puddening

puddening, a thick matting made of yarns, oakum, etc., which, like baggywrinkle, was used during the days of sail in places where there was a danger of chafing. Another form of puddening was fastened round the main and foremasts of square-rigged sailing warships directly below the trusses of the yards, both to guard against undue chafe and to prevent the yards from falling if the lifts were shot away in battle. It was made by taking a length of rope twice the circumference of the mast and splicing the two ends together to form a strop, thus doubling it in thickness. A thimble was then seized into each end and the doubled rope was parcelled and served to an extent where it was thickest in the middle, tapering to each end. It was then laced to the mast by lacing a lanyard between the two thimbles. As an extra precaution to prevent it slipping under the weight of the yard if the lifts or sling were shot away, a garland was passed over it to bind it even more securely to the mast.

In general, puddening was used in all places where undue chafe was likely. In the old days of sail, when anchor cables were made of hemp, the rings of anchors were protected with it to stop chafe in the cables.

See also paunch.