Everything about Oakum totally explained
Oakum is a preparation of
tarred
fibre used in
shipbuilding, forcaulking or packing the joints of timbers in wooden vessels and the
deck planking of iron and steel ships, as well as cast iron plumbing
applications. Oakum was at one time made from old tarry ropes and
cordage of vessels, and its picking and preparation has been a common
penal occupation in
prisons and
workhouses. In modern
times it's made from virgin hemp fibers.
White oakum is made from
untarred materials. The fibrous material used in oakum is most commonly
a
hemp or
jute fiber impregnated with tar or a tarlike
substance.
This "tar" isn't the tar used on streets
and roofs, which is really
asphalt, but rather
pine tar, also called Stockholm tar, an
amber-colored
pitch made from the sap of certain pine
trees.
The term oakum is also used to describe the use of the thumb in the
application of
intercostal pressure.
The word oakum is derived from
Middle English okum, from
Old English
Acumba tow, from A- (separative & perfective prefix) +
-cumba (akin to Old English camb comb) - literally "off-combings".
When the first session of the Supreme Court convened in 1789, the tradition of wearing wigs still lingered. Justice William Cushing was the only one to show up wearing a wig and was chided by the boys. Thomas Jefferson advised him: "For heaven's sake, discard the monstrous wig which the makes the English judges look like rats peeping through bunches of
oakum."
Use in plumbing applications
Until plastic (ABS, PVC or CPVC) drain pipes were used, oakum was one of two materials used to seal
cast iron drain piping.
After setting the pipes together, oakum was packed into the joints, then molten
lead was poured into the joint, creating a permanent seal.
The oakum swells and seals the joint, the "tar" in the oakum prevents rot and the lead keeps the joint physically tight.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Oakum'.
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