bought waxed barrel (on outside)

[billyboob]

Hi I'm new here, fairly new to homebrew, just got my first barrel from the classifieds it's a 40gal the previous owner bought new and never used but he waxed the outside with canning wax.

My questions are:
1. how much will it affect a 40gal to be waxed? I will be using it for ageing rum.

2. Dose anyone know of a good way to remove the wax from the outside?

Any advice would be appreciated Thanks

 

[billyboob]

Just to give some better detail only half the barrel slats were coated and ends left untouched
I've been scraping the wax off best I can to bare wood with a razor blade it's slow and is leaving nicks in the wood ..Think that's enough for the wood to breathe?

 

[Dfitz]

Maybe melt the wax with a weed burner. Why you asking for help to age 40 gal of rum on a beer forum?

 

[billyboob]

Maybe melt the wax with a weed burner. Why you asking for help to age 40 gal of rum on a beer forum?

Im not asking about aging rum , I'm asking about wax on a barrel, I realized this is a beer forum, where people use barrels with wax , sorry for your misunderstanding,
And no I don't want your weed burner thanks @ss

 

[RyGuy77]

Im not asking about aging rum , I'm asking about wax on a barrel, I realized this is a beer forum, where people use barrels with wax , sorry for your misunderstanding,
And no I don't want your weed burner thanks @ss

Hey there is no reason to be a jerk on here. He simply gave you a suggestion ( which would work great as long as you don't hold it on the barrel.) And brought up the fact that you were in a beer forum. So if you want to come in here and be shi**y to people that offer you help, then maybe you should just leave and stick to shaving the wax off with a razor.

P.s. I hope you get a splinter

 

[RTL]

The way my mom gets wax out of clothes is to put a paper towel over the wax then put the iron on it. It sucks the wax out of the clothes into the paper towel like PFM.

 

[billyboob]

The way my mom gets wax out of clothes is to put a paper towel over the wax then put the iron on it. It sucks the wax out of the clothes into the paper towel like PFM.

Thank you for your tip and being the only one to reply something helpful in over 24hours ,
I tried the blotting/iron method first it still left the surface waxy due to the wax penetrating the wood

So for anyone who may come across this in the future my conclusion has been using a razor blade scraper and a very small hand plainer and re surface it completely
It's a project 4 hours for the first 1/4 done
It's smooth, breathes and looks good too 👍

(And to the other guy, no splinters lol , give me attitude and smart comment then expect it back sorry, I only give respect where it's due which is not comments like you two)

 

[RyGuy77]

Thank you for your tip and being the only one to reply something helpful in over 24hours ,
I tried the blotting/iron method first it still left the surface waxy due to the wax penetrating the wood

So for anyone who may come across this in the future my conclusion has been using a razor blade scraper and a very small hand plainer and re surface it completely
It's a project 4 hours for the first 1/4 done
It's smooth, breathes and looks good too 👍

(And to the other guy, no splinters lol , give me attitude and smart comment then expect it back sorry, I only give respect where it's due which is not comments like you two)

No one gave you a smart answer he gave you a legitimate solution, and you straight up called him an @ss for no reason. I don't see how using a weed burner from a good distance away could hurt anything it would simply melt the wax. And as for giving respect where it's due, I guess joining a forum and calling someone an @ss within your first few posts is a great way to earn respect.

 

[brick_haus]

There is no hope. You cannot remove wax from a barrel.

 

[billyboob]

There is no hope. You cannot remove wax from a barrel.

Even if it has been completely plained down a few mm to bare fresh wood? It wicks water well, so I believe it should wick air even better than it dose the water

I have been testing with a good strong vacuum pump it can push and pull air and water threw the wood surface so I believe I have removed the wax penetrated wood layer

 

[nasty_rabbit]

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001NDK8C8/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

I think you misunderstood what a weed torch is.

 

[Stealthcruiser]

Scrape the bulk of it, then sand it down.

Do it 'til your paper quits clogging with wax.

 

[Dcpcooks]

Just curious why you even need to remove the wax? You'll still get good flavors from the wood that's not waxed inside. You'll also loose less to angel share. I wouldn't waste my time removing it.

 

[Dfitz]

Just curious why you even need to remove the wax? You'll still get good flavors from the wood that's not waxed inside. You'll also loose less to angel share. I wouldn't waste my time removing it.

I think he wants to remove the wax so he can then figure out the barrel leaks like a sieve. But then I'd really be an @ss.

If enough time has passed the barrel has likely dried out which will cause it to leak. I usually remedy this condition by soaking the barrel in 150ish degree water added with circulating the hot water into the barrel as it soaks. This would likely solve both problems. 1) it will effectively melt away the wax left over. It will all float to the top of the water. This of course is after removing the majority by other means, like by using a weed burner. 2) it will swell the barrel to new condition in preparation for filling. Using a smaller barrel makes this process more manageable.

Good luck

 

[EcuPirate07]

:smack:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001NDK8C8/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

I think you misunderstood what a weed torch is.

:smack:...... goes and puts his bud up.

 

[billyboob]

When I sand it I only get sawdust I am past the wax, like I said before,
I don't drink or give away much so I want a slower ageing affect, as far as I've read waxing the outside speeds up ageing and I don't want that on this scale size,
I'm doing it for fun and don't mind giving a bunch to my angels

As for the weed burner yes we do not use those around here and I was not familiar with the term I thought I was being referred to as a idiot pothead on the wrong forum,
I apologise for my remark Dfitz I hope you can see how I took it that way,

Heating wax with a torch on wood only makes the wax want to soak in more it was already a very thin layer the guy just bought it new from a reputable builder 4 months ago ( I have the receipt) he did not fill it also just started coating it because he didn't use it yet and didn't want it to dry it holds water with pressure no leaks even after the wax removed
so in the end I saved my self $300 so I can better use it on my other hobbies/toys

 

[billyboob]

Attched pic was me midway ...You can see where he stopped with the wax near the end
it was only half covered and not even the top halt just the left side of the barrel but all is good now with a little hard work
My only concern is headroom now it's gonna be a while before I can completely fill this sucker I always did high quality triple distilled black rum in small batches on oak chips but now I'm ramping up production to try to fill this