whiskey barrel

[cavala]

I had some family visit from up north and we decided to go to Jack Daniels. It was a great tour, and it was free. Walking around seeing all the oak barrels I thought how cool would be one of those as a slack tub. Of course you can them and I did, just a half barrel. It still smells of whiskey. Im not sure if it will make a great slack tub but it has more style than an oil drum, we will see.

[Bentiron1946]

I tried one, it has to be full all the time and it still leaked but then some say to put in radiator stop leake in them but I finally just threw it out. Lot of work and mess for me, I got a poly barrel, no rust or leaks. <_<

[dablacksmith]

they work fine if your in a wet climate and keep it relatively full... if you live in the desert and are not around for a few months it will dry out srink up and become worthless ... i like um but they dont work for me.. historically they were probably the common slack tub.. have fun!

[Iron Clad]

I use nothing but oak barrels, then again I'm in a wet climate. However, in the dry summers I never have any problems. just keep the barrel full. Remember, they held whiskey for a long time without leaking!! If the barrel has been empty for awhile, you will have to let it soak until the wood expands to be leak free. I usually run a water hose in the barrel letting it overflow for a few hours, this usually does the trick. Once, I had a barrel that was so dry that a person could see between the barrel slats. I threw that one in a river and held it down with rocks. A couple of days later, no problem.

[CTBlacksmith]

My grandpa gave me an old wine barrel and i cut it in half. I use one half for my slack tub and the other holds my coal. I haven't had any problems with it leaking as long as i keep it mostly full. I really like the look of it sitting in my shop and i don't have to worry about it getting rusty or burning any plastic if a piece of hot metal touches the side.

[chyancarrek]

I've never used anything but a half barrel for a slack tub and have never had any problems - as mentioned above, just make sure to keep them mostly full to stop them from leaking - I really like how wide they are as it allows a lot more movement and ability to accommodate a variety of shapes while still having some depth.

[Ted T]

My (1/2) Whiskey Barrel turned out to be a headache.

I found that if you have the room and use it all of the time, then it is not much of a problem.

Due to my age, I don’t use my forge regularly any longer, and the wooden slack tub would dry up and then leak all over.

In the winter time, freezing was a problem because of infrequent use. Where I live, it gets down to about 10 or 20 below and stays that cold for weeks.

I now use a 30 gallon steel (Oil) drum. For protection of the bottom of the drum, I place a round steel plate on the bottom of the barrel with a few inches of sand on top of it.

That way I will not put a hole in the bottom of it if I (or my students) happen to drop a heavy pointed object in the slack tub.

I can also install a magnetic heater on the steel barrel and not have freezing problems.

Best of luck to you!

[ciladog]

I make slack tubs. They are not hard to make but the labor that goes into making them prices them higher than people what to pay. So I don’t do it for profit anymore. It takes about 5 hours to make the tub and the bands. I have three left from the last run and I would like to get rid of them. If you are somewhat local to northern New Jersey and can pick it up, message me and make me an offer. The worst that will happen is I’ll turn you down.

They are made from 5/4 hickory, 16 inches diameter, 20 inches tall. They come with a steel base to keep them off the ground and have an OSB lid.

[bigjohn]

I use the 1/2 whiskey barrel and have also fabricated a hinged cedar lid to prevent the water from evaporating so quickly. The lid also eliminates access to a home for mosquitoes.

[thecelticforge]

I used one in WV and it did not work the greatest. However, we sealed it with pitch (brewer's pitch) and it did much much better.

[Thomas Dean]

I use the 1/2 whiskey barrel and have also fabricated a hinged cedar lid to prevent the water from evaporating so quickly. The lid also eliminates access to a home for mosquitoes.

Try dropping an alum can into the slack tub. I have one in my 5gal. plastic bucket and no 'skeeters', and I live in skeeter haven. Heard two of them discussing whether to eat me where I stood or take me back to their house. They decided to eat on site rather than fight the others off! Most folks think our skeeters look like buzzards, they're that big.
Seriously the alum can does work. A galv. bucket also works well as the little vermin don't like it either.

[Francis Trez Cole]

I use a beer keg it is stainless steel

[ThomasPowers]

I just don't use water that much in the forge. Most project pieces get tossed onto the sand/dirt to cool. All I use water for is to mix with the coal, cool tools and localize a heat. No need for a large item taking up floor space for that.

Now when I do historical demos I use wooden buckets for water, coal, etc and I get those from buying old icecream maker buckets for a buck or two at the fleamarket.

Out here in the desert I have to immerse them in water for a couple of days to get them tight before using. Part of the pre-planning for a demo.

