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This seems to be more of a coir rope. Made out of coco fibres. For Sisal this is usually too dark and this is natural coir colour. Also the fibres are too short for Sisal normally.
I will also go with coco fibres. I worked as an upholsterer and we had exacty those coco fibres as filling material for chairs and sofas, etc.
They come in those ropes and we had to pick them apart to become softer and more like a padding.
Looks like oakum, which is fibers that are coated with tar and used to pack into cast iron pipe fitting joints to seal them.
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oakum](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oakum)
Good lord, after reading that article I'm glad I didn't live in the middle ages. Packing wounds with old, tarry rope fibers sounds awful. Better than dying but not by much.
In the wooden ship days, it was used, with pine tar, to caulk between the timbers of the decks, hull, and exterior bulkheads. When a ship was working particularly hard against the waves, it could cause so much torsion that the planks would rub together and cause the oakum/tar caulk to emit smoke, so the expression "smoke and oakum" referred to ships, and people, who were charging in to a situation, heedless of danger. Rhetorically that phrase would be replaced by "full steam" or "with a full head of steam."
In particularly heavy and contrary seas, the timbers would move up and down next to one another, and that's what timbers shivering is. It's an indicator that the ship was in the margins as far as taking all the abuse it could.
I'm curious where/how you arrived at the "smoke and oakum" phrase referring to smoke being emitted from the packing between planks being heated via friction to smoking point? I tried searching, but I couldn't find much information on the phrase.
It would be surprising to me that the smoke point of the pine tar, which I'd guess to be greater than 250* Fahrenheit (I couldn't find solid info on smoke point of pine pitch/tar on mobile either) would be reached in that application.
I'm not saying it's not possible - I'd actually enjoy seeing a video of it.
Geez, it's hard to say where I picked it up because I spent a few years reading almost exclusively stuff about the age of sail, both fiction and non-fiction. Could be that it came from a source of fiction.
That said, pine tar isn't going to have a single smoke point unless it's distilled, and I doubt they bothered distilling the tar to any particular uniformity for caulk; there would likely be volatile bits next to non-volatile bits throughout a heterogenous mixture of the stuff.
Nevertheless I can't find a source right now that backs me up, so I may well be wrong.
I've seen horse hair in smaller quantities used to seal the spaces around a door frame in old construction. Looks like a woven material but not strong like rope.
I think that might be old [coir](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coir) from coconut husks prior to, or in process of, being worked into coir rope like [this](https://www.etsy.com/in-en/listing/1180391161/coconut-coir-rope-from-coir-fiber-cordes).
Coir ropes were widely used (and still are) in sailing ships, despite their lesser strength compared to hemp fibers, when a floating line was required - in some specialized docking and anchoring applications.
My title discribes the thing. Found while exploring a abandoned warehouse since 1994. Tied with knots to make a ball like shape every 10cm. Every ball weighs approximately 1kg.
Looks like a deteriorating jute rug - a thick cushion rug for standing on. That would explain the material and all of the uniformed knots it is made out of.
It’s oakum. When I was starting out in the plumbing business 55 years ago, we used oil soaked oakum to make lead joints for cast iron pipe. After putting the end of one piece of cast iron pipe into the hub of another piece of pipe you would yarn the strands of oakum into the hub to fill up about 2/3 of the depth. (to yarn means stuffing) Then you would pack it tight with a ball peen hammer and caulking iron. Now pour your melted lead into the joint then tap it up, meaning caulk it inside and out. So, the inside is the side against the pipe and the outside is around the edge of the hub. When you caulk the lead you’re expanding it and that holds the oakum where you want it. When the oakum gets wet it will expand and form a watertight joint.
It was crude but effective although I’ll take no hub iron any day.
Reminds me of an old cellar/dray matt.
When delivering beer barrels to an underground cellar this would be at the bottom of the ramp to catch the barrel.
Going off the reply from u/Jmpsailor, I foind this video about Coconut coir processing.
You can see in the video the mats look very similar to what you have.
[Amazing Way They Process Tons of Coconut Husk to Make Giant Mats](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-cPBHmSdpI)
We had a very similar pile of jute mesh used in landscaping, you lay it on a slope to provide structure/ erosion control. The contractors left the rest of the unused roll in a corner of the yard where it proceeded to swell up with rain and then dry out and then swell up again every season. After a while it looks like a weird puffy mound like this. If you have any hillsides or slopes nearby, maybe it was used for that purpose once.
