Barrel Tap Age please

[Woodland Detectors]

I found this one in a field where I have found CW-RW buttons and relics in the past. If you notice the tapered end has "grooves" Any clues?

 

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[truckinbutch]

Those striations on the taper indicate a bung tap for a wooden barrel to bite into the wood and help insure a leakproof seal .
Filling bungs were tapered from the outside in and the plugs were driven in after filling . Tap bungs on the other hand were tapered from the inside out and the plug driven in place during manufacture .
To insure no loss of contents the keg was tapped by holding the tap firmly against the bung plug and rapping it sharply with a bung starter ; simultaneously driving the plug into the barrel and seating the tap into the side with no loss of contents .

 

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[RELICDUDE07]

Yes and the others on the 1895 sales book looks like threads for a nut to go on the back side to lock it tight on the drum....or fit a female part on a drum....

 

[Woodland Detectors]

Ed-NH, I just found this site but, I have found this stuff in a field across the road that should be same timeframe. I'll have to wait till they plow now the weeds are just too high to swing a coil.

 

[CRUSADER]

Those striations on the taper indicate a bung tap for a wooden barrel to bite into the wood and help insure a leakproof seal .
Filling bungs were tapered from the outside in and the plugs were driven in after filling . Tap bungs on the other hand were tapered from the inside out and the plug driven in place during manufacture .
To insure no loss of contents the keg was tapped by holding the tap firmly against the bung plug and rapping it sharply with a bung starter ; simultaneously driving the plug into the barrel and seating the tap into the side with no loss of contents .

Agreed.

I just thought the info was great info pictured by Mojax, as I have some like it & was never knew that useage.

 

[littleneckhalfshell]

Re: Smoking,plumping, or compressor

Crusader wrote:
"Can you provide info showing its 1700s, as it would be interesting to update my grey cells?"

Here is testimony from a 1786 wreck

""Seadart Divers have been concentrating their efforts working on a wreck site off the Dorset coast in the UK. The wreck is of the ship Halsewell, a trading ship of the East India Company that was lost to a storm on the 6th January 1786. As "salvor in possession" Seadart Divers have always taken a keen interest in the archaeological side to our finds.""

See: http://www.seadart.net/gallery/treasure/05.html (for picture of Brass tap previously posted)

since the ship went down in 1786, it places that particular tap as a product of the 1700's (although it could be even older, since people continued to use things that were not broken)

 

[CRUSADER]

Re: Smoking,plumping, or compressor

Crusader wrote:
"Can you provide info showing its 1700s, as it would be interesting to update my grey cells?"

Here is testimony from a 1786 wreck

""Seadart Divers have been concentrating their efforts working on a wreck site off the Dorset coast in the UK. The wreck is of the ship Halsewell, a trading ship of the East India Company that was lost to a storm on the 6th January 1786. As "salvor in possession" Seadart Divers have always taken a keen interest in the archaeological side to our finds.""

See: http://www.seadart.net/gallery/treasure/05.html (for picture of Brass tap previously posted)

since the ship went down in 1786, it places that particular tap as a product of the 1700's (although it could be even older, since people continued to use things that were not broken)

Thanks for the info. I know these were produced in the 1700's. I'm trying to understand the evolution of the design changes.

 

[littleneckhalfshell]

Crusader Wrote: "Thanks for the info. I know these were produced in the 1700's. I'm trying to understand the evolution of the design changes."

I think a general evolution would be along the line of increase in technical aspects of the design, but of course individual manufacturers could still make them according to an older design system (such as there still being NEW muzzel loading guns being made from scratch today)

The Wreck tap does show a great deal of sophistication in my estimate, note the 'stop' to prevent the tap valve from being turned past the open position, also the holes in the actual tap part. The one submitted by 4-H... lacks any sign of a stop and except for the 'grooves' lacks any real distinguishing features, which I think would suggest an earlier period to the one from the wreck. Also much of the advancement of taps was found in the part that is missing from 4-H's tap, namely the part that turns, Newer ones have springs to maintain tension to keep the tapered valve tight, where the older ones do not, a good question would be WHEN did certain advancements come into being and thus give us a sort of 'time line' to evaluate brass taps. A good project for someone with a fairly large identified data base. Anyone want to give it a go?

 

[GpSnoopy]

This thread was about a 1800's gas shut off valve, but 3rd post down is a picture of a bung tap very similar to yours. They were talking about the similarity in the actual turn valve handle. May not help, but this bung tap has the same grooves.

http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php/topic,218903.0.html

 

[Woodland Detectors]

Hmmm, great challenge This is an interesting thread.

