Post by shanemoss on Oct 20, 2010 15:15:43 GMT -5
Cordage can be made of tons of woods/barks/plants but mimosa is one of my favorites. It grows like weeds here, usually very straight and knot free, and easy to process. Its really easy to make cordage honestly. Once i finally tried it, it was simple and i started expirimenting with different fibers....even cattail works.
I use the reverse twist method to twist cordage. Its kinda hard to explain but ill try....tons of vids on youtude if its still not clear. First, get the mimosa wood. Seems like 6" and smaller work better and just so happens that most i cut to clear are around 3 or 4 inchs.
The outer bark can be skinned off or scraped off. I like to scrape it with the blade 90 degrees to the wood. Once down to the white inner bark, work all the missed spots free of bark with knife point....anywhere with the dark bark will be a stiff spot or break as you twist.
Once the inner bark is clear, i use a small knife to cut loose the inner bark.
This will need cut to 1/8" widths....i since found a better way. I file the prongs of a dinner fork semi sharp and use it to cut the 1/8" width in the inner bark before removeing it. Makes it alot easier to keep it consistant. Once you have the inner bark, throw it in a pan with hardwood ashes and water, and boil for a few minutes. This will keep the fibers from shrinking later....i "think" it may skrink them now? Once twisted, the cordage will stay tight. If you skip this step, the cordage will dry, shrink, and loosen up.
To twist the cordage, take a 1/8" by however long piece of inner bark and twist it tight. Then give it slack and it will twist itself. That will show you how its done. You will twist the individual strands clockwise, and then twist the two strands around each other counter clockwise. Its easy and fast to do on your leg.
When you get a few inches from the end of one strand, just lay a new piece in overlapping about three inches and keep going till you get the length you need. Its really quick once you get the hang of it.
Once you give this a try, itll give you confidence that you can get that all important string anywhere you are pretty much. For rope, just step it up. Use bigger/wider fibers or you can just make cordage like normal but then reverse twist it again. Keep doing that till you get the size/strength you need....may take a while for big rope, especially if all you have is plant fiber or something small to get fibers from.
I use the reverse twist method to twist cordage. Its kinda hard to explain but ill try....tons of vids on youtude if its still not clear. First, get the mimosa wood. Seems like 6" and smaller work better and just so happens that most i cut to clear are around 3 or 4 inchs.
The outer bark can be skinned off or scraped off. I like to scrape it with the blade 90 degrees to the wood. Once down to the white inner bark, work all the missed spots free of bark with knife point....anywhere with the dark bark will be a stiff spot or break as you twist.
Once the inner bark is clear, i use a small knife to cut loose the inner bark.
This will need cut to 1/8" widths....i since found a better way. I file the prongs of a dinner fork semi sharp and use it to cut the 1/8" width in the inner bark before removeing it. Makes it alot easier to keep it consistant. Once you have the inner bark, throw it in a pan with hardwood ashes and water, and boil for a few minutes. This will keep the fibers from shrinking later....i "think" it may skrink them now? Once twisted, the cordage will stay tight. If you skip this step, the cordage will dry, shrink, and loosen up.
To twist the cordage, take a 1/8" by however long piece of inner bark and twist it tight. Then give it slack and it will twist itself. That will show you how its done. You will twist the individual strands clockwise, and then twist the two strands around each other counter clockwise. Its easy and fast to do on your leg.
When you get a few inches from the end of one strand, just lay a new piece in overlapping about three inches and keep going till you get the length you need. Its really quick once you get the hang of it.
Once you give this a try, itll give you confidence that you can get that all important string anywhere you are pretty much. For rope, just step it up. Use bigger/wider fibers or you can just make cordage like normal but then reverse twist it again. Keep doing that till you get the size/strength you need....may take a while for big rope, especially if all you have is plant fiber or something small to get fibers from.