Home Distiller

well i removed the end caps and wire wheeled out the inside of my 3 gallon barrel. i recharred it with map gas torch and put it back together. filled it with water and then put it into a bucket full of water. it soaked for a few days then i removed from the bucket and let it sit full for a few more days. it was really dry when i recharred it. it had been drying out in my heated 60F shop since christmas time. well the damn end caps are still leaking. The staves are all holding water but i have some slow leaks in the end caps. How long do these barrels generally take to swell up? I forgot to mark the locations of the end caps before i removed them. I didn't remove the staves. Maybe it just needs more time? Hopefully i didn't ruin it by taking it apart.

Randymarsh did a post on recharong a barrel. In that post I remember somebody using fine whiteoak sawdust in the barrel to stop the leaks.
found the thread http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... =4&t=52710

maybe soak it both on the inside and have it under water at the same time. fully covered.... idk ...

I also read about the saw dust as well.......

Turn barrel on end. Take kettle boil water. Fill top of barrel with boiling water. Wait for water to leak out/be absorbed. Continue until it hold water overnight.

If this fails find some beeswax. Give the leaking area a good covering and then depending on your application some candle wax to coat it.

Yak (currently working on a full size barrel)