Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => HowTo's and Build-a-longs => Topic started by: swamp monkey on March 10, 2012, 05:51:06 pm
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I see questions about plant strings on PA’s website from time to time and I thought I might give back a little by posting my process for making plant cordage and my experience. It may prompt others to share their experiences and have one solid thread full of good information in the “How to” section.
In my area of US we have access to dogbane, stinging nettle and milkweeds. I use common and marsh milkweed due to their fiber length but far prefer marsh milkweed over common due to ease of obtaining fiber and strength. Any botanical text can give you ID specifics on these plants and others in your area such as yucca which makes good cordage for strings.
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Collection:
Dogbane lives in a variety of habitats and once you learn to identify it you will find it all over the place. It is best collected November to March.
Stinging nettle is a floodplain resident. It should be collected after the first frost and before much rain falls on it. This does two things. First, it lets the plant go to seed and second, it wilts some of the stinging trichomes that cause our skin to itch so terribly. You can touch the stalks and leaves with the palm of your hand with no ill effects. However, if those same plant parts touch the back of your hand or your arm you will itch for 20 minutes. Trichomes convey an acid that irritates the skin. Palm skin is too thick for the trichome to penetrate and cause stinging. Any doubts? Then wear gloves. In Missouri that time frame gives me about 2-3 months to collect the stalks before they begin to decline due to rotting. Be sure to remove the leaves before bundling.
Milkweeds should be collected in autumn. Make sure they are dry.
Use a pocket knife for all of these plants or some hand trimmers to cut your stalks. Bring a short hank of rope to bind your “bundle of switches” when you are ready to move on.
Store in a dry location for a few weeks to ensure they are completely dry.
Ethics: All three plants are perennial and have the active growing part of the plant near the base of the plant. Thus, last year’s stalks will simply rot in place. So you can collect 100% of the stalks after the growing season, without damaging the plant. However, I find that some insects do bore into old dogbane stalks. This encourages me to leave a third of the stalks where they stand in any location to ensure whatever it is doing the boring, can complete its life cycle. We are not the only ones who can use these plants!
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Making cordage:
The process for dogbane and milkweed are identical. I will use dogbane for the demo. Then I will describe differences for nettle. Stand by for news as I take some pictures of work this weekend.
I will use a wooden mallet, a "stalk splitting knife", and plenty of time.
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Sounds great...I'll be watching
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Crushing the stalk: I use my wooden mallet (don’t covet my mallet fellas, envy looks bad on ya) to gently crush the stalk. Easy does it on this. Getting carried away will break fibers. You just want this crushed open not pulverized.
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Dividing the stalk in half: once the stalk is properly crushed, next I place my “stalk separating knife” in an opening. This amounts to a dull blade of hardwood. I use dogwood because it gets smoother with wear but that is a personal preference. Any old thin slice of wood will do. Why use this? I have made hundreds of feet of cordage like this and got tired of using my fingers to separate stalks only to get a section of plant pith jammed in my finger. Pith is the portion of the stalk that provides rigidity to the stalk and is worthless for string making. I used my pocket knife some but it cut fibers occasionally. This wooden knife blade does not cut a thing. It is just a simple wedge.
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Separating the pith from the fiber: The pith needs to be totally removed. This can be tedious at first but you will find your stride. First I snap the stalk gently so the pith breaks but the fibers stay intact. I place the stalk between my thumb and forefinger or between my index and middle finger, on one side of the pith break. I continue to gently pull the fiber so it drags over my finger. The fiber goes down with my pull and the pith spits straight up and out like it is coming from a PEZ dispenser. Get the next piece and do it all over again. Keep stray fibers that are not in the bundle or are in odd lengths. Those will come in handy later.
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Separating fibers continued: The idea is to keep the longest fibers you can. Fiber can be stored in a box or container of your choice so long as it is dry and it will keep indefinitely. I loop mine for easy storage and bind it in the middle with a scrap of twine sometimes and hang that hank of fiber on the back porch.
This is the process that works for dogbane and milkweed. This is a time consuming process but there is nothing hard about it. If you are fixed indoors due to in-climate weather consider laying a tarp down and watching a movie while you process fiber. I do this on the porch in spring and enjoy a nice day outside. The time passes quickly either way.
Pith can be discarded. The picture below was from an all-day cordage processing bender I went on. It can be real satisfying to see a bone pile like that! Fiber bundles or boxes of fiber take up less space to store and there is less mess as you move them around.
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Nettle fibers: I did not find any nettle stalks so I can't provide pix of my process but the variations are simple. I do not crush nettle stalks with a mallet. The pith is not so brittle. So instead I use a pocket knife and slice the stalk lengthwise in half. Then I snap and pull the pith much like I do with the dogbane and milkweed stalks.
I tried the retting process and was not happy with my results. But admittedly I may not have done something right.
