Survival Guide: Make YARDS of natural cordage in MINUTES
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- Опубліковано 5 чер 2024
- Cordage making is a core skill that humans have depended on for millenia. In our modern world of manufactured convenience, comparitively very few people still know how to do this ancient craft. Practicing this not only hones a usefull survival skill, but also rewilds us, brings us closer to the land and changes our perspective. Suddenly, you will see useful materials and plants where you have never seen them before. At least, that's been my experience. I hope this video help you! Comment with what you'd like to see next!
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I live in the U.K. and Nettles are abundant. Stems for cordage, leaves for tea and cooking = minimal waste.
You certainly have a knack for explaining things.
Well that's the point
To speed up fibre collection, traditionally in some cultures a spiked brush tool was carried around with a twill. You don’t have to beat the material and even tall grass stalks work with this method since it creates a thin fibre material. The brush can be made from wood so long as you sharpen them and dowel into pockets in the head. The back of the head is used for cracking the fibre out through rubbing it back and forth. When using the brush part you grab your bundle of fibre and wack it and pull towards you repeatedly until it becomes closer to hair, then it should be just about ready to use and you can make the decision whether to make it finer material by using a fine comb version of your previous tool. Some material will get lost refining it further but it will start to look like actual hair at a certain point.
I live in Indiana and use both dogbane and milkweed but since my wife died and i have been struck with severe spinal stenosis I'm concentrateing more on teaching others than doing as much myself. To me strong cordage is invaluable so i concentrate on the three plants you mentioned. Sometimes willow is the best material available in certain areas but even fibers from cattail leaves works well enough if your stuck in swampy areas. Dont forget mulberry. The young cambium layer is pretty good. Ive even used the tassles from ears of corn. Not great but it works and you dont see many people using it. Got to get it when its at the right point or its too weak. Too late it will just crumble.
I find that sunflower stalks are also very time-sensitive. Too early and the fibers are weak. Too late and they're brittle.
That’s nuts. I would never imagine you could make cordage from corn husk
Wherabouts? I would love to be taught this craft. Main issue for me is really the plant identification
Excellent video on making cordage. Thanks for sharing. I was down in Williamsburg Va at a Native American display and an elder showed me how to do this. He captivated my learning immediately. Then he used a flint and steel and char cloth to light his pipe and these skills increased my interests in the old ways of surviving
As I'm sure you know, when an elder speaks, we must always listen!!! That, too, is the old way of things that are unfortunately disappearing. Natives survived and thrived many moons longer than the white men.
Boiling the fibers with ashes will make a long lasting cordage. (Ray Mears tip)
How?
@@liawatson5789 witchcraft.
well im sure at least boiling makes them more pliable for when you twist them by softening and relaxing the fibers meaning there won't be any microtears from twisting and after it dries it shrinks back up so its nice and tight. i can't speak for the ashes but who knows maybe some chemical stuff happens. you are impregnating it with carbon and other chemicals after all. i guess for the ashes the only real way to find out is to run some tests.
@@rays5163 maybe the potash (potassium hydroxide) inside the ash when reacting with water softens the fibers and makes them more maleable.
@@AaronC.
Maybe?
It's Ray Mears dude, there is no maybe involved.
Ray has forgotten more bushcraft than this guy knows.
Such clear and effective instruction! Thank you! I love the clearly shot closeups of the finger work and splicing in new fibers.
You just answered a question I’ve had for 4 years now! I have some land that I only get to in the fall/winter months, and I always find a stalk that has fine fibers and makes amazing cordage. Never knew what the heck it was until now, it’s Dogbane. Thank you!
I really enjoy the longer videos rather than the short kind of the reels. I hope that you keep at it, but i anderstand if you don't. Anyway, thanks and good luck!
More longer videos is what I want, but the way UA-cam wants the game to be played favors a mix of both
We are really lucky here in New Zealand we have a few plants that give extremely strong fiber.
