Your Favorite Natural Fibers?

[Tetsuoh]

Hello All!

This is topic is to get a nice feeling for what natural fibers and cordage people like and why.

I'd like your opinion of your favorite material to work with and why you like it so much.

I look forward to seeing what people say.

As for myself?

I'm going to say Hemp.
For it's wide array of use, including beyond cordage, and because I always find myself going back to making something or another out of it.

[Tortoise]

I've been messing around with agave fibers recently, I like them especially since they're everywhere here, strong and easy to get

[Joec123able]

Only used nettles and poplar inner bark I'm really liking nettles there strong easy to process and there every where

[burchett.donald]

Flax processed into linen. Although I don't make linen I do use linen for bow strings. Irish linen...

[Hillbilly]

Dogbane, milkweed, Yucca filamentosa are the best I've tried as far as strength and workability. Other good ones are Amsonia (blue star,) basswood, hickory, mulberry, and tulip poplar bark, evening primrose, stinging nettle, false nettle. there are a lot more out there, you just have to experimnent. Hemp is good fiber, but I wouldn't really consider it with the "natural" fibers if I have to buy it on a spool, and I sure don't want to get caught growing it in its natural state.

[PrimitiveTim]

I got to say agave.  The bigger the better!  It's easy to process, you get long white clean fibers, and it's real strong.  It's not super common here in Florida but it's in enough people's yards that I can usually supply my demand.

[swamp monkey]

For ease of use:  Marsh milkweed.  The fibers are long and white making a beautiful white rope.

For strength:  I like nettle.  It makes a strong rope!

For rot resistance:  you can't beat dogbane.  It makes a wonderful handle wrap.

For a neat and tidy looking rope I like hickory inner bark.

I would love to learn more about yucca fiber processing.  I know nothing about it. 

[PrimitiveTim]

I would love to learn more about yucca fiber processing.  I know nothing about it.

In my experience, yucca is a pain in the butt and agave is a breeze

[madcrow]

I love working with dogbane and yucca.  To process the yucca, I fill an old aquarium with the leaves and cover them with water and let them set til everything but the fibers has rotted.  I wipe all the nasty stuff off, wash the fiber in dawn dish detergent and lay them out to dry.  Then start twisting.

[PrimitiveTim]

I love working with dogbane and yucca.  To process the yucca, I fill an old aquarium with the leaves and cover them with water and let them set til everything but the fibers has rotted.  I wipe all the nasty stuff off, wash the fiber in dawn dish detergent and lay them out to dry.  Then start twisting.

How long does that usually take and do the fibers retain their strength?

[Hillbilly]

I would love to learn more about yucca fiber processing.  I know nothing about it.

In my experience, yucca is a pain in the butt and agave is a breeze

Yucca is easy once you figure it out. I take fresh leaves, lay them on a smooth peeled log, and pound them lightly with a smooth stick. Then scrape them with a deer scapula or something similar. Scrape and wash under running water. You can peel a leaf in a couple minutes and be left with a bundle of clean, soft, white fibers.

[PrimitiveTim]

Ugh, I've tried all this pounding and scraping business.  I guess I just haven't figured it out.

[richardzane]

yucca is strong ,but i've not enjoyed processing fine leaf western yucca and the fibers are fairly coarse.(will have to try "rotting" the leaves)
gotta say , dogbane is my favorite now, strong enough for a 50# bow and if the string weakens one can simply twist in new fiber after untwining.
so you can rebuild a functional bowstring in the field. can't do that with modern string material unless you carry it with you.
I've used elm bark for a lot of tying jobs and it holds up in weather for years, but its not strong a weight as dogbane can be.
There's a type of burdock that grows here in NE  thats fiberous and is tempting me to try...
no nettles here.

[Thesquirrelslinger]

jute is probably my fave... but yucca and nettle are close behind.
i like nettle's strength...
Jute is easy to get and cheap, and if i untwist, pull longest fibers, and retwist, quite strong.

[Silver John]

I twisted up about 20 feet of mulberry bark cordage a week ago.  As it dried I oiled it with linseed oil to maintain pliability. 

But my favorite fiber is stinging nettles.  I have a nettles cordage necklace I have been wearing continuously since last December. It never is taken off. It is still strong and pliable even though it has been soaked in the shower regularly as well as being soaked with sweat and body oils.