Preparing bramble fibres for cordage.
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 27 มิ.ย. 2019
- Brambles are excellent for cord making or as bindings for basketry, prepare them now and you can use them for cordage later in the year. Use with my cord making instruction video or your own preferred method.
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My eyes are bulging out of my skull with shock awe and gratitude for this knowledge! I had no idea the incredible wealth of potential cordage blackberry brambles were offering me each and every day while I resentfully spat at them with contempt. Gaw just look at the way the fiber falls right off of them! I'm going to march straight out to the massive bramble patch by my front door tomorrow with a pair of leather gloves and a renewed understanding and appreciation for this horrendously invasive and tenacious species (at least where I am living anyhow)!
Yes yes yes. Going out the clip the devil bramble and beat she him into fiber threads. 🙃😁😃🌺👩🏻🦳
♥️
Ok so… I’ve gone out and done this for a couple years now and what I can report to everyone is that you absolutely SHOULD NOT do this with the Himalayan invasive variety that can be found in North America. - at least not with just leather gloves. You’re going to need a thorn stripper -the kind they use on roses. They’re like these tongs with holes where they clamp together to pass the length of the shoot or the vine through. They pull all the thorns off or at least break the super pointy tips down so you can pick the bases off with your finger.
Otherwise you’ll fill your hands with the horrid tips of thorns even through thick leather gloves!
And definitely watch the time of year carefully… wrong time of year and no matter how much work you do you’ll only get little sections that break into smaller and smaller pieces because they’re too brittle and you’ll be left with a pile of 2 inch or less sections - most unsatisfying cordage you’ll ever try to make if that’s what your left with.
Watch that red color in the branches fade back a bit after the winter passes and then like Ms.Pointer says- get the newest greenest growth.
Oh Sally, I can still hear my Horticulture professor, teaching Day 1 of the Pernicious weeds course.
"This is Himalayan Blackberry. In. A. BAD. Year. It. Grows. 15. Feet. A. Year. If any of you bring so much as an INCH of it into my greenhouse? I will kick you out so fast you will be airbourne until your hair is grayer than mine.
Well, I've done it now, thanks so much for the help! It was fun, I hope lots of people saw me randomly walking around with my knife, chopping off blackberry plants next to the railroad tracks!
Welcome to the realm of the hedge-botherer!
Sally, thank you a thousand times for your generosity of sharing. I am so existed to discover all you knowledge. Thanks for doing what you do and being this sunny.
I had no idea that brambles were a fiber plant. Have a million of them in my garden; will go out in the morning and find some nice canes!
Just found this video (AFTER, of course, asking questions elsewhere, ha!) - and so it turns out - we do NOT in fact have blackberries in the southern US, not the same species at all as the plant you're showing here. We have "dewberries," which are cousins to the blackberry - and delicious, but the vines are extremely thin and fine and the spines are just a bit toxic, they leave a rash on most folks if you get tagged by the bigger ones. They DO grow very very fast, but I don't think I've ever seen any of the vines get even half as big as what you harvested for this video. Another difference: they grow along the ground and sometimes climb over larger plants, but not trees; they're the sort of vine that makes roots all along its length, a bit like wisteria in that way...
Still searching for info on how the Choctaw (and related tribes) used native plants, but I just wanted to say to you - thank you again for such wonderful videos. Even if I can't use the same plants, you've explained the overall process SO well, so clearly - and demonstrated in a very easy to follow way, too! I feel sure that if I can lay hands on suitable materials, I can definitely muddle my way to my very own made-from-scratch cordage! (I don't expect to be so good at it for a long while, but that's okay, I just want to learn how it works!)
I can wait to do this! I've recently moved and the garden is full of weeds and brambles, turning it into fiber sounds like a great way to make use of it ❤️
Have you waited long enough? Will you do this? Will you make the bramble fiber now?
You have taught me so much, so many wonderful ancestral skills! Thank you for sharing!
Thanks for teaching the bramble because I had no idea what i searching for x.x I have a bunch of black berry bushes growing around me and wanted to do something with them, so I’m glad I found your page !
Hope it's useful!
Just discovered your videos Sally and I'm really enjoying them. Thank you.
Amazing video, thanks!!!
Loved it thank you!
Wouldn't have thought that you could remove the thorns and make cordage out of that. Raspberry bushes are abundant here in the American midwest. I planted a small piece in my yard a number of years ago and now it's a huge bush. I'm going to try this technique. Thank you for another great video.
Let us know how raspberries work, I'd love to know myself.
Did it work??
@@Just_Sara I forgot to try it.
@Scott Did you try the raspberry for cordage?
@@annanelson6830 I remember trying and it not working out well. I may try again.
This is interesting. I just found this channel via Instagram and I never used bramble for cordage before, just linden tree bark and of course wine vines, which I used to tether the vines in our garden. But I used bramble for basketweaving.
