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.
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.