Harakeke (Phormium tenax ) was a major export for extremely strong rope and Tī kōuka (Cordyline australis) which while a shorter leaf gives an extremely strong fiber and was the primary line for fishing.
I have fished with it and landed fish of more than 12 pounds.
Tī kōuka is found as an ornamental in the American upper mid west coast known there as Cornish palm.
It was a food resource for my people in areas where other staples would not grow, it can be felled and the pulpy center can be eaten, it was called "millionaire's cabbage" in my childhood because it costs the life of the plant.
dead cabbage tree leaves are also good for starting fires with the ol flint if you scrape it fine with a knife
thank you. learnt something valuable today.
Our family of 7 recently found your channel, and we absolutely love it!!! I homeschool my kids, and we watch your videos together. Can you do some plant identification? We're a very outdoors family, and survival is a common topic as we're a medically retired military family.
Awesome! Thanks for your support! I can definitely do some survival related foraging videos
@sagesmokesurvival awesome thank you!!! Also, look for The Foxfire books. The oldest edition you can find. It's packed full of great information!!!
Extremely helpful to see the winding technique. Dogbane is abundant in Tennessee. Awesome to see so much bush-indigo towards the end of the video!
ive used this technique to make bowstring before (with standardised length artificial fibres) so its been great to learn how to chain together fibres!
There's a variety of yucca, possibly Adam's Needle, that grows in Oregon that I am certain would do very well in southern Idaho. It is hardy to zone 4. If you're looking for plentiful material that grows wild, yucca is probably not the thing in northern areas since even though some varieties are very cold hardy they're mostly limited to curated landscapes. A similar landscaping plant, the New Zealand flax, also produces extremely strong, long fibers that make superior cordage. The flax processes down somewhat thicker than yucca and can be difficult to work with when dry.
On an unrelated note, I have found that the inner bark of cedar makes an extremely soft twine that, once it has been thoroughly worked to remove fine splinters, is very comfortable against the skin. Another excellent skin-contact fiber source is day lily. The dead leaves, when collected early in the morning when they are still damp with dew, are easy to twine and produce, flat out, the most comfortable skin-contact twine I've ever encountered.
On a very unrelated note, i never start with the "halfway" technique of starting my twine at the center of a bundle of fibers. I _always_ start with two bundles so that I can double the loose, starting end back over and splice it in to make an integrated loop at the beginning end of a piece of cordage.
Ima keep rolling with the unrelated. I also make narrow rope using three strands of twine. Keeping the position of each strand relative to the others is critical for making three strand rope by hand. The method is exactly the same as the reverse twist but instead of a pattern of A, B, A, B, A, B the pattern is A, B, C, A, B, C. I've also tried four strand, but the resulting rope is too loosely wound at that point. You can continue doing three strand twining with each finished rope, so three strands of twine become one thin rope, three thin ropes become one thick rope, three thick ropes become one cable, etc. It takes a BOATLOAD of fibers to make any rope of decent length. Three ten foot sections of twine make a three foot section of thin rope and three ten foot sections of thin rope make a three foot section of thick rope, so figure that for every nine hundred feet of twine you'll end up with about ten feet of thick rope. You'd better _really_ need a thick rope to dedicate that much work and materials.
Final unrelated. If you're clever, you can use twining techniques to make a knotless net. It seems hard at first but once you get the hang of it you can crank out a lot of net. Again though, it really uses up a lot of material, so you'd better actually need a net.
Great tip from Sally Pointer: lay your new fibres across both strands, and twist it in. This results in seamless splices with no knobby bits sticking out.
It's amazing what you can make cordage out of. Was camping with my friend, he was out on a nature walk and we had been cutting firewood. I picked up some bark and realized the shredded inner bark looked good enough to twine and sure enough, cranked out a couple feet for the hell of it.
Excellent post. As an OG, I call these skills "bushcraft" as "survival" has distracting connotations. All such skills teach confidence in nature and, when you least expect, survival.
