Willow cordage and other willow related questions

[Scottishwanderer]

Can find a tonne of stuff saying it's good for this that etc but can't find anything specific.

On average how does willow cordage compare to other natural cordages commonly found in Britain assuming equal thickness of the cordage.?

A link to a table would be awesome.

What is the common method in Britain of removing the outerbark from the inner?

When willow is cut into strips and dried will it be easier to roll it into cordage or do all the cut strands have to be cut very accurately to achieve ease in rolling.

When the properties of willow bark are mentioned do they refer to the inner or outer bark?

What spieces of willow are common in Britain ?

In Britain what is the approximate heat output per cord?

Cheers

 

[Mesquite]

On average how does willow cordage compare to other natural cordages commonly found in Britain assuming equal thickness of the cordage.?
I find on average it's pretty much the same as nettle cordage but more fiddly to prep

A link to a table would be awesome.

What is the common method in Britain of removing the outerbark from the inner?
Scraping seems a pretty good way

When willow is cut into strips and dried will it be easier to roll it into cordage or do all the cut strands have to be cut very accurately to achieve ease in rolling.
The times I've used willow I've always prepped it by boiling in in a lye solution for an hour. I've never used it straight from the tree. As for cutting it for rolling I just stripped sections off to the thickness I needed, didn't worry about accuracy

When the properties of willow bark are mentioned do they refer to the inner or outer bark?
Inner I think

What spieces of willow are common in Britain ?
Quite a few

In Britain what is the approximate heat output per cord?

 

[Toddy]

Willow has one beat-everything-else property

It's strongest wet, and it survives wet, cold wet, without rotting.

There's a ball of willow bast rope, several thousand years old, still sound, and still attached to the waterlogged canoe sitting offshore in Denmark. Unmistakeably willowbast cordage

In the UK we have willows for basketry, for charcoal, for biomass fuel, for living willow structures, for greywater clearance beds, for drainage, for wildlife, and for ornamental planting; and several (at least) varieties for each use.

What you're asking isn't straightforward.


cheers,
Toddy

 

[Scottishwanderer]

Thanks a tonne mesquite.

Is the lye solution just wood ash? is white or grey ash best?

Why does it increase the performance of willow cordage? Would doing using a lye solution on other cordages increase there performance?

Thanks toddy.

A cord is 80 cubic feet of dry wood or 32 cubic metres.

 

[Scottishwanderer]

Also if willow cordage has great longevity in wet does this mean it's best wet or is it comparable in longevity to other cordages in dry conditions?

 

[Ian S]

In Britain what is the approximate heat output per cord?

http://trees-online.co.uk/Downloads/trees-to-burn.xls

The comments are fairly amusing as well.

Cheers

 

[Mesquite]

Thanks a tonne mesquite.

Is the lye solution just wood ash? is white or grey ash best?

Why does it increase the performance of willow cordage? Would doing using a lye solution on other cordages increase there performance?

Just a load of ash and small lumps of charcoal from the fire boiled up for an hour to make the lye solution, then boil the scraped bark for another hour. Leave the cordage to dry out completely then dampen before rolling into cordage.

I don't know the science behind why boiling it in a lye solution improves the cordage. As for boiling other cordages why not experiment yourself

 

[Scottishwanderer]

Just a load of ash and small lumps of charcoal from the fire boiled up for an hour to make the lye solution, then boil the scraped bark for another hour. Leave the cordage to dry out completely then dampen before rolling into cordage.

I don't know the science behind why boiling it in a lye solution improves the cordage. As for boiling other cordages why not experiment yourself

Cheers

That'll be a good project for tomorrow.

I though boiling would damage the fibres.

 

[Scottishwanderer]

Found this website http://www.mdidea.com/products/herbextract/salicin/data.html