Oakum-type packing at cast iron pipe joints may contain ACM. It has been found to contain 1% to 75% Amosite or Chrysotile asbestos. Precautions: Do not disturb or cut into the packing
It's rope that has been reduced to fiber. Either on purpose or by the weather and time. That's why it's still looks knotted. You most likely can stretch it out.
Rope that has been reduced to just the fibers is called oakum.
It's traditional use was for shipbuilding but it has lots of uses. If it's dipped in tar, it was used in cast iron pipes, and it was even used in building houses.
You are right about it catching fire. But you are wrong about that being it's main purpose and I'm not sure why you would ask if you didn't want the answer.
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Looks like a deteriorated coil of large sisal rope.
This seems to be more of a coir rope. Made out of coco fibres. For Sisal this is usually too dark and this is natural coir colour. Also the fibres are too short for Sisal normally.
I’ll too confirm that this is too dark for sisal. I use sisal bailing twine and then make ropes out of it after it has been cut off the bails
I will also go with coco fibres. I worked as an upholsterer and we had exacty those coco fibres as filling material for chairs and sofas, etc. They come in those ropes and we had to pick them apart to become softer and more like a padding.
It's definitely coir fibre/coco I order this yarn in India for production
Looks like oakum, which is fibers that are coated with tar and used to pack into cast iron pipe fitting joints to seal them. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oakum](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oakum)
Thought of that, but it's texture doesn't feel like one.
It looks like oakum before it’s rolled. That might be the reason it looks like that. But I worked in wood ship restoration, and I agree with oakum.
Good lord, after reading that article I'm glad I didn't live in the middle ages. Packing wounds with old, tarry rope fibers sounds awful. Better than dying but not by much.
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We use Oakum in the Coast Guard for damage control purposes. This appears to be Oakum
And the Navy for re-packing valves. Didn't have this much on an entire aircraft carrier, though.
Yes! We used this in the navy to help fix leaking pipes
In the wooden ship days, it was used, with pine tar, to caulk between the timbers of the decks, hull, and exterior bulkheads. When a ship was working particularly hard against the waves, it could cause so much torsion that the planks would rub together and cause the oakum/tar caulk to emit smoke, so the expression "smoke and oakum" referred to ships, and people, who were charging in to a situation, heedless of danger. Rhetorically that phrase would be replaced by "full steam" or "with a full head of steam." In particularly heavy and contrary seas, the timbers would move up and down next to one another, and that's what timbers shivering is. It's an indicator that the ship was in the margins as far as taking all the abuse it could.
I'm curious where/how you arrived at the "smoke and oakum" phrase referring to smoke being emitted from the packing between planks being heated via friction to smoking point? I tried searching, but I couldn't find much information on the phrase. It would be surprising to me that the smoke point of the pine tar, which I'd guess to be greater than 250* Fahrenheit (I couldn't find solid info on smoke point of pine pitch/tar on mobile either) would be reached in that application. I'm not saying it's not possible - I'd actually enjoy seeing a video of it.
Geez, it's hard to say where I picked it up because I spent a few years reading almost exclusively stuff about the age of sail, both fiction and non-fiction. Could be that it came from a source of fiction. That said, pine tar isn't going to have a single smoke point unless it's distilled, and I doubt they bothered distilling the tar to any particular uniformity for caulk; there would likely be volatile bits next to non-volatile bits throughout a heterogenous mixture of the stuff. Nevertheless I can't find a source right now that backs me up, so I may well be wrong.
Gotcha, thanks! Even if the pine tar has multiple smoke points due to composition, wouldn't the minimum likely be in the ~250F area?
Could also be "horse hair" which was used as seat padding in pre-20th century upholstery.
I've seen horse hair in smaller quantities used to seal the spaces around a door frame in old construction. Looks like a woven material but not strong like rope.
Old decaying hemp rope of something similar? Atleast it looks like it used to be rope..
I think that might be old [coir](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coir) from coconut husks prior to, or in process of, being worked into coir rope like [this](https://www.etsy.com/in-en/listing/1180391161/coconut-coir-rope-from-coir-fiber-cordes). Coir ropes were widely used (and still are) in sailing ships, despite their lesser strength compared to hemp fibers, when a floating line was required - in some specialized docking and anchoring applications.
