Well I tried making a nettle cord today and failed badly, I ended up with ALOT of stings all over my hands, but I did make cord from young ivy vines, I made a lean to shelter it was OK, but while I was walking home I fell in a gorse bush, and it was still full of spines, oww.
Tried making nettle cordage.
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Now that's the way to learn matey! how did you go about trying to turn the the nettle into strands to then layup in to cordage, and at what stage do you think you went wrong matey, OH, and gloves are winners
Tell us what you did with the nettles chief and we should be able to help. With experience or gloves you'll find how not to be stung.
I always keep a couple of Docken leaves to hand just in case.
I always keep a couple of Docken leaves to hand just in case.
I tried getting the stings off by using a few other leaves and cleaning the stems.
And well I got two stems and tried just holding it at the top and rolling them together. It was a fail.
Ahh
This tutorial taught me to do it.
http://www.naturessecretlarder.co.uk/bushcraft-tutorials/nettle-corgage-tutorial_1.htm
Once you have nettle cordage mastered many other plants that can be made into cordage will pop out at you.
Thanks!
I think I know what I did wrong, I used a little sandstone to bang the stem all to the bottom, this tutorial shows that you must crush it with your fingers, thanks mate!
if no gloves or fire, then you will get stung, it will always hurt, but, grasp at the base of the stem the close your fist above the other hand, around the stem and in one fast move, slide up the stem removing all the leaves, no more stining untill you do the next, or wilt briefly over fire and do the same action, hell of a lot less stinging, or wear gloves, no stinging, then move onto your next stage dude,
If you had a fire going you can waft the nettles quickly over the flames and it burns off the little stingy hairs,
I know it will sting without gloves or a fire to kill the bristle which inject you with the sting/poison, but anyway it's not like a snake bite, you can bear it easily (although fater about 5 hours, I can still feel the stings, and there are bumps) , thanks for all the help guys.
I stung myself all the way up my forearm the other night gathering blackberries, never saw the nettle and just dived in without thinking.
I forgot how much a load of nettles can give you a bad day, I fell through a greenhouse roof once and landed in a forest of nettles
I forgot how much a load of nettles can give you a bad day, I fell through a greenhouse roof once and landed in a forest of nettles
You can remove the stings with bare hands without being stung it just needs bravery and experience but keep dockens to hand.
If you do get sting, crush the docken leave up, spit on it and rub on the stung area this'll soothe it very well.
If you do get sting, crush the docken leave up, spit on it and rub on the stung area this'll soothe it very well.
Ahh are these known as doctor leaves commonly?
Hmm, there is small bubbles of pus where I've been stung with the nettle.
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Mind when harvesting the nettles to not take the roots, try and leave the roots so they are more likely to grow back.
I haven't looked at the tutorial but what I do for nettle cordage is to use half a stem per strand of cord.
As the stem tapers to the top, the strands get thinner- I pull material from the thicker side to even it up or add in a new strand. Remember that it's only going to be as strong as it's weakest section!
As the stem tapers to the top, the strands get thinner- I pull material from the thicker side to even it up or add in a new strand. Remember that it's only going to be as strong as it's weakest section!
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