Hello, everyone!

Gorog

Gorog

Joined
Mar 4, 2011
Messages
515
Just checking in. I got some free(er) time, so I thought I would post a thread about...whatever! How are you all doing? I like to check up, and see if anyone is doing particularly good, in between, or (hopefully not, my sympathies and empathy if you are, however) particularly terrible. This may be a cheesy ritual of mine to quote on quote "outsiders", but you guys tolerate it at least (I hope:) )
To be strangely random as I always am, here is my question of the day: what would be the stiffest, most resilient, and overall best natural material to use in a broom, not a push broom but the stick kind with a triangular fan of bristles. I like the old fashioned stuff, that's why I ask. I think Piassava, an African Palm product (according to Garrett Wade), is probably the toughest I'll find, but you never know until you ask :) .
Peace everyone.
David
 
I have something similar to what you describe, but it's a bamboo rake rather than a broom. I got it at a garage sale for about a dollar and it outperforms a much more expensive metal rake from a hardware store. It's very lightweight and small, mainly good for getting the stuff that falls between the tines of a larger rake.

For a better answer to your question, try a Google search with keyword "Japanese broom". You'll get about 5,000 hits for items that resemble your description. Some of them will describe the materials, and the pictures will show you how the brooms are constructed. Many of them are for sale, but it sounds like you might be thinking of making your own. It seems that some Japanese craftsmen have made broom-making into a fine art, and I'm sure they know the best materials.

You might get useful results by searching for "Chinese broom" or "Asian broom", etc. I haven't tried.
 
Organic material is basically what I'm looking for, nobody seems to make it like nature does when it comes to proper broom material: steel is too abrasive, polypropelene is too flimsy when made into bristles, but natural palm products, bamboo, broomcorn, they all seem to be just the right stuff for the job. You know something, though, David? I'll probably never be an expert weaver of broomcorn, but I have PLENTY of bamboo reeds. I could make my own, good grief, I could make a business on it if I was good enough at it and had start up funds for machinery or workers or something. Thanks for the broomcorn suggestion, Bill, I appreciate it, and I'll keep it in mind if my idea does not work out, but I think I might roll with this bamboo reeds idea of David's. Peace everyone, thanks for the suggestions.
David
 
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