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What (who) is OAKUM - definition
TARRED FIBER
![Prisoners picking oakum at [[Coldbath Fields Prison]] in London](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/Coldbath-fields-oakum-room-mayhew-p301.jpg?width=200 "Prisoners picking oakum at [[Coldbath Fields Prison]] in London")
Oakum
·noun The coarse portion separated from flax or hemp in nackling.
II. Oakum ·noun The material obtained by untwisting and picking into loose fiber old hemp ropes;
- used for calking the seams of ships, stopping leaks, ·etc.
oakum
¦ noun chiefly historical loose fibre obtained by untwisting old rope, used especially in caulking wooden ships.
Origin
OE acumbe, lit. 'off-combings', of Gmc origin.
Wikipedia
Oakum
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; in plumbing, for sealing joints in cast iron pipe; and in log cabins for chinking. In ship caulking, it was forced into the seams using a hammer and a caulking iron, then sealed into place with hot pitch.
It is also referenced frequently as a medical supply for medieval surgeons, often used along with bandages for sealing wounds.