 

[PA]

hi sir,

it looks 1700's. nice find.

henry

 

[Woodland Detectors]

No, Thank you sir!

 

[mojjax]

Here is some from the Civil War era -

http://www.historical-woodworks.com/large-brass-barrel-spigot---very-nice.html

the horizontal lines look similar to yours .

 

[Woodland Detectors]

Oh my, I do believe that you have found it! I Don't think the one I found is brass but, same design. great job

 

[littleneckhalfshell]

Oh my, I do believe that you have found it! I Don't think the one I found is brass but, same design. great job

I would say that if you scratch it, you will find that it is a copper alloy, more than likely brass, you can see on your pictures the little green flecks of corrosion that is found with copper, as well as the general light green patina of a brass or bronze item exposed to the elements for a great deal of time. On the matching one, supposedly from the civil war, because it was found in a house basement/cellar that was used as a hospital in the civil war, that does not prove manufacture in the civil war period, but only possibly 'use' in that period, or they may even have been lost in an earlier period, if the house was old enough. Can you say they were around in the civil war? or were used in the civil war? Yes, but they may be earlier. I wonder if there was ever a Patent made for those striations, I have never seen them before, the brass tap I have that was my great-grandparents, is smooth and has a small spring to maintain tension on the valve stem part of the tap, it is definitly more modern than either the wreck tap or the striated tap, I think we still have a mystery. Maybe you should go back and see if you can fiind the other part of the tap, maybe that will shed some more light on the question.

 

[Woodland Detectors]

Oh, belive me I would love to go back but, The weeds have grown so high it is impossible, especially one week later to even think of swinging a coil around here. As far as barrel taps go, I am intrigued. So, the mystery continues...Thank you

 

[Woodland Detectors]

Where did wooden barrels come from?

Before people began using wooden barrels, the used clay containers. As transportation grew, and trade developed, shippers began looking for a shipping method that was better at storing things than their current clay option. Sealed wooden barrels was the answer they soon found (Roughly 800-900 BC). These wooden barrels were not nearly as fragile as a clay pot, having found a much more robust solutions this shipping industry swelled. At that time the Cooperage was also introduced, these were the makers of wooden barrels. Clay pots were basically completely replaced in all regards by wooden barrels by the year 2 BC.

Some people only think of winemaking when they think of wooden barrels, but they serve so many other purposes! In the past there have been many foods stored within them. Vegetables were often salted and dried in them. Meats and fishes stored and transported. Fermentation of Sauerkraut. Any item that was stored for long periods of time would be inside of barrels (mainly to keep out various types of rodents). It was also quickly found out that by using straw they could pack fragile items in the wooden barrels. Fragile items such as eggs would be packed among layers of straw. Not only did they not break, but often times it was a much cooler storage than previous methods.

With the invention of the barrel, came meaning to the word "convenient". Part of this lays in the manueverability, such being able to glide down a gangplank, and often containing handles and wheels. Smaller barrels could be strapped onto an animal. Occasionally people would float them down the river, sometimes being hauled behind a boat or a raft. There was a time when they were used as refrigeration units, being buried underground or put into streams. Cut in half to display products in a store, to feed animals out of, to make a cradle for a baby, and at times they were even used for food preparation (such as a large bowl for mixing).

They have been created from any tree that can be formed into an arch. Oak has been the most common wood for whiskey, wine and various other liquids. Mainly because of the much easier waterproofing ability this wood carried due to the fine grain. Aspen was often used for various foods. As people began modifying the wooden barrels, we were soon seeing things like washtubs, churns for butter, and buckets. The turpentine industry (mainly in Northwest Florida) heavily used wooden barrels for the shipping and storage of tar, turpentine, and pitch during the 1800's.

The first patent for a cooper machine was given in England during the early nineteenth century. Since that time, wooden barrels have slowly gone out of use. Now-a-days barrels are often made from anything but wood. Most common is in a fiberglass mode, steel, aluminum, and plastic. Finding a place that still makes or uses wooden barrels is becoming few and far between. Only the winemaker knows that the only true option for their success are wooden barrels. And to those few who still recognize how special Wooden Barrels are – we can fulfill their every need.

....Might as well learn about the barrel too! lol

 

[IronSpike]

Here is some from the Civil War era -

http://www.historical-woodworks.com/large-brass-barrel-spigot---very-nice.html

the horizontal lines look similar to yours .

Good ID mojjax

Ed-NH, I just found this site but, I have found this stuff in a field across the road that should be same timeframe. I'll have to wait till they plow now the weeds are just too high to swing a coil.

Great pic and cool finds What's the relic left side of picture (middle)?

 

[Woodland Detectors]

Victorian style hinge