Lime bast?

[tombear]

Hi All
a friend pollarded a lime tree in his garden and he gave me first choice on the branches he cut off. Nothing very thick, 4 inch at the widest, most about 3 but I took the half a dozen best bits, all about two to three foot long.

The middle son peeled them for me in long strips and there's now about a carrier bags full of bark.

Now, from what I've read you are supposed to pin them down in a "slow flowing stream or lake for 2 to 8 weeks" for the magic to occur. Now, I don't have acces to a secure stream or lake, anything left unguarded would get disturbed by the local youffs. Is there anyway to replicate the process using a bucket, if needs be changing the water often or adding chemicals or live bactaria or walking widdenshins around it at midnight in the nuddy while flagulating yourself with a nettle cordage cat-o-nine-tails?

I've read of beating the strips to loosen the fibres but that sounds like I'd need practice ( being heavy handed ) and with a small sample like this I'm loathe to waste any of it.

Any advice folks?, and not "buy a ball of string" as one helpful son suggested when he heard what we were planning.

ATB

Tom

 

[Toddy]

Big bucket, or black bin if you have enough; put it somewhere you won't smell it, but where the Sunshine can get to it for at least part of the day. Cover in clean water and leave open to the air to let the buggits at it. I put the lid on after a few days to help keep the heat in.

Lime's pretty robust this way, it won't all decay while it's retting down. The fibres are persistent while the 'glue' that holds all the layers together will rot.
It'll stink like manure, and the stench clings to your hands (good soap is a blessing, it really is) but the way to check is after a couple of weeks lift out one of the slimey lengths and see if it peels apart easily. If it does, it's ready.
It usually takes between four and six weeks, but conditions are very variable.

When you have it peeled off rinse the lengths in loads of clean water and just hang up to dry.

It is superb material for cordage it's beautiful to work with and makes brilliant ropes

Lucky man !

 

[Fraxinus]

Great answer Toddy I had to look up a word...

[FONT=arial, sans-serif]Retting is a process employing the action of micro-organisms and moisture on plants to dissolve or rot away much of the cellular tissues and pectins surrounding bast-fibre bundles, and so facilitating separation of the fibre from the stem. (from wikipedia)[/FONT][FONT=arial, sans-serif]

I learnt something new and a new word to boot.[/FONT][FONT=arial, sans-serif]
Good luck with your project Tom sounds like a good one.

Rob.[/FONT]

 

[tombear]

Cheers! That all sounds eminently doable, I've a spare builders bucket that only ever been used inverted as a plinth for a great big tank machine gun that's now gone so I know I've not put any chemicals in it that may be hard to scrub off and that would inhibit bug growth.

The gardens good and long and the far end abuts a field they only keep hosses in and after that there's nowt so smell won't be a problem. Easy to rig a lid etc.

Thanks! You're a star!

I'll let you know how we get on mid to late May!

ATB

Tom