Having recently found I can use self made cordage for the bow drill my interest in making cordage has returned. I have found useful fibre in a number of plants - including phormium (garden plant, New Zealand flax), buddliea, and more European plants such as bramble, nettle and wild rose. I have got a long way to go working out/ learning the best methods to extract the fibres, but it is the actual twisting I want to get right at this point.
I have the general idea, and a basic technique, twisting two strands with my fingers. However, it can take an hour or so to make a yard of cordage. What are the quickest ways? How can you avoid getting the strands tangled? Somewhere in the back of my memory is an image of long hanging aids with some sort of fly wheel arrangement to allow the twisting to be fast and efficient. Anyone know about this?
I have tried leg rolling a couple of times but didn't seem to get the hang of it. Any advice there?
I have the general idea, and a basic technique, twisting two strands with my fingers. However, it can take an hour or so to make a yard of cordage. What are the quickest ways? How can you avoid getting the strands tangled? Somewhere in the back of my memory is an image of long hanging aids with some sort of fly wheel arrangement to allow the twisting to be fast and efficient. Anyone know about this?
I have tried leg rolling a couple of times but didn't seem to get the hang of it. Any advice there?