Others have remarked that their bowdrill set is not really bushcraft since their bowstrings are not handmade. Here is a tip for making your own. You may have read my previous thread Ivan's Bowdrill Challenge in which I made cordage from nettle fiber. There are a number of other materials you can either collect yourself or buy from craft or hardware shops to practice with. Raffia (or Raphia) makes surprisingly strong cordage and is cheap and easy to come by in my area. Craft shops sell it for making the classical grass skirts. This fiber is very slick, so wrap your spindle the Egyptian way to prevent slipping. Anyone else have another favorite fiber?
Handmade Bowdrill Cordage
- Thread starter Ivan
- Start date
-
Hey Guest, Early bird pricing on the Summer Moot (29th July - 10th August) available until April 6th, we'd love you to come. PLEASE CLICK HERE to early bird price and get more information.
Ivan,
I've been making cordage from raffia too,
it works out very strong, small and neat - but I've not tried it on a bow-drill set yet.
ATB
Ogri the trog
I've been making cordage from raffia too,
it works out very strong, small and neat - but I've not tried it on a bow-drill set yet.
ATB
Ogri the trog
Thanks Rich. I didn't expect you had New Zealand Flax in your area. It's very common here in Southern California in landscapings. It is indeed excellent material for bow drill cordage. Some I made from the plant is so clean looking and white that others can hardly believe I made it myself. Good to know Raffia is available to others and they are using it too. I have used other less common native fiber plants from around here as will but I'm sure you would not have them in the UK. Anyway, these are no better than nettle. It's just fun to try new things.
Similar threads
