sealing of wood buckets, bowls, etc.

[John M McDermott]

Does anyone know of a safe substance to use to seal vessels made of wood slats? Unsealed, they have a tendency to leak.

John

[Crispvs]

The usual thing for a wooden bucket is to soak it for a little while so that the wood expands and the gaps close up. This can be achieved quite easily by immersing the bucket in a stream for a few minutes before pulling up a load of water. Alternatively you can run water at reasonably hight pressure (to fill the bucket and therefore get even wood expansion along its entire height) into the bucket from a tap (outside) and just keep doing so until the gaps are closed. To begin with it will seem as if everything you pour in is simply flowing straight out again through the gaps, especially if the bucket has not been used for a while but after a few minutes you will notice the amount escaping diminishing until the wood has expanded sufficiently for it to become watertight. This is not as convenient as a metal or plastic bucket but if a wooden bucket was made to be watertight when dry, the natural expansion of the wood when the bucket was full would result in the bucket deforming and splitting.

Crispvs

[John Conyard]

Place them in the bath for a few days before your event, and keep them outside between events.

It works for me.

Generally.

[PhilusEstilius]

John.

I think that this was a trade for the cooper who put the metal bands around buckets or barrels, but I think also that the wood staves have to be Dovetailed in shape inwards so that when the hoops were put on the tighter the hoop goes on the more the wood pulls together.
Indeed the staves of a barrel are not curved fully to the shape of the barrel it's the the metal bands that pull it to that shape, and if we look at all barrel staves we find that also each one is slotted to take the bottom and top boards.
The thing about most buckets is the sides slope so bands can be hammered home, so no sealant needed and as crispvs also points out water helps expand the wood so helping to lock it all home ( dry on the outside wet on the inside )

[John M McDermott]

I'll try this at home tonight.