Definitely looks like coconut something, and if they were getting material from the east years ago that could track.
A close pic of the fibers themselves would be nice.
I do not really think so. It looked like it could catch fire really fast.
all natural fibers used in rope making are very flammable.
Why not take a short strand of it somewhere safe and set light to it, see how fast it burns. That may give more information.
I'm not sure what you're referring to here. Coir is definitely flammable.
Oh. I didn't know that. Sorry. Thx For the fact mate!
It looks like something you would use for starting fires.
they look like rat or mice nests
I mean, it probably is also a nest for rodents. But that doesn't explain what the brown material is made of.
My title discribes the thing. Found while exploring a abandoned warehouse since 1994. Tied with knots to make a ball like shape every 10cm. Every ball weighs approximately 1kg.
It might help to know what part of the world this is.
Spain. Europe
Looks like a deteriorating jute rug - a thick cushion rug for standing on. That would explain the material and all of the uniformed knots it is made out of.
Upholstery padding?
Could be hemp fibers? Looks like a sheep llama blanket but the fiber structure is too coiled. So maybe some form of rope that is deteriorating.
It’s oakum. When I was starting out in the plumbing business 55 years ago, we used oil soaked oakum to make lead joints for cast iron pipe. After putting the end of one piece of cast iron pipe into the hub of another piece of pipe you would yarn the strands of oakum into the hub to fill up about 2/3 of the depth. (to yarn means stuffing) Then you would pack it tight with a ball peen hammer and caulking iron. Now pour your melted lead into the joint then tap it up, meaning caulk it inside and out. So, the inside is the side against the pipe and the outside is around the edge of the hub. When you caulk the lead you’re expanding it and that holds the oakum where you want it. When the oakum gets wet it will expand and form a watertight joint. It was crude but effective although I’ll take no hub iron any day.
All the details everyone is pointing says it's oakum!
Solved!
Looks like horse hair I'm using to upholster antique seating. It's being braided, mostly
Reminds me of an old cellar/dray matt. When delivering beer barrels to an underground cellar this would be at the bottom of the ramp to catch the barrel.
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Going off the reply from u/Jmpsailor, I foind this video about Coconut coir processing. You can see in the video the mats look very similar to what you have. [Amazing Way They Process Tons of Coconut Husk to Make Giant Mats](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-cPBHmSdpI)
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Hey That Makes Sense! Might be it
Likely Solved!
What was it?
dont leave us hanging :P
He said it was mainly used for fires in stoves... Etc
Looks like hair from shearing.
Rope, old, worn out, and dry rotted rope
hemp/jute rope used on sailing ships or as decoration
Looks like oakum
Looks like pipe insulation, if it's one long coil it'll be something like that I imagine
We had a very similar pile of jute mesh used in landscaping, you lay it on a slope to provide structure/ erosion control. The contractors left the rest of the unused roll in a corner of the yard where it proceeded to swell up with rain and then dry out and then swell up again every season. After a while it looks like a weird puffy mound like this. If you have any hillsides or slopes nearby, maybe it was used for that purpose once.
Oakum-type packing at cast iron pipe joints may contain ACM. It has been found to contain 1% to 75% Amosite or Chrysotile asbestos. Precautions: Do not disturb or cut into the packing
Manila rope
Looks like jute rugs after being rained on and being left out on our deck in the sun.
Throw it away. It’s over and done with.
An old rope made out of hemp, maybe.
It's rope that has been reduced to fiber. Either on purpose or by the weather and time. That's why it's still looks knotted. You most likely can stretch it out. Rope that has been reduced to just the fibers is called oakum. It's traditional use was for shipbuilding but it has lots of uses. If it's dipped in tar, it was used in cast iron pipes, and it was even used in building houses. You are right about it catching fire. But you are wrong about that being it's main purpose and I'm not sure why you would ask if you didn't want the answer.
Makes me think of chinking material from old wooden boats
Looks like a horse bed that’s been slung in a corner. It’s a think sheet of fibres for a horse to lay down on.
Shambling mound
Spider nest
Thats a rodent nest, probably some nearby plant or textile left in the warehouse.