Making Rope or Cord

[pierre girard]

What do you use to make rope or cord in the woods?

I've heard people talk about nettle, but I've never used it.

Most often I use basswood (linden) bark. To do a really good job, I strip the bark in ten or 12 foot lengths (seems to be about as much as you can get in one rip) and lay it in running water for ten days. After ten days, the inner bark will seperate easily from the outer bark. In a pinch, you can sometimes find a dead tree that is hung up (off the ground) and that the bark worms haven't yet got at. This bark will sometimes seperate quite easily.

Using a length of the inner bark, roll on your thigh, two lengths at a time - to make rope or cord. This cord is stronger than and equal thickness of hemp.

Another method is to roll three strands, one at a time, and braid them. To make a longer section of rope, just make sure the three pieces you are working with are of different lengths and add (splice) in a section at a time with about a one foot lap.

Fresh basswood bark also makes good temporary tumps for carrying heavy items.

Another good bark to use is cedar. This is easier to seperate, but harder to get as long of pieces. Cotton wood inner bark also makes a good cord, though not as strong.

PG

 

[pierre girard]

Very good looking stuff . Looks like you know what you're doing. What was the cord in the second photo made of?

We have one other plant here which makes for good emergency tumps. It is called leatherbark and only grows this far north where it's been transplanted to old village sites and sugar bushes.

The "wood" is very strange - sorta like balsa. You can tie the tree in a knot and it will continue to grow. When you strip off the bark it is almost like leather and is very strong. I've never seen it used for anything permanent, but you can easy carry a hundred pounds with it as a temporary tump.

PG

 

[BorderReiver]

This post is for test purposes only

A very impressive "test post".Would have been ashame to have missed it.

 

[Infragreen]

Stickie: Thanx a bundle!

Wetting, drying, rewetting might cure my problem with willow cordage.

Also, that ash (lye) bath might do something to settle the score.

But you mentioned nettles???

Whaddya do to them?

I haven't been able to get any kind of fibers (except the "bark") out of stinging N's.

Not enough retting?

When I tried pounding the stalks, the fibers only seemed to slightly separate and then snap.

I'd LURVE to know how to use nettles for cordage or twine.

Your apprentice is pining to hear your words of wisdom, Master!

 

[Infragreen]

Heh, I started out making a two-stranded string.

I ended up with two strings. Must wet it twice next time.

What is the exact function of the lye bath? Softening/loosening?

I'd so much like a "nettle how-to" when you're ready.

I'll keep working on the willow for now.

Thx.

 

[Brian Curnel]

Nettle is by far one of the most popular, however I use anything from Cottonwood to Cedar

 

[PatrickM]

Apart from the nice Autumn colour range there is no need to boil the bark up in bark shavings or wood ash. I have made cordage from a variety of barks from the Salix family, they are a few years old and are still strong. I find that boiling the bark breaks down the fibres resulting in a weaker cordage.

 

[Toddy]

Nettle is pretty straightforward, If you can find some well dried out, still standing stuff just now it's possible to rett and scutch it like flax for fibre. Admittedly it'll be short stuff that you get but it's very good fibre.
Mostly nettle is used in the green, that is straight from the plant in long lengths with the fine reddish green skin still attached. This is ideal for cordage and works very quickly and lasts for years
However, if you want to spin the fibres for thread for weaving it's a lot more time comsuming. Lye water will help to release the fibres from the skin but it weakens them too....it's a fine line...which is why commercially most nettle fibre is still retted.
The lye works like the solutions that are used to soften hair before it is permed or dyed, or in the more concentrated form like Nair, etc., to remove it all together

The cut and dried stems of Border Mallows are yielding good fibre, it just peels off now up to three feet long, and the hollow stems are usefull as fire crackle too.

Another goodie just now, for rope though, it's bit heavy, are the 'skeletons' of the withered Lobellias. They are used as border and bedding edgings. It's a member of the flax family and makes a really good plaited rope. ( I know, heresay, but sometimes a plait's a good thing too)

I've been cutting back the Enchanter's Nightshade that thrives in my garden and the long stems have made quite nice 3 ply rope. I have no idea how long this will last, has anyone else had a go with this ?

I made 3 ply Ivy rope a few months ago and it has lain outside in the damp, snow, ice and wind since. It looked good and sound but it has not weathered well. I'm wondering if it might have been better stripped lengthwise rather than left whole in the round, as it has cracked at the twists while the inner edges are still sound.

Cheers,
Toddy

 

[PatrickM]

Stickie, my post was not intended to detract from your description. There are many instances when I've been told about or read about a technique in a book, but when I've put them into practice, I've found them to be questionable. It may be down to writers writing and not doing, or maybe some magical ingredient has been omitted?
To me, experimenting with a range of materials is what the craft is all about. You find out, through your own labours, what works and what does not. I tend to look at natural materials and ask myself "What can I do with this?" Sometimes the results are quite startling and other times it's complete failure, but that's all part of the learning curve.

 

[PatrickM]

There are a few ways of harvesting and processing nettle fibres, here is just one.

Pick nettle from bottom of stem and remove leaf foliage

Run finger nail along full length to split stem

Flatten out and crack woody inner

Peel off outer fibres

Split fibres up into strands and use whenever

 

[Infragreen]

Very nice nettle pictures.
I wasn't sure if they would work when fresh, but I'll be trying it as soon as they grow tall enough for my liking.
I've been fooling around with a few untreated stems I saved from last fall, trying to make some nettle twine.
That stuff is STRONG!!
I peeled the fibres off (crack and pull method), twisted them thoroughly and teased the outer bark from the fibres.
Amazing stuff... Fine hair-like fibres. I KNEW those stinging hairs HAD to be keeping something secret...
The twine is something between a half and one millimetre, but further impressed me when I tried its strength.
I couldn't break it! It'd rather cut into my fingers than snap!
BTW, it's two-strand, thigh-rolled, and a lot of fuss (shortish fibres), but worth it.
Bowstrings?

I think the main problem with my Salix cordage was overwetting in the second stage. It looked fine until it dried. Then it looked like double helix!
Plaiting works ok for me though.

Cheers
Infy