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The Phoenicians were among the great seafaring peoples of the ancient world.Mentioned in scripture dating from 1467 B.C.E. their ships were very seaworthy for their size.They were high both at the bow and at the stern, of wide beam, and could be powered by both
sails and oars. Among the special skills of the Phoenicians was their ability to voyage mighty ships to faraway places. The "caulkers for your seams," mentioned in ancient text, kept them afloat although they shared none of the glamour or impact of other artisans specialized in ship building, metalworking, casting, hammering, and engraving objects of gold and silver. They were in the shadows of those skilled in carving wood and ivory, fashioning glassware, weaving wool and linen, and dyeing cloth.
The city of Tyre was a principal Phoenician seaport. The Tyrians skilled in the sealing and
caulking of their mighty ships would find ample work and be paid with wheat, barley, oil, andwine. At present, in the 21st century no such wage will do. Today the skill artisans of sealant application can easily earn as much as $75,000.00 per year. Of course, their knowledge of sealants and their applications far exceed their Phoenician counter part. Nevertheless, to their praise, in the seventh century B.C.E., Phoenician vessels kept afloat by skilled ship builders and caulkers were still sailing to Tarshish, importing silver, iron, tin, lead, and other precious things including gold from Ophir.
Even earlier, there is a maritime vessel mentioned by the ancients that dates back some 4000 years ago having received caulking and waterproofing. It is described as the provision by which our forefathers of all mankind survived the global Deluge of 2370-2369 B.C.E. Detailed instructions were given to Noah by God as to its size, shape, design for light and ventilation, and materials to be used for its construction. The Ark was a rectangular chest like vessel presumably having square corners and a flat bottom. It needed no rounded bottom or sharp bow to cut rapidly through the water; it required no steering; its only functions were to be watertight and to stay afloat.
But how? Noah was told not merely to caulk the seams but to "cover [the ark] inside and outside with tar." This tar was taken from bitumen. This black or brownish mineral asphalt is referred to by three Hebrew words in the Scriptures. Two of these describe the difference in hardness: pitch, its liquid form, and bitumen, its solid state. The third word, tar, describes its usage: how it is applied in overlaying woodwork. Of interest is the papyrus ark in which the baby Moses (of the Bible) floated among the Nile reeds was watertight because it had been impregnated with both "bitumen and pitch."
The mineral bitumen, as found in the Middle East, melts readily enough by itself; but then,
when cold, it is as brittle as glass. The first caulkers of ancient times learned how to mix
bitumen with tar while melting, and in that way form a hard, glassy wax, perfectly impervious to water. This practice is still in use in parts of the Middle East as a coating for certain sailing vessels.
The ancient peoples from thousands of years past also learned to create a type of caulking called oakum. Oakum is made from old hemp rope that has been untwisted and picked apart. It is generally used in the form of loosely spun yarn and may be untreated (white) or saturated with a tarry substance (black). Oakum comes in balls or in rope form.
To caulk a ship using oakum, the seam must first be spread slightly, using wedges. The oakum yarn is then pounded into the seam with special chisel-like tools. White oakum is used for the first layer (nearest the inside of the hull) and black oakum for the rest. Care is taken to eliminate cavities in the oakum, as they may cause decay of the wooden planks. The seam is filled to a fraction of an inch below the outer surface of the planking, and the remainder of the seam is then filled with pitch.
What is the conclusion we should reach by all this history and heritage?
Namely this, that the importance of good seals is as important to us today, in the 21st century, as it was to an ancient world.
Sealing is a minor item when the cost of a building is considered. It has none of the glamour or impact of structural concrete, structural steel, heating, air conditioning, design, solar loads, and many of the other considerations that go into a building's design and construction. Thus, the importance of caulking and sealants is often overlooked, and the subject rarely appears in the curricula of architectural and engineering schools.
Perhaps today we need not worry so much of our old wooden plank ships staying afloat but, the importance of good seals in new buildings is noted when walls discolor because of water intrusion. When important papers are soiled, machines get wet and fail, floors and rugs are ruined, for then people think seriously about good sealing practices. Considering the problems and high financial impact that can occur, attention being paid to good sealing practices is growing.
The cost of obtaining the proper sealant, properly installed by a qualified caulking contractor, ina well-designed joint is a good investment and one that pays for itself very quickly.
If the design is good and the sealant lives up to its promises, then the responsibility for a good seal falls to the applicator. Since the application has the largest human factor, it is the first place most people look when a joint fails. Yes, the applicator is thought to have some responsibility for most failures.
There is no debating that the caulking contractor is responsible for bringing a trained crew to the site and being sure that the trained crew follows the installation procedure recommended by the supplier. The applicator is also responsible for being sure that the specified sealant is used and no changes are made unless agreed to by the architect.
NOT ALL SEALING TECHNICIANS ARE TRULY LITERATE OR TRULY AWARE
OF THE SUBTLE DIFFERENCES IN THE SEALANTS' APPERARANCE OR
PERFORMANCE.
Thus every member of the team from architect, supplier, caulking contractor and applicator must know what he or she is doing and cooperate with the others to make a successful sealing job.
Now that you have chosen sealant installation as a carrier you must believe in what you are doing from your heart and feel from your fingertips a successful seal. This is what you are about to learn. Your journey will not be so much about learning in itself, but what you will do with what you come to know, and how well you use it. Many will enter this noble trade, but few will actually accomplish it in its entirety. There is much to know. Only your will to persevere in the face of many obstacles will the difference between success and failure be realized. The world is full of starters but very few finishers. Your potentiality now lies before you.
If what Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Architect wrote: “God is in the details” inspires you.
Then it will be your willingness to give of yourself to the job that will distinguish your greatness in working with these details. Give a performance that will last a lifetime for each project.
Sealants were used many thousands of years ago.
- The Tower of Babel was reportedly built with mortar and tar or pitch as a sealant.
- Naturally occurring bitumen and asphalt materials have been widely accepted as
sealants for many centuries.
- Prior to the 1900's most sealants evolved from vegetable, animal or mineral
substances.
- The development of modern polymeric sealants coincided with the
development of the polymer industry itself, sometime in the early 1930's.
[As a Footnote]
- The terms bitumen, asphalt, tar, and pitch are often used interchangeably.
- However, bitumen is a generic term for a class of dark, heavy hydrocarbon
compounds found in tar, pitch, and petroleum.
- Tar is a dark sticky substance obtained as a condensate from the destructive
distillation of materials such as wood, coal, and peat.
- Further evaporation of tar yields pitch as a semisolid residue.
- Tar and pitch have a relatively low bitumen content.
- Petroleum, or crude oil, when evaporated leaves a residue composed almost
entirely of bitumen.
- Petroleum-derived bitumen is also called asphalt.
- However, in many places “asphalt” refers to bitumen mixed with mineral
aggregates like sand or gravel, often used in the paving of roads.
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A registered minority woman-owned company
P.O. Box 240 Seahurst, Washington 98062 - Phone 206.248.0077 - Fax 206.248.0099
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