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Prepping the fibers:
One last task is needed to get your fiber ready. Rolling. This removes bark and preps the fibers for what is to come. The prep is not so much for the fiber as it is for your process. Fiber halves are placed in your palm and vigorously rubbed between both palms. Think of rubbing your palms together for warmth. If you can do that you can prep the fibers. Same process. Just move the fibers up and down your palm so the whole bundle gets rolled. The only twist is always have the right hand end farther forward than the left hand. This not only removes bark but preps the fibers in the correct direction of the twist you will apply when making cordage. Bark needs to be removed to improve strength of the cord. Don’t worry about getting ALL of it off. Just get most. The remainder will come off as you reverse twist your cordage.
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Reverse twist:
The TBB Vol. II goes into the “how” and “why” of cordage making so I will say more with pictures here.
At this point all plant fibers are processed the exact same way.
I will need to take some more pics. It may be a few days before I get the whole process documented and posted. Please be patient.
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Thanks for posting this, the string making chapter by Baker really intrigued me. I like to see different methods of making cordage.
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Thanks Swamp,I needed the picture of dogbane,I have done the cordage but it was always gave to me after cut,To lazy to look it up. :)
Pappy
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Nice build-along. I am following with great interest.
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Reverse Twist:
Again plenty exists on how to do this so I will document with pix. Holler if you have questions.
lay out rolled fibers.
To make a loop begin six inches in and begin reverse twisting.
after about an inch of cordage is made, loop the cordage section into a loop. take the short ends and match up with a long end. Then continue reverse twisting.
Bark will be falling off as you work this and some fibers will be sticking out. Don't worry about appearance just yet. Shaggy will get a haircut with fire!
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Making a loop after you have made a cord:
Making good and strong plant fiber bowstrings that are simply two plys takes skill. Too much bark left on or thin sections will make a string weak. An option for the beginner is to take cord you have already made and double it over and reverse twist that into a bow string.
Plant strings whether they are single ply or double ply, in my estimation are thicker than normal modern arrow nocks. I think that helps explain Native American y nocks or other nock variations that allow for a thicker string.
This method will more than double the original cords test poundage. Even though you are doubling the cord over, Reverse twisting helps more than double your strength because you are not only over coming the tensile strength of the fibers you also have to over come the friction of reverse twisting to break the string. However, because you are reverse twisting again you will loose roughly a third of the length in your final product. What I mean is a 20 feet long cord doubled over and reverse twisted will not yield a 10 feet long cord end product. It will be more like 7.5 feet. Always consider the length cord you need, then double that number and multiply by 1.33. This will give you plenty.
If you come up short like I did on the last picture. Simply untie the knot for your original cords and splice in some new segments until they are long enough. You may have to unravel a few inches do do this.
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Splices:
Splicing is where the sweet stuff happens. If you do it well you get a good looking strong string. Do it poorly and well, you get it.
First, remember those small short fibers you saved? This is where you use them. When making your cord you may see a thin spot or notice one fiber bundle is thinner than the other. Keep your fiber bundles equal by splicing in fibers as needed.
Next, as you progress along the cord, the fiber bundle you are working with will eventually end and you need to splice a new fiber bundle in. The trick to splicing is to make sure the two fiber bundles do not splice at the same place. This is the same reason bricks are offset on each successive row. Strength!
Consider thickness and you might even need to taper the ends by trimming so the splice is smooth and undetectable. save these scraps too they make great fire starting "tow".
I will get a picture of that and the elbow splice to post later. Then I will demonstrate how to clean up a fuzzy plant string. Give me a few days. Life gets busy!
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Thanks Swamp,I needed the picture of dogbane,I have done the cordage but it was always gave to me after cut,To lazy to look it up. :)
Pappy
. Glad to be of service. If y'all have questions holler. Exchanging ideas is part of what this site is all about,
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Nice Build along!
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Yes Sir swamp monkey!
Very Cool Build Along!
Been wanting to give this a go.
Thank You!
-gus
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Great buildalong..I was playing around with sunflower stalk building a flute. Noticed it beening rather fiberous. Ever try it?
Thanks Leroy
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Great buildalong..I was playing around with sunflower stalk building a flute. Noticed it beening rather fiberous. Ever try it?
Thanks Leroy
No, but you have made me curious. Try getting the fibers out of a fresh stalk and a dry one and see which one works best. I have tried stuff like cypress inner bark, ERC inner bark, iris leaves, yucca, rattlesnake master, bison hair, and paper napkins. Not all of it was strong or easy. You just never know what will work until you try!
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Fine job on this build a long !!
you are much better at finding the right words than I am !
Thank you for your contributions to our site !!
Guy
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;D Well all i got here in Midland is yucca and sage. >:D not much to complain about, the stuff makes great cordage! :)
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Took a peice of sunflower stalk that was in my shop it was really dry. Split nice but the stalk I feel was to dry. Got some nice fibres but overall 2 out of 10. Next fall I'll try again when it's fresher. I still have hope.
Thanks Leroy
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Elbow splice:
A regular splice involves placing a new fiber bundle in one leg of the cordage. An elbow splice puts that fiber bundle in both legs. This works as easily as the other method but can lead to sudden bulges in the cord. This is not very strong or pleasing to the eye. My suggestion is to make sure any fibers you elbow splice are thinner for one side. Proper thickness where the bundle bends is vital to making a splice that doesn’t create a bulge.