[cavala]

Thanks for all the feedback I like the look of it mostly and sounds like they can work. The smell is nice too I just wonder as that water heats up my shop is gonna start to smell like a whiskey bar.
I figure if it does work out then maybe I'll take the tour of the Makers Mark plant and get a barrel of theirs, I do drink more Makers than Jack it's prolly a sin here in Tennessee to say that, allthough I don't drink many spirits anymore.

[Sam Thompson]

Didn't whiskey barrels originally hold sherry? I'm pretty sure that whisky barrels did.

[Frosty]

Didn't whiskey barrels originally hold sherry? I'm pretty sure that whisky barrels did.

wouldn't those be Sherry barrels Sam? This side of the pond you can get wine and whisky barrels at almost any garden supply for planters.

I have an old half whisky barrel but don't use it except for public demos where image makes more difference than it should. I lost my shop slack tub last winter. It froze, busting the bottom out while I was in the hospital. It was a 15 gl grease barrel and I'm starting to prefer them because they're deeper than wide. Most of my quenching needs are for the part I want to hold onto (Carpe Terminus Frigidus) and I don't necessarily want to quench the whole thing. Best of all it doesn't take up a lot of floor space.

Frosty the Lucky.

[Pat Roy]

I mostly use the square buckets the kitty litter comes in. They are basically free, arrive at my house on a regular basis and are reasonably tolerant to freeze/thaw cycles that my shop sees. I'd like to use something a little bigger but haven't found something usable or for the right price. I first had one of those big galvanized wash tubs. It was big enough but low to the floor and when the first winter came I took it out of service for fear of freezing. I then got hold of a 30 gallon metal barrel but fear of freezing and the fact that the diameter is small kept me from using it. It my shop was heated full time(at least above freezing)it would be a different story. One of those wooden barrels would be attractive, but they wouldn't worke either.

[Bentiron1946]

I got my big blue poly barrel for nothing at the dump from a fellow that was just going to pitch it out. Free is way cheaper than paying for something. I see food grade poly barrels in the paper and on Craigslist for $10 so they aren't going to break the bank and they last a long time. Take a jig saw and cut the top out and if they are to tall cut them to the height you want. They never shrink or rust. :P

[Mainely,Bob]

I got my big blue poly barrel for nothing at the dump from a fellow that was just going to pitch it out. Free is way cheaper than paying for something. I see food grade poly barrels in the paper and on Craigslist for $10 so they aren't going to break the bank and they last a long time. Take a jig saw and cut the top out and if they are to tall cut them to the height you want. They never shrink or rust.

I generally just go to the dump and pick up whatever old plastic garbage cans are hanging around.Folks just chuck them when the rim cracks or a handle breaks.I`m gonna cut them down anyway so I only care that they will hold water to the level I need.
After cutting I run a hot piece of steel or torch around the cut edge to smooth it(they will cut ya otherwise)and strengthen the rim.Square cornered holes for handles and a piece of slit PVC pipe(another dump item) on the top edge of the handle hole and I`m ready to go.
I`ve used them for slack tubs,rain barrels,garden tubs and planters,sumps for pumps,fountains,etc.They come in round and square and some even have wheels.
If I forget to empty them and turn them upside down before they freeze then what have I lost except a little time?
Try it,you`ll like it and keep the plastic out of the land fills for a little longer at the same time.

[JohnW]

Didn't whiskey barrels originally hold sherry? I'm pretty sure that whisky barrels did.

No, I think it's the other way around. Sometimes, whiskey barrels (barrels previously used for whiskey), are used for other spirits, like especially some sherries.

[Sam Thompson]

It looks like we're all right, The last few paragraphs explain it all:

http://www.royalmilewhiskies.com/viewindex.asp?article_id=wb_making

[Steve Sells]

Some Scotch makers use sherry casks for finishing. But not Aamerican hootch tho.

[fat pete]

I would think a guy named Sam Thompson would know something about whisky....Sam Thompson is an old rye whisky i used to hang with....mmmmm

[ptree]

Coming from Kentucky is made, I can tell you that Bourbon Whiskey BY LAW, is made in New, Charred Oak barrels. After they have aged the whiskey, the barrels are knocked down and shipped to others that re-use them, many for scotch. There are several huge coopers in Louisville and they have maybe a million barrels stacked up at times awaiting knock down.
Some of the local distilleries will sell barrels, and one of the things folks will do is buy a freshly emptied barrel, take it home, add a gallon of water and put the barrel in the attic of the house in the summer. They get a nice mild gallon and a half or ready to drick Bourbon and branch if they do it right.