Cooper - a profession that has become a part of history

Cooper - a profession and at the same time an ancient craft for the production of large wooden containers, barrels, kadushek. Another collaborator is called an artisan who sometimes makes ship masts.

In order to engage in such craft, you need a lot of physical strength and great skill. That is why in the whole history there was not one female cooper. Manufacture of barrels was trusted only by real masters, as only they can create a product of high quality. And it is very appreciated.

Since people came up with the idea of storing food for a long period of storage, good barrels became a necessity in everyday life. No less important are they in wineries and vineyards. Oak barrels insist and store such noble drinks as wine, cognac, brandy. If the craftsman has correctly chosen and prepared the tree, then the drink will not oxidize, will not evaporate and will be able to ferment properly.

Cooper - a profession whose history goes back centuries

The first Coopard ware appeared before our era in Ancient Greece. Historians assume that local residents used barrels to store wines, oils, water and food. Until now, archaeologists have found cooperative products around the world, mainly in Europe and Russia. Ancient designs have the same elements as modern ones - hoops, rivets and donets.

By the way, in Russia coop is a profession that appeared around the 10th-15th century. And was widespread, until the middle of the XX century. Barrels were used for salting and storing cucumbers, sauerkraut, mushrooms and other products. And the masters were respected people for the whole village.

In the 21st century, cooperatives are no less in demand in production. Despite the level of modern technology, many wineries still prefer oak barrels. Of course, most of their production processes are automated, but not all. No machine will replace the manual work of the master.

What is the profession of Cooper?

At first glance, it may seem that the named craft is simple and apart from physical strength, it requires nothing more. But in fact before the master is not one task, but a lot. Work begins with the choice of material, that is, it should be determined which wood of the species will be selected. The best quality and expensive is an oak barrel. Such material has a lot of advantages over others, for example:

• Elasticity and flexibility;
• It is dried quickly and does not crack;
• Does not rot on contact with water, but it becomes even stronger.

Lime is easily cut, does not crack and does not crack. And aspen preserves products much longer and better, unlike other breeds.

The second stage is the preparation of wood with the help of special procedures. Previously, it was left in the sun, in the open air, for three years. During this time the tree dried up, and rains washed away all the harmful elements from it. Now the drying of the material takes place with the help of special furnaces, the process takes from 3 to 12 months.

At the next stage the cooper (the profession of which is described in our article) makes calculations and draws up the drawing. Before manufacturing it is necessary to find out what size the product will be, what product will be used, how much material will be required for the product.

And only after carrying out the above-described procedures, the master can proceed with the production of the barrel. It includes several stages:

• Assembly.
• Installation of riveting.
• Stuffing the hoops on the barrel.
• Firing or singeing the product from the inside.

Cooperative training

Cooper - a profession, the training of which is not offered by any institution in the world. This work is very specific and is considered unclaimed. Nevertheless, the training of this specialty can be done at a factory, a winery or a brewery - at an enterprise that needs barrels. Or you can hire a professional cooper who will teach the craft of making barrels, jugs and kadushek.

Earnings of a cooper

Throughout the entire lifetime of the profession, bonders are highly valued and earn well. A couple of centuries ago, this man was respected, and his work was in great demand. With money he could buy a small piece of land and build a house. Of course, now the cooper can not immediately buy land, but the salary of 30 to 50 thousand rubles is worthy. In addition, the work itself has become much easier than before, because half of the process is carried out by technology, rather than hands.

In the end, we can say that Cooper is a complicated profession, requiring special knowledge, but interesting. In addition, the Cooper craft is very old and is part of world history.