Name/Title
OakumEntry/Object ID
2008.015.0332Description
Oakum is a preparation of tarred fibre used to seal gaps. Its main traditional applications were in shipbuilding, for caulking or packing the joints of timbers in wooden vessels and the deck planking of iron and steel ships. Also used in plumbing for sealing joints in cast iron pipe and in log cabins for chinking. In ship caulking it was forced between the seams using a hammer and a caulking iron, then sealed into place with hot pitch.
The word oakum derives from Middle English "okome". It was at one time recycled from old tarry ropes and cordage which were painstakingly unravelled and reduced to fibre. The work was tedious, slow and taxing on the worker's thumbs and fingers. The work was often done as a punishment for sailors and in prisons. In modern times the fibrous material used in oakum comes from virgin hemp or jute.Collection
Benicia Historical Museum Collection