Editing Caulk (section)

===Wooden shipbuilding===
Traditional caulking (also spelled calking) on wooden vessels uses [[fiber]]s of [[cotton]] and [[oakum]] ([[hemp]]) soaked in pine [[tar]]. These fibers are driven into the wedge-shaped seam between planks, with a caulking mallet and a broad [[chisel]]-like tool called a caulking iron. The caulking is then covered over with a [[putty]], in the case of hull seams, or else in deck seams with melted pine [[Pitch (resin)|pitch]], in a process referred to as paying, or "calefaction" (cf Dutch ''[[:nl:Breeuwen|kalefateren]]''). Those who carried out this work were known as caulkers. In the [[Hebrew Bible]], the [[Biblical prophet|prophet]] [[Ezekiel]] refers to the caulking of ships as a specialist skill.<ref>{{bibleref2|Ezekiel|27:9|NKJV}}</ref>

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File:Caulked hull timbers, Spry, Blists Hill.jpg|Dried-out caulking on the [[Severn trow]] [[Severn trow, Spry|''Spry'']], now displayed on shore
File:Caulking tools.jpg|The tools of traditional wooden ship caulking: caulking mallet, caulker's seat, caulking irons, [[cotton]] and [[oakum]]
File:MaryRose-caulking tools2.JPG|A caulking mallet, tar pot and a piece of petrified tar found on board the 16th century [[carrack]] ''[[Mary Rose]]''
</gallery>