nettle cordage

[coln18]

does anyone have a good link for a video clip of nettle cordage.

i learned to do this on a woodlore course a while back but when i tried it again the old memory cells failed me.

I have found many vid clips of nettles being rolled on the thigh but this is not the technique i am looking for, i was tought to seperate the pith out then dry the nettles overnight and then start weaving the lenghts together.

Any help will be appreciated as the wife is fed up with half a ton of nettles taking up most of the living room!!!!!

 

[RAPPLEBY2000]

I've been doing this for the past 3 weeks as part of my bushcraft demos!

1 take the nettle hold the base of the plant near the roots IMPORTANT!.

2. Firmly grasp the stem and pull the leaves off as you move your hand towards the top of the pland in one movement(you shouldn't get stung as the stings face the tip of the plant.

3 look closely at the stem, it has 4 sides, on each side is a groove running right down the plant, split one of the groves open. then witha fingernail or blunt knife open it as far as you can.

4. when open take the stem (now flat) and break it (as if it were a stick) peel away all the pith.

5. you should now be left with the "skin" of the nettle which natrually has split it'self into 4 strands, pull these apart, leav overnight to dry.

this is the easiest method by a long way.

hope it helps!

 

[aarya]

This video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6aBEdi-xH3U&feature=related from 2:35 and onwards, explains how to make nettle cordage, including removing the pith from the fibres.
Though i must say, whenever i make cordage from nettles, i tend to break up the pith into smaller bits, and not pull everything off at the same time, as i get longer bits of fibre doing it that way. Hope that helps.

 

[coln18]

Thanks for the link guys but i can already do it this way, i was looking for an alternative way were you can actually weave the different strands together without rollin on the thig

 

[Melonfish]

how do you then bind it into usable cord however? i've been intreagued by this for a while, and i think i get the twisty bit but i'm not sure how to make it a long thread i.e. join cordage together?

 

[Pandabean]

Sorry to jump in, but when I did the Woodsmoke course we dried the nettle skins next to the fire. Any ideas why its beeter to work with them dry rather than still moist?

What we did when dry was take a strand (2 thick or 4 thick depending how thick you want it) and held a small section between the thumb and first finger on both hands. Twist until it forms a loop.
What to do then is hold the end (loop you have just made) so that there is a thread above the other. Give the top one a few twists and pull it underneath the bottom one. So now the bottom becomes the top. Twist a few times, drop.....rinse and repeat.

You can add more threads in by twisting it into the previous thread and carry on.

Hope that helps somewhat? If not I can try and explain some more.

Andy

 

[Daegurth]

you always dry cordage before working it because if it's twisted wet, it'll shrink and leave holes and thin bits within the cord, making it weak.

 

[aarya]

I misunderstood what you were looking for, sorry about that.
Now, after a quick search around the sites where i find most such information, i find nothing that details the benefit from braiding cordage, other than the following quote: "Braiding is stretchless and thus good for fishing lines." From this site: http://livingprimitively.com/2006/12/cordage/
It also notes however, that it is extremely slow to braid cordage, which i suppose is why twining or twisting is the preferred method.

Sorry i couldn't be of more help.

 

[Melonfish]

Excellent! both of those links are perfect chaps thanks! i finally understand nettle cordage, heck i've got plenty of local ones to try with too, i'll be a wimp and wear gloves tho

 

[coln18]

thanks andy, thats exactly the method i was looking for and was originally tought but had just as quickly forgotten.

It just shows that you really have to get out there and practise your bushcraft skill, lest they be lost in our hollow heads.... colin

 

[Pandabean]

Colin,

I know what you mean about forgetting stuff if you don't practce it, I have forgotten some of the knots I learned on the course but a recent post on Tarp & Hammock knots brought it all back.

Ben posted a link to an articles written by Lisa which is how I described it above as that was what was taught on the course by Ben & Lisa . Has some pictures in it as well. Once you get going I found that time just passes away and you can get a fair amount done.
http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?p=573905#post573905

Andy

 

[RAPPLEBY2000]

Sorry to jump in, but when I did the Woodsmoke course we dried the nettle skins next to the fire. Any ideas why its beeter to work with them dry rather than still moist?

I've always wondered this, my educated guess:
when first stripped the nettle sap seems slimey, and working with it is difficult
when dried the sap seems to go forever, even when the fibers get damp after drying they don't get slimey again. so it's easier to work with, (P.s. it's easier to work with dried fibers if your hands are slightly damp!)

also they shrink quite alot
making cordage wet you could end up with the final rope with loose/tight sections in it.

thats my guess anyway