighten those hoops and move the nails. I start with the hoop closest to the bung hole and move to the end. Once all are tight, fill the barrel with hot water and set it on its stand. It should be dry and all leaks gone. I moved my hoops anywhere from 1/4 to 1/2 inch and they are as tight as a drum and there are zero signs of leakage.

Good luck.

 

[tonyt]

Rocky your barrel tool, story and memories are priceless.

 

[Rocky]

Thanks, Tony. I only wish that I had appreciated the time and the experience that was offered and of which I did not take full advantage. My Grandfather passed away at age 62 and it is a sobering thought that I am over 70 and making wine with his teachings. It is sad but true that you realize how much people and things mean to you much more after they are gone. But I think that Poppy is looking down at me now and thinking, "Well I'll be, he really was paying attention!"

 

[MrKevin]

Thanks Rocky

That gave me alot of info. I just soaked it for 36 hrs and it seem to stop all seeping. Thanks for your help. Next year I have the info I need.

Kevin

 

[jamesngalveston]

Rocky you do not look a day over 40.
Growing up in rural Louisiana, my relatives made, beer,wine, and rootbeer.
All of it was good...I wish I had there recipes, somehow they got lost with time.

 

[JohnT]

Rocky you do not look a day over 40.
Growing up in rural Louisiana, my relatives made, beer,wine, and rootbeer.
All of it was good...I wish I had there recipes, somehow they got lost with time.

(picture of Rocky's wife)

 

[nucjd]

Thanks for the info Rocky. Gonna store that away. I will be using my barrel for the first time this fall and I now know some cool tricks to use down the road.