I have TONS of blackberry in my backyard. I’ve been putting it into the green bin (municipal composting) for ages. This is a great idea though! I’m going to look into uses for the fleshy parts. I know the leaves can be used as a tea.
You can eat the middle fleshy part. It's nice in soup with nettle.
Disgaybled Maiden Aunt oh thank you so much! I’ve been looking it up online and not getting much success. It all talks about the berries. Thank you for the help! That’s something I can settle down and do with my cut brambles! ❤️❤️
Since I have so many of them. 😂
Get a long mature thick length. Take thorns off with knife. Cut lengthways in half and then again to get 4 lengths. Use knike to scrape away inside. Pull each length over a round pole to get it flexible enough to coil up. Then put coils in brine to soak for 3 or 4 weeks. And there you are. Very strong and last ages.
That sounds more like it's going to give splits for basketry than fibres for cordage, or do you find the brine retting reduces the mature growth back to single fibres this way?
I got my information from a jack hargreaves dvd, so it's good. I'm still experimenting to see what it can do. There is skill splitting to required thickness, but they do go to very thin if you want. Brine makes flexible and, he said, longevity. It all needs experiment, but seems to offer thick and thin, and long.
Great videos Sally, thanks so much for all the wonderful content!
My first cordage-making season this year and I’ve been making some great bramble fibres, but I’m wondering whether these can be separated more finely like nettle (perhaps with the blackthorn tool), or is 1mm thickness practically the best one can get and maintain that lovely length?
You can go finer, but think of it as vegetable baler twine and you'll get the best out of it!
willow is also great, and no spikes, easier prep
I've seen people use a pad of denim (made from old jeans) to remove the thorns.
That's a great idea!
If it’s smooth enough - I might try for book enhancements 😃
I enjoyed the video very much but would love it more if the closed-captioning was available for it.
Can you advise me on how to do that? I've only been making TH-cam videos for a week so I'm very much a beginner to the technical side of it. Very happy to learn though if you'd like to talk me through what needs doing.
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I'm a new member of your wonderful channel and will certainly be trying out what i have learned here! Thank you so much for your fun and informative video's. I do have a quick question, is it possible to use brambles in the winter to make cord with, or is it only the new shoots? Have a wonderful Christmas!
In the winter they are often a bit woody and brittle, but it can be worth trying your local ones in case your area is milder
@@SallyPointer thank you for your reply. I think i will give it a try, i'm excited to make my first yarn :)
Where did you learn to do this? Have noticed bean plants, Mallows and Hollyhocks seems fibrous. Might this work with Hollyhock stem (guessing depends when harvested)
It's a lot of fun to try different plants and compare results. Give it a go!
This is so cool! Does it keep its green color when dry or turn brown?
Tends to fade to a very light brown
Could you separate the fibers from the core with a roller press, like a pasta roller, or would the varying thickness of the brambles make that a bad idea?
It's never occurred to me to try! If you have a go, do report back. Personally I like to keep it portable, but it could be fun to try!
I might see about doing that sometime myself, it sounds like an interesting idea.
What a good idea! I’ll be trying that with my hibiscus stalks :)
👍✌️🙏❤️
Do you think the rest of the cane with the pith removed will work for basketry? Im not sure how much matter lies between that outer part and the pith. Ill experiment myself anyway my backyard is covered in bramble lol.
Try it, but too brittle I suspect
@@SallyPointer Thanks for the response!
I have a question to ask before I go collect bramble. Can you get the fibers from the bramble as fine as you can from Nettle? I ask because I was thinking of doing a bramble fiber shirt. Im also going to try your net. I have an old book about net making but the diagrams can't hold a candle to actually seeing how you do those knots. Gotta finally try making nets. Maybe Bramble will be great for that.
Id suggest the bramble for the net rather than the shirt, it keeps a certain stiffness that I don't think lends itself to shirts, but you might still want to weave a sample and see how it softens up.
@@SallyPointer Good suggestion.
Did you end up weaving a sample? I'd love to know what your results were. Trying to think about what I could do with mine.
Interesting. I was doing this wrong. I peeled the outer bark off in wider strips and weaved a basket immediately. There wasn't much shrinkage and it made a surprisingly strong little basket, if a bit rough looking. Suitable though for picking blackberries, though.
I am looking for how to join two ends together. I have a lot of juncus, swamp grass I call it, on our property that I find myself making baskets with. It does have quite a bit of shrinkage bc it's so full of water. Not too bad if I cram the stalks in super tight. I have pics of all this stuff on my channel, btw.
Anyways, I spin wool from my alpacas in a spinning wheel, so I was experimenting on my spinning wheel last.nigjt with the juncus to try to make cordage. Normally I just.braid it. I thought I could fray the end of each piece and twist them together using the wheel like I do for alpaca fiber, etc. But plant fibers are completely different, apparently. I dried the juncus and then soaked it a little to spin. I meticulously split the stalks and removed the pith, rubbed the split pieces.over a corner to loosen the fibers up. All experimenting.
