Author Topic: Barrels and Buckets (Read 2064 times)

rivercat · « **on:** June 25, 2013, 08:00:32 PM »

Slightly of topic, but does any one know where I can buy replica powder barrels and water buckets for a display I am thinking about at the Fort?
Has anyone tried making these if so how hard is it ?
thanks Rivercat

Zulu · « **Reply #1 on:** June 26, 2013, 01:20:05 AM »

try one of these.
Zulu

http://www.jakesctp.com/wooden_buckets.htm

http://www.customwagons.com/churns_buckets.htm

KABAR2 · « **Reply #2 on:** June 26, 2013, 05:03:12 AM »

Most modern made barrels will have iron bands .... not correct for a powder barrel most were made with wood bands

GLS · « **Reply #3 on:** June 26, 2013, 06:15:27 AM »

http://barrels.org.uk/page.php?domain_name=barrels.org.uk&viewpage=home

Close to home too.

KABAR2 · « **Reply #4 on:** June 26, 2013, 07:17:11 AM »

I'd say GLS has hit the mark!

rivercat · « **Reply #5 on:** June 26, 2013, 07:51:00 PM »

Thanks for the links lads, has anyone tried making them?

KABAR2 · « **Reply #6 on:** June 27, 2013, 07:15:29 AM »

Tried making a Rev War barrel canteen once..... once was enough.......

GLS · « **Reply #7 on:** June 27, 2013, 07:27:57 AM »

Not to far from my place is where most of the barrels in KY are made. KY bourbon and wiskeys fills these barrels but I bet some of the folks around Lebonon could make good powder barrels.
http://www.independentstavecompany.com/manufacturing

Zulu · « **Reply #8 on:** June 27, 2013, 07:35:05 AM »

I haven't tried it. You can buy one cheaper than you can make one.
Zulu

Indygunworks · « **Reply #9 on:** February 19, 2014, 09:46:46 AM »

Old thread i know... but loosing 6 months prevented me from having to make a thread asking the same question... ordered the medium size unstained bucket.

question though... they said it would hold water but if you were going to use it for that you need to coat the inside with beeswax. I can get an unlimited amount of beeswax, but i plan on painting this. Can i just paint the inside and it be all good or do i really need to do the beeswax thing?

GGaskill · « **Reply #10 on:** February 19, 2014, 02:43:05 PM »

The wood is going to expand and contract with changes in humidity and the paint layer will likely crack and not remain waterproof. I would disassemble it and then reassemble it using silicone caulk to glue all the joints, maybe a paintable type. Wipe off all caulk squeezed out of the joints and it should look pretty untouched. Let dry and paint. I think the caulk will remain continuous through the expansions and contractions of the wood since it will stretch better than paint.

flagman1776 · « **Reply #11 on:** February 19, 2014, 08:34:02 PM »

As a person who was in the marine trades for 17 years, do NOT use any type of silicone caulk. It's not intended for underwater use. Life calk or 3M 5200 are rated for underwater use. I'm sure there are others. Use an underwater sealant & you'll not do it again.

Indygunworks · « **Reply #12 on:** February 19, 2014, 10:13:00 PM »

What if i lined the inside with Fiberglass resin.... No fiberglass of course just the resin. I built a small two man canoe out of 1/4 inch plywood underlayment using the resin to waterprooof it and it lasted several years before rot took to it from leaving it outside. I could paint overtop of it as well and then NO water would ever com in contact with the wood.

Iron Balls · « **Reply #13 on:** February 20, 2014, 03:22:54 AM »

The resin would not do well if there is any expansion or contraction. Bees wax would be easier and easy to maintain. And if anyone asks you what you did to the bucket you could say; none of your bees wax. That's got to be worth something.

flagman1776 · « **Reply #14 on:** February 20, 2014, 11:42:55 AM »

I don't think the fiberglass is such a bad idea for certain applications. I would use appropriate fiberglass cloth / mat with the resin. The bucket should be dry for application of course. Even if the bucket dries out/swells up the interior f/g bucket would still hold water.
In re-enacting we used wooden water buckets & barrels. Many people kept water barrels filled year round to keep them swelled up & tight.
With planked wooden boats, one traditional approach for small craft (with no motors) was to submerge them for 3 days (or more) haul them out & caulk any open seams. Dad did this with a classic cat boat that had been stored for 3 years... soaked it all winter in a canvas bath before recaulking. With power boats, we'd put them overboard but keep them in the lift until we were sure the pumps could keep up... some we adjusted strain on the slings every hour. If necessary, we'd release sawdust under the leaks to be drawn into the leaking seams.

flagman1776 · « **Reply #15 on:** February 20, 2014, 11:33:23 PM »

Fiberglass cloth really doesn't work into tight bends well. Mat, with the fibers going all one way, is very flexible if not quite as strong. You can lay up to 6 layers of glass at a time. If you let it set up, you must sand it to remove the wax which floats to the top to keep out air. Polyester resin will not set up in the atmosphere. Reason I bring this up, is it might be difficult to do the interior all in one pass.

boomerralph · « **Reply #16 on:** February 22, 2014, 03:04:00 AM »

I used to do a bunch of Rev. War re-enacting, and we used wooden barrels, buckets and tubs. These were oak, and uncoated in any way. A few days before we needed to use them we began swelling them. Fill with water, let sit, top off water as required. In short order, i.e. 3-4 hours the leakage would slow to a trickle, after a day or so, there was no leakage at all. After the event, we merely let them dry out, and moved them to storage. I have barrels, and tubs tat are 20 years old, with no rot, and can still be made to hold water. I have never tried this, but I have been told that paint, or other coatings holds the moisture in the wood, and promotes rot.

Ralph M. Reese

flagman1776 · « **Reply #17 on:** February 22, 2014, 06:09:54 AM »

Hi Ralph,
I do as much reenacting as my health will permit. In theory, it should harm nothing to allow a container to dry out & swelling as you describe correlates with my own experience. A lot depends on the condition of the bucket and the humidity of the storage environment. I wish I could define the conditions to predict an outcome but I can't. By all means, try swelling before resorting to extreme measures.
I have seen boats ruined by serious drying and many experienced sailors prefer wet storage for wooden hulls to avoid the risks of drying out.

Indygunworks · « **Reply #18 on:** February 22, 2014, 09:36:23 AM »

I really dont want to have to treat this everytime i want to fire off a few rounds.... Maybe i can find a correct size plastic insert or something.

Iron Balls · « **Reply #19 on:** February 23, 2014, 02:54:57 AM »

Quote from: Indygunworks on February 22, 2014, 09:36:23 AM

I really dont want to have to treat this everytime i want to fire off a few rounds.... Maybe i can find a correct size plastic insert or something.

I was thinking the same thing.

flagman1776 · « **Reply #20 on:** February 23, 2014, 09:07:26 AM »

I used wooden barrels, buckets & canteens for re-enacting. By the time I was taking cannons, I'd graduated to tin (tin coated steel). I painted the first ones with colonial paints. A cheap source is tin paint pails... but they rusted out rather quickly. I went to heavier buckets, eventually paint over galvanized. In my mind, a lot depends on whether it's for show or actually firing.

GGaskill · « **Reply #21 on:** February 23, 2014, 02:52:28 PM »

In my mind, a lot depends on whether it's for show or actually firing.

Good point. If you aren't dipping or pouring the water out of the bucket, then why not use fake water. That is, fill the bucket with an epoxy that would look like water but not have its normal characteristics. Kind of like model railroad water features, for another reference.

Indygunworks · « **Reply #22 on:** February 23, 2014, 09:24:15 PM »

It is for actual use