cleaning a barrel

[partybus]

HI all

Working in deepest France at the moment and have found two old port barrels , hold each about a gallon and half, nice and small for aging a whiskey or rum, ok whats the best way to prepare them for use, what too clesn them with (inside) and is there any thing else i gota do to them, ive heard of people burning the inside etc??

cheers steve

[myles]

I am sorry to say they will be no good at all. Just as a favour and to take them off your hands send them to me.

It all depends what they are like, clean, mouldy, stained? Probably before you do anything else - fill them with water - to let them swell in case they have dried out.

If they have bad leaks you need to sort that before anything else. Lets check they are water tight first. Or were you lucky and found them with liquid in them?

Should be nice even if a bit small.

[Dnderhead]

when soaking use some citric acid/sodium sulfate that will help kill off any unwanted "bugs"
there is other ways that most cant do ,like steam and a new way is liquid co2

[partybus]

Ha ha, oh if only they were full, ok one is dry as a bone and hold fluid well so ok , the other a bit worn , have knocked the rings down and has been in a butt for 10 days now, will take out later , dry and test it.

ok supose all clean and water tight...how long to leave a whiskey or rum to do the Job so to speak, ?? will xmas be a bit to soon to think about testing or drinking....first time foe me aging etc in a barrel

cya

[The Baker]

I am sorry to say they will be no good at all. Just as a favour and to take them off your hands send them to me.

It all depends what they are like, clean, mouldy, stained? Probably before you do anything else - fill them with water - to let them swell in case they have dried out.

If they have bad leaks you need to sort that before anything else. Lets check they are water tight first. Or were you lucky and found them with liquid in them?

Should be nice even if a bit small.

I had a little barrel that developed a leak between the staves. I went to the auto parts supply house and got four of those clamps you use for fitting truck mufflers and such.
Stainless, tighten them with a screwdriver, they have grooves in the band itself on which to tighten the captive 'screw'. They are big enough for perhaps a six-inch pipe, but you can join more than one together by screwing the band of one into the other, which is what I did.
The barrel originally had a couple of bands that were really only ornamental but these certainly fixed the leak.

[partybus]

Ok, i have soaked and tested them both and thay have a small leek or dripp in each , will soak again and then hit the rings down to sort , good idea bout the stainless clamps, will have something to go in them real soon.

[Dnderhead]

where is the leak?

[partybus]

The leaks are both at the same place, between the staves on the outside (not the end face) near the end ring. May just soak them for another wek and see???

[Dnderhead]

iv stopped leaks between staves by driving a chisel into the stave about 1/2 from the edge and then driving a wood wedge into the "slot"
also a wax can some times stop a leak long enough for the stave to swell .