That first piece showed promise of making a very fine, thin cordage for basket weaving. But joining two pieces.together is kicking my rear still, so I came to TH-cam looking for answers. I suspect that with plant fibers, I won't be able to do one ply at a time like on a spinning wheel. With one.ply,.joining.new.pieces in is a real problem. I even cheated and just tied the two pieces in a knot. I was hoping the spinning wheel would put the work on a spindle to keep it bound up, and also ease the abuse only hands. Maybe make the work faster. With wool, I spin 2 thin threads and then spin them together again the opposite direction to make a two ply yarn that is thin.enoigh to go through my knitting machine nicely.
Ultimately, I would love to make clothes, and experiment to see which invasive weeds are good for that. I have nettle, but not enough of it. I have dried bundles of flax I grew, but there's not enough of that yet, either. And I have lots and LOTS of alpaca and some sheep wool I've collected. But those things are hot in Spring and summer.
I will be checking out your other videos. Also liked and subscribes. Learning primitive skills is my hobby and part.of being prepared for the zombie apocalypse. Lol
I don't think it's wrong if the end result worked, there's lots of ways to process fibre!
Would a scouring pad get the bark off? The spiral steel sproingy ball type?
Do try it and report back!
Is end of June the on time to collect? Could I pick winter shifts and process them?
Winter bramble can be split for basketry but rarely gives fine softer fibre for cordage
@@SallyPointer okai! Spring or summer brambles for cordage fibers. What does split mean? Humm. So much to learn
Hello Sally, thanks for all your videos. I have a lot of troubles getting rid of the woody core, it does not separate lovely just like you at all. The core seems spongeous, fragile, and want to stick to the fiber. First I have hammered it with medium strength with a branch of wood against a stamp (i have done it in bushcraft situation) , should i do it more gently ? Or maybe the season change something and my bramble was too young ? (it was long and strong tho). Thanks for sharing your experience. Have a nice day.
Have you tried bramble in different locations? Round here, I get the easiest separation all season from brambles in moist woods, and there is a point late in the season when only the most shaded growth is really easy. Also, there are a huge number of bramble variations, think how different the fruits can be even on neighbouring plants, so it's well worth trying different patches til you find some that really suit your working method. Hope that helps a bit!
Can you use this for wicking or candlemaking?
That's a really good question. I'll try it later if I get the chance. I usually use nettle or flax for wicking, not sure how well bramble works
What plants can I make cordage with in September?
Depends what part of the world you are in. In the UK you might still find useful nettles in damp shady spots
Can you process one during winter?
You may find it's too mature and brittle by winter, but a brief experiment may be worthwhile if you have good bramble canes locally
Can I pick them at any time of the year?
Depends on your region and local weather, usually in Herefordshire I pick between the summer solstice and autumn equinox, but the nettles were late starting this year. Friends in Canada though are still in mid harvest. See what works for your area.
would this fiber put up with hackling and spinning
I've only used it relatively unprocessed, but do try it and report back!
@@SallyPointer yes mam ...
@@SallyPointer ok i live in the n.w us. the blackberrys are already too woody it will have to wait untill late spring
roll the pestle along the fibers instead of beating? maybe a bit easier
If it works for you, go for it, my brambles like a bit more of a whack though.
I pull the brambles between my toes to remove the thorns.
I need string to make caveman tools
Hopefully you'll find lots of ideas on my channel then, there will be more specifically prehistoric themed videos before long too 🙂
Which is stronger for the same thickness nettle or bramble cordage? Looking to make a bowstring, so thin and strong. Need to hold about 20kgs (45lb) weight to be safe on a light 25lb (10kg) bow. Bramble is winning out for length of fibres but is it stronger than nettle?
@@joeasher2876 you'll need to experiment, but I've come across lots of references to nettle bowstrings but offhand none to bramble ones. I think overall though nettle is finer it may be stronger once properly corded up.
@@SallyPointer Thanks. That's interesting that there are references to nettle bow strings. I am trying to experiment but need a lot of time to test newer (greener) and older redder)
@@SallyPointer update for anyone trying the same thing... I made two 5ft bowstrings from bramble, one out of about 5 pieces which were about 7ft long and a little over a thumb thick at the base and one from 2 pieces. The first one was way too thick and messy but super strong. The second one was perfect. Definitely strong enough for a 25lb bow and maybe up to a 40lb one. If probably go thicker if I were making a traditional English longbow but I think even that would be do-able. I also find bramble easier to work than nettle. Longer fibres and it dries out enough as you strip the outer "bark" that you can start twisting it immediately. My second one was complete in an hour as I walked with the dog. Now to try to find some wild beeswax.
Then what?
Then use in any way you desire, cordage, basketry etc.