In the days of sail, ship caulkers were important shipyard workers, finishing making new hulls and decks tight and leak-free and restoring older hulls to the same degree of fitness before every extended voyage. Their job required skill, but a fairly simple arsenal of tools. These included caulking mallets of two or three types, a group of caulking “chisels” or “irons” that were really tampers, and a small array of hooks or narrow scrapers to clean the seams between the hull or deck planks before caulking. The actual caulking material could be comprised of cotton yarn or string, and most importantly, oakum, which was usually the yarn from which manila or hemp cordage was made, tarred with pitch.The calking chisel is an example of the tools needed in the shipbuilding trade to build and seal the hulls and decks of ships to keep them watertight. Similar tools are still used when building, repairing and restoring wooden ships and boats.Caulking Iron or Chisel: Single Crease, item is part of a seven-chisel and caulking iron set as outlined in a drawing, painted blue on handle, rounded striking ends. flagstaff hill, flagstaff hill maritime museum and village, warrnambool, maritime museum, maritime village, great ocean road, shipwreck coast, caulking chisel, caulking iron, shipbuilding, shipping trade, caulkers, marine technology, ship caulker, shipyard worker, ship building tool, oakum, manilla cord, hemp cord, pitch

In the days of sail, ship caulkers were important shipyard workers, finishing making new hulls and decks tight and leak-free and restoring older hulls to the same degree of fitness before every extended voyage. Their job required skill, but a fairly simple arsenal of tools. These included caulking mallets of two or three types, a group of caulking “chisels” or “irons” that were really tampers, and a small array of hooks or narrow scrapers to clean the seams between the hull or deck planks before caulking. The actual caulking material could be comprised of cotton yarn or string, and most importantly, oakum, which was usually the yarn from which manila or hemp cordage was made, tarred with pitch. The calking chisel is an example of the tools needed in the shipbuilding trade to build and seal the hulls and decks of ships to keep them watertight. Similar tools are still used when building, repairing and restoring wooden ships and boats.Caulking Iron or Chisel: single crease. It is part of a seven-chisel and caulking iron set as outlined in a drawing, painted blue on the handle, with rounded striking ends, and an angled blade. flagstaff hill, flagstaff hill maritime museum and village, warrnambool, maritime museum, maritime village, great ocean road, shipwreck coast, caulking chisel, caulking iron, shipbuilding, shipping trade, caulkers, marine technology, ship caulker, shipyard worker, ship building tool, oakum, manilla cord, hemp cord, pitch