BTW: I went back through the thread and posted a few new pix in key spots so if you have been keeping up thus far you might want to go back and skim for those inclusions.
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Cleaning up fuzzy string:
You can give your string a haircut with some sharp scissors or use a candle. I do both. Big sections that will not burn well get trimmed. The rest of the thin stuff gets toasted.
The picture below shows a fuzzy string and one with a huge fuzzy section. That one gets the scissors. NOTE: Fuzziness is not fatal. I remove it as a matter of craftsmanship. Fuzzy strings work just fine.
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Process for trimming with heat:
Hold the cord above the flame. Too far above and you look really silly with a fuzzy rope that never gets any better looking. Too close to the flame and you get scorch marks on the cord or worse end up with two ropes. >:D >:D
Not cool.
You will figure it out.
The set up and process are depicted below. I worked on Marsh milkweed and dogbane.
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The end product is a nice neat cord that is both strong and beautiful. I will need a few more days but want to get some pix of a bow with a plant string as well as some miscellaneous notes and tips I have learned over the years. I have a busy week ahead so it may be next week before I post again.
I may even post some pix of primitive skills items you can use cordage for. . . just as inspiration.
Thanks for reading along and I hope you feel the urge to make plant fiber string.
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The April/May 2012 issue of PA just hit my mail box. Inside is an article on Flemish string construction. The pix show how to reverse twist if you want to see an example of how that is done.
BTW: Flemish strings were made possible because flax plant fibers were long enough to allow the process without splicing new material. Those plant strings are cool stuff eh?
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TIPS:
When rolling fibers you might dampen your palms to get fibers to "catch". Dry hands won't roll fibers so well.
You can roll a bunch of bundles before hand and grab them as you go. It does not actually speed things up but it can keep the mess of debarking outside, then you can twist cordage in the living room with minimal mess.
put a small drop cloth under your work area to catch bark.
Blisters on thumb and forefinger can develop when reverse twisting until you get calloused.
Once you are past the blister stage you can get abductor muscle fatigue. That muscle between your thumb and forefinger will ache. It is nature's way to say take a break.
Once you are practiced it is not unusual to make 7-8 feet of cordage in an hour. 10 is possible if you have everything laid out. But this is not a race. A rushed bow looks like it and so does a rushed string. I provide that for time budget purposes only.
There is a thigh rolling process that is faster. It does not produce the quality hand rolling does. Thigh rolling is for making fabric or nets - you know stuff that requires a lot of cordage but not as much strength.
There is also a method I learned using a fishing swivel and hook. It ripped out 20 feet of quality cordage and made my wrists ache for two days. Might just be me though.
Dogbane is rot resistant.
Stinging nettle is not.
A High School Science project tested the strength of both fibers before and after repeated wet dry cycle. This high schooler found that dogbane cord not only did not loose strength but performed better in breakage tests when wet! It increased strength by about 10%. Nettle initially stronger took a nose dive after being wet/dry repeatedly by loosing 30% of its strength. The average breaking strength for a two ply reverse twisted nettle cord was 65 pounds. The average breaking strength for the dogbane was 40 pounds. Bear in mind that she did 20 replicates for each string. The highest strength test for nettle was 116 lbs. and for dogbane it was 98 lbs. :o
Milkweed's rot resistance is so-so.
Milkweed and dogbane look nice when contrasted in opposite bundles of one cord. They have similar strength but the milkweed will tend not to twist as much as the dogbane so be mindful of that as you go.
Nettle cordage will be green when fresh but will turn a pale tan after time. Dogbane stays orange. Milkweed is whiter than nettle cordage. I mention this if you have cordage made up ready for your next project.
If you travel for work - consider a small box of cordage making material to go with you.
Consider making cordage ahead of time in at least two thicknesses. Often when I want cordage I want it right then and am glad to have a bundle in the box ready for use. [/li][/list]
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Really enjoyed someone familiar making cordage showing a build along.Thank You.I used to make it after unsnapping my hound loose to strike a coon.There are all sorts of time frames to do it in.Never used it for a bow string yet.I suppose it would stretch and take a set like linen and keep it's over all length pretty much.Not being affected by moisture like sinew.Have you done a breaking test on your two ply cordage?
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i have not done breakage tests on the double braided cord, but might work up a batch just for that purpose. I have some data on cord breaking strength from a HS science fair project that looked into single cord strength. I mentored this student on this project and she did a great job. The results can be found in post #30 of this thread entitled TIPS. If anyone knows a HS student looking for a science fair project this follow up research would seem to fit!
I figure what ever poundage your bow is, make sure you have a string that is triple the poundage. So for a 45 pound bow I want cordage that breaks at 135. Double braiding a cord more than doubles its strength. I have not measured it directly but reckon it is less than 1.5 X increase.
Hmmm. Perhaps another high school science fair project. ???
One more tip: Tim Baker's TBB v. II chapter on strings indicates thicker is not always better. Super thick cords can break easier if they have too many fibers in the single ply. It is worth a read for clarity on this issue.
Thanks to you and everyone who has been an encouragement on this!
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Cordage on hand can help make pottery paddles used to make cord marked pottery, bind cane splints for a comb, or be used as a handle wrap.