Cleaning the barrel, Garage style

[NorCal]

Prepping for the final bottling. Transferred the 60 gallons out of the barrel and time to clean out the barrel. I use the (Harbor Freight $8) dolly to roll my barrel around my winery, but turned upside down is quite useful for cleaning. I made a cleaning wand (Home Depot $6) to make sure I clean all ares of the barrel. Makes for chore quick and painless.

 

[Johny99]

I did much the same and added the HF $69 pressure washer for fun. I have a hot water spigot in my garage, into the pressure washer and into the barrel. I keep looking ant the spinning balls but haven't tried that yet. Are those holes I see in the sides of the cap?

Gotta love cheap Chinese tools repurposed. Basically since I can't afford the "right" ones.

 

[NorCal]

Gotta love cheap Chinese tools repurposed. Basically since I can't afford the "right" ones.

I can afford any "right" tool, trust me. I believe there is honor and dignity in designing and creating tools with my own mind and hands that serve a worthy purpose. I would much rather have a marginal tool that was mine, than one that was ordered out of a catalog.

 

[MariusTitulescu]

I totally agree. The satisfaction is greater when you "know" your tool.

 

[Johny99]

I can afford any "right" tool, trust me. I believe there is honor and dignity in designing and creating tools with my own mind and hands that serve a worthy purpose. I would much rather have a marginal tool that was mine, than one that was ordered out of a catalog.

Oh, ouch! I agree with you, I was speaking of the HF furniture dolly you repurposed

 

[balatonwine]

I can afford any "right" tool, trust me. I believe there is honor and dignity in designing and creating tools with my own mind and hands that serve a worthy purpose. I would much rather have a marginal tool that was mine, than one that was ordered out of a catalog.

I love DIY. If fact, I have so many DIY projects I turn around and trip over one or another all the time. Which, as the Bard said: Therein lies the rub. I can not add any more at this time.

Not only that, but fine professional made tools are.... well... simply nice to work with. No tool I made was as fun to work with than a fine professional tool. So I no longer bother (I guess I am too old now to bother making my own tools -- preferring to make great things with great tools that others made).

Not to mention, if something like cleaning goes wrong with a purchased too, I can often blame the manufacturer of a commercial product and kick that responsibility can down road. But if someone gets sick on a food item I made using a home made cleaning tool, then the legal and financial buck stops with me. Not sure I would risk that.

 

[NorCal]

I love DIY. If fact, I have so many DIY projects I turn around and trip over one or another all the time. Which, as the Bard said: Therein lies the rub. I can not add any more at this time.

Not only that, but fine professional made tools are.... well... simply nice to work with. No tool I made was as fun to work with than a fine professional tool. So I no longer bother (I guess I am too old now to bother making my own tools -- preferring to make great things with great tools that others made).

Not to mention, if something like cleaning goes wrong with a purchased too, I can often blame the manufacturer of a commercial product and kick that responsibility can down road. But if someone gets sick on a food item I made using a home made cleaning tool, then the legal and financial buck stops with me. Not sure I would risk that.

I too have a number of DIY projects, some have been a flop some the have been published in winemaker magazine. This is one of my favorite; laser label aligner. Maybe $30 in parts.

 

[Johny99]

Now, that one is cool!

 

[semenn]

This is one of my favorite; laser label aligner. Maybe $30 in parts.

Why did you make this tool, why do you need a laser tag?
* And more to the question of the tool for washing the barrel. And it is impossible for this purpose to make a nozzle on a hand-car wash gun, for example Karcher?

 

[NorCal]

Why did you make this tool, why do you need a laser tag?
* And more to the question of the tool for washing the barrel. And it is impossible for this purpose to make a nozzle on a hand-car wash gun, for example Karcher?

I wanted to solve the problem of getting my labels straight and at a consistent height. Nothing say amateur like crooked labels.

 

[semenn]

My labeling tool

 

[balatonwine]

laser label aligner. Maybe $30 in parts.

The analog solution retails for about $35. And much easier to do as a DIY project.

 

[stickman]

* And more to the question of the tool for washing the barrel. And it is impossible for this purpose to make a nozzle on a hand-car wash gun, for example Karcher?

You need to be careful of pipe and tubing pressure ratings; a pressure washer would rupture standard plastic pipe if the nozzle has enough restriction.