Pirateology - Tarring Traditional Cache
La Lunatica: As the owner has not responded to my previous log requesting that they check this cache I am archiving it.
Regards
Suzanne
La Lunatica - Volunteer UK Reviewer www.geocaching.com
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LESSONS IN BECOMING A PIRATE READ, PRACTICE, LEARN AND BRING YOUR SKILLS TO PIRATEMANIA! 20 in a series of 20 TARRING
Tarring a ship rendered it watertight. Tar was mixed with Oakum to create a tough impermeable shield. Oakum is a tarred fiber that has a long and distinguished history for use in shipbuilding and the repair of various sea-going vessels. Essentially, oakum is a blend of fibers that are coated with tar and can be used to fill in small cracks in various types of structures. In centuries past, tarred oakum was often prepared by persons serving time in prisons, as well as people who were forced to labor in workhouses in order to work off outstanding debts. There is more than one form of oakum available for use. In addition to the tarred oakum that is made by using the jute or hemp fibers of old ropes, there is also white oakum. White oakum is created with the use of hemp fibers that have not been woven into ropes and is not impregnated with the pine tar that was used in many instances to make the oakum resistant to water and the elements. In usage, oakum was extremely helpful around the shipyard. The substance served as an ideal packing material that could be used as a means of caulking or sealing the small spaces between the joints of ships made completely of wood. As ships that were primarily constructed of metal became more common, oakum was still used as a means to provide caulking and stability to the wooden deck planking that often was used to outfit the metal body of the ship. Many thanks to Mandarin Lake for placing the original cache.
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