Barrel Hoops

[Jas. Hook]

I picked up a neat little barrel at a flea market last week but it is in need of two hoops being replaced.

Any experience out there on hoop replacements???

Thanks

Jas. Hook

[Littleneckhalfshell]

The answer depends on your intended use of said cask, are you going to use it for a decoration or prop? Or does it have to be water tight?

Also, what kind of hoops are you looking for? Casks can be held together by hoops of wood, iron, copper, and even rope or rawhide.

Are the two hoops in question, missing or are they beyond repair? A lot of questions, but all the solutions depend on what you have and what

you want or expect it to become. Easy solution for a decorative cask would be to replace or cover all the existing hoops with hoops of rope.

Just splice the rope to the proper legnth, (just a bit smaller than the part of the cask that you want it to cover) and then stretch it over and down

the side of the cask. Wooden hoops are also fairly easy to do but harder than the rope ones, since they require you to steam or boil the wood

strips that will become your hoops, they can be connected either by a hoop splice (an interlocking cut) or by rivit, staple or nail. The hardest solution

would be to match existing metal hoops, but it too is not too hard if they don't have to match too closely ;-) Harbor Freight tools sells a tool that will

roll metal into a hoop of what ever size desired down to a 3" diameter I believe (very small barrel or mug) then you just drill and rivit and there you have

it, if your measurements are correct, you have a barrel hoop. Same for copper or brass, just need the proper tool. I too just love casks and barrels and

I am drawn to them at flea markets and auctions, but the empty money bag prevents me from being overrun with them. ;-)

[Jas. Hook]

Littleneckhalfshell -

Thanks for the reply.

It's a nice small size keg say about two - three gallons, heavy, it isn't any old nail keg grade piece. Yep, the original hoops are iron sheet metal, two are missing and two remain. Good thing is that they are one of each, center band and an end band.

I haven't decided whether it will be functional or not as previous content is not verified though the tag said wine barrel. I suppose it will be relegated to prop status as a small gun powder keg once it has been restored a bit.

Jas. Hook

[Guest]

I've posted this before, it's from Eric Slone's book "Diary of an American Boy" it's out of our time period, but it has a lot of really good information for whaat we do.

[landlubbersanonymous]

Wooden hoops are also fairly easy to do but harder than the rope ones, since they require you to steam or boil the wood strips that will become your hoops, they can be connected either by a hoop splice (an interlocking cut) or by rivit, staple or nail. ...

Mike: "Hey Hector, you comin' over Sunday to watch the game with us?"

Hector: "Yeah, I'll be over in the afternoon after I take care of some yard work. Last night someone cut down the saplings we'd planted in the front yard."

Mike: "That sucks! Any idea who done it?"

Hector: "Probably neighbor kids. There were a few tracks... and one of 'em left us a yellow skull & crossbones in the snow."

Edited December 9, 2011 by landlubbersanonymous