# Survival > Primitive Skills & Technology >  Cordage!

## rwc1969

...or as I like to call it, rope. LOL! Is there a difference?

Could be one of the more important skills to learn.

It's quite easy if you got the right materials though. I made this up in a few hours from gathering to finish.

Mine's a lil rough around the edges because I didn't spend a lot of time to carefully remove all the chaff. Also this stuff has set thru the winter in an old drainage ditch. I'm surprised how easily it was made and how very tough it is.

If I'da removed all the chaff it would look much prettier and have been much easir to twine. I have a few thin spots and a few bulging spots, but it is functional and that's what counts in my book.

http://s101.photobucket.com/albums/m...t=100_1942.jpg

I used the leg rolling method shown here http://www.primitiveways.com/cordage_video.html After having done it once, with good clean fibers I could easily crank out a foot a minute or less. It goes real quick and I rolled it on my bare leg using a lil water for friction.

primitive ways dot com has endless good info on abo skills and such. Really good stuff!

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## Justin Case

Looks like a pretty good rope to me  :Wink:

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## Ken

> *Cordage!* ...or as I like to call it, rope. LOL!


Do you mean "line?"   :Innocent:

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## hoosierarcher

cordage is all types from thread to yarn to string to rope to cable. Cordage and line can be synonymous; but line is generally one strand whereas cordage is a braid or twisted combination of lines.

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## crashdive123

Well done rwc.

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## Ken

> cordage is all types from thread to yarn to string to rope to cable. Cordage and line can be synonymous; but line is generally one strand whereas cordage is a braid or twisted combination of lines.


 
Yep.  A line.   :Innocent: 

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## COWBOYSURVIVAL

RC69...We were making some tonight....my little girls project....

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## preachtheWORD

Looks nice, rwc.  Dogbane makes some good cordage.  I have never made it, but I have made a lot of yucca cordage.

How does dogbane cordage do when it gets wet?

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## rwc1969

That's cool CS, What material is that?

PTW, I've heard that dogbane keeps it's strenght when wet, doesn't shrink and holds up well against rotting. 

I can say I thouroughly wetted it during and after winding and it was just as strong.

there is some yucca filamentosa growing nearby the dogbane.

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## preachtheWORD

> there is some yucca filamentosa growing nearby the dogbane.


Have you tried making yucca cordage?  It is not as tough as dogbane, but it is still pretty strong for plant fiber.  You just have to gently pound down the leaves to separate the fibers and to get some of the green, non-fibrous material out.  You can use the same twisting method you used on the dogbane.

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## rwc1969

No, but I probably will now that I know where some grows. I've been trying on and off all winter to find winter cordage material that could be gathered on the spot and made into cordage. The dogbane works great for that. And, the yucca fibers seemed like they were still usable as well even after having sat under snow thru the long winter. I just wasn't sure how much was needed or how to extract the fibers.

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## preachtheWORD

I just remembered something - a little running water will help wash away the green stuff from the yucca fibers once you have pounded them.  Probably a round smoth piece of wood would work best, something like a big dowel rod.  And the green stuff will stain your clothes.  I learned that the hard way.

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## rwc1969

I'll remember that. Thanks!

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## Rick

Great post, RWC. I learned quite a bit today. Thanks!! This is something I have to try. It's just too cool.

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## Pict

*MAKING DOGBANE CORDAGE*

Dogbane is a pleasure to work with it makes really supple, strong cordage.

IMO cordage making is a foundational skill that touches on many different aspects of bushcraft, mainly shelter, fire, and food directly, but also in making many other tools.  You should be able to make cordage out of local plants in all seasons and in sizes and lengths that are actually useful.  Dogbane is top notch stuff but it only available at the end of winter before the spring rains rot the old stalks.  In summer you need to use nettles or other material.

I am actually surprised that this skill gets so little "airtime" in bushcraft discussions.   Knife selection, purchase, and testing gets like 80% whereas actual knife skills get less attention for some reason.  Cordage skills will really open up new possibilities of wilderness independence yet get very little discussion.  Mac

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## Rick

Excellent as always, Mac. I appreciate you taking the time to show splicing the material together. Another good vid.

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## rwc1969

Very nice Mac. I thought the splicing would be the hard part, but it wasn't bad at all.

I tried myself to go back and take some pics and video of the dogbane and process, but my camera took a poo. But, I found a huge patch of japanese knotweed along the way along with some hazelnuts, so it was worth the trip.

