Cordage made out of.......?

[Survivalmike]

Hi buddys!

Just want to make a little list here, where everybody can give his knowledge in cordage making.

My question is:
WHICH NATURAL STUFF IS GOOD FOR CORDAGE?

I start with my experiences:

• nettle
• willow
• sinew
• bast (inner bark - also known as cambium)

If you knew some more please add it to the list, so that we have a nice overview in the end.

Also I am really interested in your experiences you made in cordage making with natural stuff also if there something went wrong.

cheers
Mike

 

[Bushwhacker]

Honeysuckle.

 

[Survivalmike]

Honeysuckle.

Never heard before of this plant and the use for cordage.
Do you have to dry them first like nettles or is this a source where you can make cordage straight out of the plant like willow?

thx
Mike

 

[FerlasDave]

spruce roots, Ivy, sisal, palm.

 

[JohnL]

roots of lots of coniferouse trees, including pine, spruce etc.

flexible stems (withies) from hazel, birch etc can be used for lashings etc but only as certain times of year when they are sappy and pliable.

the bark from the lyme used to be the most used for making rope. I have no experiance with it, but it need to be soaked for a few week & then spun in to rope.

sheeps wool you can make wool string & weave in to clothing.
thats all I kan think of at the moment.

 

[Bushwhacker]

Never heard before of this plant and the use for cordage.
Do you have to dry them first like nettles or is this a source where you can make cordage straight out of the plant like willow?

thx
Mike

I've used it without processing for lashing up a shelter.
I would imagine there probably is some way to process it, but I don't see the point in making the extra effort when it was sufficient to do what I wanted it to.

 

[John Fenna]

I have taken the bark from a huge old stem - 6" raduis - and processed it like nettles.
Quite strong.

 

[Mr Cake]

To what's been mentioned before I'd add elm and sweet chestnut bast, thistles, rosebay willowherb, grass, sinew, rawhide, bramble, various rushes, yucca as well as cat hair - which was a bit fiddly (it was from a shorthair).

As to whether they're good for cordage - they all have their strengths and weaknesses.

 

[superc0ntra]

I tried weaving with long grass once and it worked OK although it was a lot of work. Don't know if linen plants grow wild in the UK but they are obviously good too.

 

[Ex Member - Sidney Bounty]

flax/hemp/horse tail hair/

 

[jdlenton]

lime bast is my favorite i use nettels and rosebay willowherb with very good results

one for the list thats not been mentioned yet is Oak bast

James

 

[LoneTurtle]

Regardless of the materials used for making cordage, in all demonstrations I have seen (including those by His Bushness, Ray Mears), the twisted material hangs loose as you work, allowing only a certain length to be produced before you have a tangle problem.
A simple forked branch can solve this. Cut the shaft off a 'Y' shaped fork and cut the forks so that one is shorter than the other, giving a shape like a tick (or check mark). When you have enough length produced, tie the end to the longest fork. The short fork acts as a stop and prevents your finished cord from unwinding in use.
This not only acts as a weight that keeps the cord fairly taut as you twine it but it also means you only ever have a manageable length dangling in front of you as you work. The finished cordage can be wound around this as you progress. When you've produced as much as you want (or have the patience to make), it's already wound around its own bobbin, which can easily be stowed.

 

[8thsinner]

I'll add flax to this, green or dead they make usable cordage, dead is way better just picked up, it can be very strong if it's preped properly though.

And if you mean natural as in whats around me when I am out locally, then i'll add my flat of dental floss from my wallet, strong as hell, and tastes good to chew on...

 

[Matt.S]

Bramble, leather.

Plenty of plastic bags and baler twine 'grow' on hedgerows...

 

[SMARTY]

Strands from clothing, laces, belts, rucksack straps etc. Is it natural? I believe it is, if you have it with you at the time.