DIY Coopering and Leaky Barrel Fixes
Posted: Wed Aug 02, 2023 4:25 pm
Anyone one who has owned and used oak barrels long term will know that nothing beats them for aging spirits.
Anyone who's owned them long enough also knows that they can be a source of frustration and worry if they spring a leak.
I'm hoping that this thread can become a source of information and help for anyone who has a “problem barrel”.
I'll kick it off with a couple of leaks that I have successfully fixed in past times, nothing ground breaking, just ways that have worked for me , mostly info I picked up from watching Coopers at work on Youtube.
The methods I've used should be able to be utilized by almost anyone using everyday tools that most people will have or can make.
A couple of years ago I notice that one of my smaller Rum barrels was leaking. It seemed to be leaking from a very small pin hole which may have originally been a knot or other imperfection in the stave. Decided to have a crack at fixing it using what I had at hand.
Firstly I emptied the barrel and drilled a small hole where it appeared to be leaking. The first stray chunk of oak that I found was a medium toast Still Dragon domino, I split off about 1/4 off it.
Stuck this in my cordless drill. Next I put an old rasp in my bench vice , got the drill going and ran the piece of oak over the rasp till the oak was reasonably round and slightly tapered Gave it another spin and used some sand paper to smooth things off. 006 Next job was to hammer the home made peg home. The last part of the process was to cut excess peg away and sand smooth. This repair has now been in place for quite a long time , at least two years , possibly more........no problems to date.
When I have time I will post up the method and pictures of another repair.
In the mean time anyone interested might like to watch the following Youtube Vid, this fella seems to know his stuff......I used one of his methods to fix my next problem barrel.
My next problem involved a stave leaking from its end .....he covers this problem and the fix for it between the 23min and 26min mark.
Note that the wooden spikes/ pegs used for these types of repairs are called "Spile's"
Anyone who's owned them long enough also knows that they can be a source of frustration and worry if they spring a leak.
I'm hoping that this thread can become a source of information and help for anyone who has a “problem barrel”.
I'll kick it off with a couple of leaks that I have successfully fixed in past times, nothing ground breaking, just ways that have worked for me , mostly info I picked up from watching Coopers at work on Youtube.
The methods I've used should be able to be utilized by almost anyone using everyday tools that most people will have or can make.
A couple of years ago I notice that one of my smaller Rum barrels was leaking. It seemed to be leaking from a very small pin hole which may have originally been a knot or other imperfection in the stave. Decided to have a crack at fixing it using what I had at hand.
Firstly I emptied the barrel and drilled a small hole where it appeared to be leaking. The first stray chunk of oak that I found was a medium toast Still Dragon domino, I split off about 1/4 off it.
Stuck this in my cordless drill. Next I put an old rasp in my bench vice , got the drill going and ran the piece of oak over the rasp till the oak was reasonably round and slightly tapered Gave it another spin and used some sand paper to smooth things off. 006 Next job was to hammer the home made peg home. The last part of the process was to cut excess peg away and sand smooth. This repair has now been in place for quite a long time , at least two years , possibly more........no problems to date.
When I have time I will post up the method and pictures of another repair.
In the mean time anyone interested might like to watch the following Youtube Vid, this fella seems to know his stuff......I used one of his methods to fix my next problem barrel.
My next problem involved a stave leaking from its end .....he covers this problem and the fix for it between the 23min and 26min mark.
Note that the wooden spikes/ pegs used for these types of repairs are called "Spile's"