Nice way of thinking about it.
Elm bark, hickory, juniper, thistle, ash bark, I've even used oak bark. Wild grapevine, elm roots, pine roots, and honeysuckle don't need processing to work either, there are others as well.
So happy I found your channel. Great information, very concise and helpful. Thank you!
Amazing. I was just thinking about cordage. When things go south, it will be important to have. Was wondering where people of old got theirs. Thank you so much!
If things ever go south far enough that there's a shortage of cordage, twine, rope, etc, it's going _all the way down._ I'm talking, *_I Am Legend_* level SHTF.
Love the detail in the video. Thank you.
Legend.
Awesome video, brilliant knowledge, perfectly explained, thank you!
Excellent video!
Ah was waiting for this one
These instructions are very clear and anyone who has never tried this will have
success following the video. I'm forever making cordage from what ever comes
to hand. I'd like to try plastic from a soda bottle cut as thin as capellini or angel's
hair pasta just to see how it works and horse tail hair cordage to create a viable
fishing line that is less obvious than plant fiber.
I love all the quick explanations you do!
Awesome video! Thank you for going into so much Detail in this! You Rock!
Traditional cordage often utilized the rhetting process, soaking cordage in icy cold winter waters. The process is actually a fermentation of sorts that allows microorganisms to eat away at the woody tissues surrounding the fibres/fibers.
amazing video like always thank man I’ve learned a lot from u ❤❤
Thank You Seth. Best to you
Could you make a video on how to make a net in nature and a other short with a list of tree that have alot of tanins and plant good for cortage depending on region i would really like it please day 1
Yes please
I’ve been using tulip tree inner bark but it’s a bit difficult to get even strands. I recently tried dried daffodil leaves. Produces a pretty cordage. Will be trying dried dandelion stems next. Thanks for the tip on fast twisting! Good video. New sub.
Try using dead day lily leaves picked in the morning when they're still damp with dew. The cordage isn't particularly strong but it's _extremely_ comfortable against your skin, even after it dries out.
You can also use cordage to plat into a sling with which to hunt small animals
Awesome video, thank you!
Would do a video making cordage from sinew?
That would be excellent 👍
Great video, thanks for sharing your knowledge. have a great day :)
My goodness this is the best cordage video ive seen and I've seen alot good job on good information.
Great video, bet I've ever seen on cordage 🙌. Thank you
You're a really cool guy Seth
Great presentation .. Very valuable skill indeed.
That was easy to watch 🤜🤛 thanks pal
Great instruction
Great tutorial ❤
Terrific vid, you're a great teacher. Subscribing.
Some kind of oily substance was always used, while making the cord, for elasticity and durability. An outer layer of wax or tar if available, can make it good for underwater usage as well.
Thanks!
Ah finally, the Guide to Plant Fiber Cordage
Thank you
I am restoring an Austin Champ, which is one of the vehicles this engine is fitted to. Great video.
awesome. ty.
Great tutorial with clear footage. Well done. you have a teachers spirit. Subscribing as a thanks and to see more from ya.
Great video. Would love to learn about buscraft hooks and traditional native lures.
Artemisia works well too
You can use bast fiber from certain trees. Milkweed makes good cordage, but please don't harvest it until after the monarch butterflies are done with it; they eat it as caterpillars to make themselves poisonous to predators. Around September should do.
Nice 👍hello from Washington
Could you use rendered animal fat to water proof the cordage and make it more pliable?
i have been thinking about melting tallow and resin together to make a salve, could probably be nice to use on cordage to. pine tar would be nice as well.
Yes you can!
@kringsja9913 pine tar is some awesome stuff. Ask any duckhunter: tarred decoy line was the standard for years.
@@notreallymyname3736 yeah i love tarred bank line, super grippy, and stays fresh
Beeswax as well for waterproofing
Hi, can u make a video about how u got started (the whole story).
