Alright, so I did a barrel change recently and discovered an awesome way to remove the barrel nut that is cranked on with 3,000 ft/lbs of torque. I didn't have any oak barrel blocks, so I made barrel blocks out of a 2x4 (douglas fir). I'm sure many people have tried this, and it doesn't really work because you can't tighten them down enough to prevent the barrel from slipping. I too struggled with this, and as I was pondering where I could find talcum powder or some other rare powder that supposedly adds grip, a lightbulb came on.

DUCT TAPE!

I wrapped a single layer of duct tape around the barrel, put the blocks right over the duct tape, and cranked it down tight in the vise. ONE whack with a ball peen hammer and the nut loosened up like my girl after she's had a few too many. I took it out of the blocks, took the duct tape off, and the barrel looked like new. It had a tiny bit of residue from the tape still on it, but that came right off with some solvent. The bluing is in perfect shape, and you can't even tell it's been in a vise. Someone else try this out so I can get a witness!

-James.