Best cordage material

[Tony]

What is everyone’s preferred cordage material?

I end up trying to make cord with whatever is available but I think my favourite is sweet chestnut, probably because it was the first I ever handled, after making 20 feet odd it grew on me!

 

[Adi007]

Nettles ... plenty of em where i am! learned that trick from my grandfather when I was a little un and it's stuck.

I've also used sinew a few times and found that impressive. How it contracts while drying is amazing.

 

[Doc]

Any chance of some pictures of homebrewed cordage?

 

[Adi007]

Pictures are the bane of my life right now and I'm not the photographer of the family (the camera always seems to develop cateracts whej I try to use it!!!!). I'll add that to the list of things I need a photo of! :-D
Maybe this weekend!

 

[Gary]

Lime - its worth the effort.

 

[Adi007]

Anyone know which roots work best? :?:

 

[Gary]

Roots of trees growing in loose loamy soil or on banks as these will be the straightest.

 

[Adi007]

Makes sense ... thanks!

Is there a way of "harvesting" the roots to prevent damage to the tree?

Roots of trees growing in loose loamy soil or on banks as these will be the straightest.

 

[Stew]

I figure that as long as the tree you're harvesting from is a decent size and you don't take a lot of roots from one tree, it should be ok.

I always just leave a clean cut on the end and tuck it back in the soil.

 

[Plainsman]

decoy cord!

Dacron B-50 is great too! :-D

I thought I'd start things out by making myself into a smart aleck in the first post! :twisted:

 

[Jaymondo]

I'm with Gary on this one. Lime is brilliant. Fair amount of stinky preparation but gives a strong, flexible cordage and with long fibres it's
relatively quick to get a decent length together.

Jay

 

[Croc]

Might be a stupid question, but is this not why we normally carry paracord ????:roll:

 

[Tony]

But what if you have not got your para cord????

 

[Tony]

This is the sort of stuff that wilderness skills is about, anyone can cary para cord but few can just get on with it if they have not got it.

 

[Powderburn]

Any chance of some pictures of homebrewed cordage?

Some good cordage pics and info here. http://wmuma.com/tracker/skills/cordage/index.html

An excellent primer on making cordage here, but no info on processing the materials. http://www.primitiveways.com/cordage.html This whole site is awesome so don't stop at the just the cordage.

 

[Nod]

The only thing I've tried with so far is Nettles.

I think the ones I got were a bit past it though and although i managed to get two decent lengths out of them, only one was really useable.....more down to my prep than the materials I think.

Would it be better if I soaked it in something other than water? What about if I waxed it up or rubbed fat into it or something similar.

 

[Curdog]

Here in Michigan, we have a lot of good cordage plants- both herbaceous and woody. I like dogbane and swamp milkweed for strength, but others such as evening primrose, woods nettles, stinging nettles, and velvet leaf are also stong and pliable.

How many varieties of nettles are there in the UK? I am aware of 4 or 5 here, and all are useful.

 

[Adi007]

Just ones that sting, I think!!! :-D :-D

Actually, there is a variety called White dead nettles (also called dumb nettles) that look the same but don't sting - but i never seem to fall into them!!!! :shock:

How many varieties of nettles are there in the UK? I am aware of 4 or 5 here, and all are useful.

 

[Wayland]

A blast from the past...... :welcome:

 

[leon-b]

i have only made nettle cordage and pig intestine cordage but i think that they seem very strong
i would love to try some different cordage, what is a good one to start with apart from the ones i have already made
leon