How to get started.
pros and cons.
there is a great trick to building cordage, beat the stalk with a rock and it should break down, if there are strands that remain, that's cordage material if kept long enough. then test the tensile strength
In the NW ceder bark is the go to😊
try bitter sweet vine, works great.
We have vines we used to swing from trees on as kids that would be perfect. The vines were already 20+ feet long tons of those fibers. I think they were dead poison oak vines that had been there for some time.
(I haven't finished the video while writing this) You may have already but you mentioned making it thicker for what would be rope, not thread; can you make a video for that
Great video on how to. Where would you recommend finding good materials to ise in our area without trial/error?
Names of plants too?
Where do you buy those flannel shirts they’re awesome
That's a really well put together intro into this valuable skill , thanks so much, can't wait to try it. Here in UK it's gonna be stingy nettles...any tips on how to not get stung to death ? Apart from gloves? Cheers mate. 👍
Use a rock with a rough edge to scrape them away, or the back of a knife.
The pain those plants must feel when you harvest and brutally snap n beat the crap out of it.... 😮 The horror.. all jks aside thanks for the video I needed a refresher
So did you make that hat from cordage? If so, that is a brilliant way to EDC alot of cordage!!....
Anyone had much success with fireweed? I've always used stinging nettle, but am tempted to give fireweed a go for it's long fibres.
What types of plants could be used in Missouri?
Hey Seth
if i retwist the cordage again with the same technique, does it make it even stronger? Like does rebraiding strands of braided cordage compund the strength?
amazing video, after watching i attempted to make cortege, i failed and gave up.
This isn't the first cordage video I've seen and I heard something on another one that I never really tested because I don't find myself actually ever having to make any. Maybe I can get your input on this....when you first start twisting, don't start on the middle that way when you're splicing on more material the weak points are staggered rather than both splices being in the same spot. Does that make sense?
That's what I do too so the splices are staggered.
Can cordage be made from live or fresh fibers not dried ones? Thanks
Some plants can be used either way, but in general I think dry is easier.
Can you make cordage from green dogbane
So what's the strongest cordage material commonly available in Idaho?
Probably nettle. Pine, fir, cedar, and spruce roots are very strong lashing material too. I need to make a video on that. Twisted nettle cordage is one of the strongest fine fibers though, until you get into animal based fibers like sinew.
I bet you could make it even faster with a drop spindle.
Yes but it would only be 1 ply. Not very strong. Drop spindle also requires combing out the material, so then you need a fiber comb
🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
Hello long time listener, first time caller.. In my area I am having a hard time finding meat rabbits. Would you sell me buck and 2 does?
And then the guy stands in Panama where there's lots and lots of rope on the shore 💀
hemp
Could you make a shirt to explain how to extract fat from animal
Ok as someone who spends tons of time out door how do you stop the bugs like mite bed bugs ticks and all the stuff you get from outside from getting inside your house ? I mean for real like I built a cabin and got attacked by mites paid 300 bucks for the damn cream 😢
Permetherin kills all insects on contact instantly. Not for direct skin application but OK on loose outer clothing parts, tents, ground cloth etc. Also can be used on building perimeters.
@@P_RO_ thank you so much 😊
Bro's from Idaho 💀💀💀 (i live in idaho)
you have to count finding, collecting, processing and making. not quick to get useful strength and amount
A modern warrior mean mean stride..... you know the rest Tom.
You list a Bushcraft Knife - Sale price $220.00 USD.
Bushcraft should be about making all of your tools and it's fun to Forge a knife knowing you made it.
So you smelt the iron to make your hammer and anvil or just the piece you beat between two rocks to make the knife?
I live in Antarctica, we have no plants there. What should I use?
Start growing your hair.
sinew
If you can get sinew you can get rawhide and gut string too.
Head to the western peninsula, and use Antarctic Hair Grass.
How to make yards of cordage in minutes... maybe 300 minutes.
For those outdoor suicide attempts on the brink starvation!