Cordage contest

[Nobody]

Rainsparrow and I were able to get out and do some cordage work this weekend. Firstly, here is some dogbane/indian hemp we'd gathered and stripped of branches.

Here are the goodie fibers that are in dogbane.

I used my Spyderco ZDP Delica to make light back and forth scraping to remove some of the skin.

Then, I crushed a stalk or two under my giant clown feet so we could separate the stems from the fibers.

Here are a couple of shots of Rainsparrow and I breaking off small pieces of stem and separating them from the fibers.

Once I have a length of fibers I wet my hands and roll them a bit so they are easier to group and wrap in reverse twist.

Here is Rainsparrow doing some reverse twist on the fiber groups.

Here is a strand of her cordage next to a loose bunch of fibers.

I made a thicker strand of cordage next to her thinner strand.

I loaded up a basket with all our hand weights, equaling 33.5 lbs. Both the thicker and the thinner strand held them with ease. To stress the thinner strand even more, I tied two pieces of thinner strand together with a square knot to give it a weaker stress point and it still held fine.

I've found dogbane cordage to be exceptionally tough and durable. Here is a small leather mojo back I've worn for over a year with the same piece of dogbane cordage. Still going strong.

 

[Nobody]

We also gathered some small cedar roots.

I pulled the cedar root back and forth over my shorts leg to get off the majority of dirt and tiny roots.

We could tie an overhand knot into it very tight and it wouldn't break but by itself it was not capable of holding the 33.5 lbs.
We crudely braided three strands together and they held the weight easily.

It is a true blessing in life to have a teenage daughter who enjoys going out in the woods with me and practicing these kinds of outdoor skills.

 

[pitdog]

This isn't anything to do with the contest, heck it ain't even natural cordage, but figured this is a good place to mention it.
Today I twisted some floss up to make a stronger cordage, now this stuff is strong for it's size anyway but once to start twisting up multiple strannds you get some damn tough stuff. It does have quite a bit of stretch to it though so consider the applications before using it.Give it a try !

 

[skab8541]

funny you should bring floss up Pitdog, I was thinking along the same lines, but not quite.

From a walmart sack, to 6 foot of cordage! Held a cinder block all day at work, so it's plenty strong! Not natural, but easily found material!

 

[pitdog]

funny you should bring floss up Pitdog, I was thinking along the same lines, but not quite.

From a walmart sack, to 6 foot of cordage! Held a cinder block all day at work, so it's plenty strong! Not natural, but easily found material!

Good stuff to know eh !

 

[sadiejane]

way to go skab! natural or not, there are few places in the woods today you wont come across one or a dozen of those. thanks!

 

[kgd]

way to go skab! natural or not, there are few places in the woods today you wont come across one or a dozen of those. thanks!

Thanks be the lord it weren't condoms!

 

[Rotte]

way to go skab! natural or not, there are few places in the woods today you wont come across one or a dozen of those. thanks!

Sad but true.

 

[pzampino]

Ok, so it's clearly under the 14" requirement, but I was taking a walk around the parking lot at work and found some tall grass, from which I quickly reverse-twisted my first piece of natural cordage while I walked. Hopefully, it's enough to say "I'm in".

 

[sadiejane]

ok last entry.
this is hickory bark. cut a bunch of hickory and got it split for bow making last spring.
yesterday took the hammer to the staves and the bark popped right off in whole pieces.

split the large pieces of bark into strips. then peeled the inner bark off.
since i waited until the staves had dried quite a bit, i didnt get the nice long pieces i would've had i done it while green.

yeah thats a turley knife. sweet and wicked sharp! thx iz!

after soaking for a bit and pulling off smaller fibers i got this
using the basic reverse twist method
the bark was similar to the cedar i tried to work with the other day. pretty stiff if left very wide.
if ya wanted larger cordage from this stuff it needs to be beaten, chewed or otherwise broken down more.
or twist or braid several pieces together.
the pieces sticking out are where i spliced in new lengths as i twisted

that little folder was made by matt at ml knives. my everyday pocket knife.

went ahead and put that little bit of cord to use. worked on some bark quivers yesterday.
this one is small for carrying on a belt loop with a carabiner or such.
just for carrying a few arrows out in the bush.
it will hold a half dozen, but i reckon i would never carry more than 3 or 4 in this set up.

used the cord to tie up the top of quiver.

the cordage could not be pulled apart by hand.
if a stronger rope was needed it would be simple to make lengths of this then reverse twist or braid.

will make more today to finish it up.
think i will make several longer lengths then braid three to make a carrying/tying strap too.
this sorta quiver can be tied to or stuck into a back pack easily.
slung over the shoulder or attached to a belt or bag loop.
working on an osage two piece takedown right now too.
something easy to pack for getting out there.

thanks again for this contest and challenge.

 

[pitdog]

Great job with the cordage and that folder is sweet, any pics of it open ?

PS. Didn't this contest end yesterday ???

 

[sadiejane]

here ya go pitdog.

ha-it probably did end yesterday. never good at paying attention to dates n times...
woulda done the work anyways.
didnt just do it for the contest.
but the contest got me motivated to do it sooner than later...

 

[pitdog]

here ya go pitdog.

ha-it probably did end yesterday. never good at paying attention to dates n times...
woulda done the work anyways.
didnt just do it for the contest.
but the contest got me motivated to do it sooner than later...

Thanks, I love Matt's work. They cut like lasers but also seem very easy to touch up.......and the fact they always look awesome doesn't hurt !!!

 

[sadiejane]

yeah pit-i love his knives too. have about a half dozen. and a small hand axe in the works.
he is a top notch bladesmith. every piece i have used is not only a work of art, but totally functional.
hair splitting and holds an edge. and as you mentioned, touches up quick n easy when needed.
here a cupla other ml knives i live with.
http://s878.photobucket.com/albums/ab346/sadiejane9/ml%20knives/

 

[jcl-MD]

Very NICE knives sadiejane !!!

Great work on the cordage!!

 

[Rotte]

OK, we have a Winner!

I used the random number generator at Random.org to select the winning entry....

Arathol! Nice work--that sinew cordage was definitely a worthy entry. I was seriously impressed with all the effort you guys put into the contest. Fun for me, and I learned a thing or two along the way. Thanks guys.

Arathol, send me your address and I'll post the prize out to you. (I'm out of town for a couple of days, so there will be a short delay; sorry.)

 

[kgd]

Congrats Arathol and a kudos to a really, really generous contest offered by Rotte. Thanks for kickstarting folks interest in this skill and I'm willing to bet it has to be one of the most successful threads in the history of this forum at getting as many new folks trying coradage from different materials as yours did!

 

[sadiejane]

way to go arathol!
and thanks for the contest rotte.
fun and great way to challenge folks and learn something too!

 

[pitdog]

Congrats Arathol.......can't wait to see a review on that beauty !!!!

Thanks again Rotte, great contest buddy..........kinda glad I didn't win once I discovered it wasn't a Mora you were giving away !

 

[dipbait]

It did get me interested in cordage and Ill keep looking for ways to make it. I may even continue posting the results in this thread.

Thanks Rotte and
congats Arathol.