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## hoosierarcher

> Yep.  A line.  
> 
> Guests can not see images in the messages. Please register in the forum.


Counselor, I point you to my statement wherein I did in point of fact say,"generally" no where in my statement did I say always. never or any absolute. :Sneaky2:

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## your_comforting_company

I hate to sound like a broken record here, but I talked about yucca cordage here

and I talked about the soapy quality of it here

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## justin_baker

I cant seem to find any good natural cordage around here  :Frown: . No stinging nettles around, surprisingly, no willow either. Too far north for the yucca plant. No workable root cordage that i have found yet. I can sometimes get sword ferns to work as long as their stems are green and not hard and brown, but they arent the best. I need to keep researching and experimenting, but im surprised that i havent come upon anything yet. Perhaps i will try bullrush.

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## your_comforting_company

Do you have mimosa trees around? also called silktree I think. The bark strips off and is full of fine threads. My son and I made some rope from some of those. Not exceedingly strong, but would make a decent binding. I'm not familiar with the flora in your area, but I'm sure there's something that will work.. you just gotta find it  :Wink:

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## Ken

> Counselor, I point you to my statement wherein I did in point of fact say,"generally" no where in my statement did I say always. never or any absolute.


It's ALWAYS a line TO ME!  Absolutely!  Guests can not see images in the messages. Please register in the forum.

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## justin_baker

> Do you have mimosa trees around? also called silktree I think. The bark strips off and is full of fine threads. My son and I made some rope from some of those. Not exceedingly strong, but would make a decent binding. I'm not familiar with the flora in your area, but I'm sure there's something that will work.. you just gotta find it


Nah, i dont. I think im going to start digging around for roots and see if i dont find anything.

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## rwc1969

There's no milkweed or dogbane in your area?

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## justin_baker

> There's no milkweed or dogbane in your area?


No, but now that spring has come there are lots of plants that have similar structures to those plants, i will try those out.

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## justin_baker

Hey guys, today i tried thistle, and it works pretty good! Its pretty much like any stalky plant with the fibers on the outside and the pith in the middle. Its really tough though, kind of hard to split into small strands and very difficult to peel off the stalk. (I tend to use larger stands rather than individual fibers because its a faster process.) I made some of the strands a little too big though and when i twisted it, the strand kind of cracked and split. I ended up with a couple of weak spots.
That being said, its a little hard to work with but really strong. Id rather use stinging nettles, but if you have fields full of thistles around like i do, its a great and abundant fiber.

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## your_comforting_company

Thanks Justin. I've read about using them for cordage, but haven't gotten around to trying it. This time of year the thistles are all over the place here. Their quick growth pattern might make them a better source for cordage fibers than the valuable yucca plants.
Now you've got my curiosity stirred. I'm gonna have to try them soon, along with the evening primrose in the garden. It's getting pretty big too.

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## rwc1969

There may be some way to prepare them before removing the fibers that will allow for easier removal and use.

I found some old milkweed stalks that were extremely weathered, but the fibers and chaff just fell off. I was able to make some very thin and tough, clean cordage using them.

I now have 4 good sources of cordage mapped out. Yucca, dogbane, milkweed and stinging nettle. I also made some cordage from some old garlic mustard stalks. The fibers were weak and difficult to remove, but I feel if they are dried properly it may work for some halfway decent and extremely abundant cordage.

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## crashdive123

Although it doesn't look pretty, don't forget pine tree roots.  They make an excellent, quick, field expedient cordage.

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## justin_baker

> Although it doesn't look pretty, don't forget pine tree roots.  They make an excellent, quick, field expedient cordage.


As well as fir, spruces, basically any coniferous tree right? Im sure there are also some non coniferous trees with cordage like roots as well.

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## justin_baker

Oh also, i have some flax in my yard that looks like this
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Its STRONG. I used just a small string of it and it held up a 30 pound pack.

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## Rick

I was wondering if anyone has used a rope loom? 

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I read recently that if a             natural fiber twine is soaked in soapy water before making  it into a             rope, a tighter rope can be made. The soap can also make the  rope             last longer. Has anyone tried this?

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## crashdive123

We used a homemade version when I was in the Boy Scouts.

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## your_comforting_company

Very interesting Rick. I'll have to give the soap trick a try on some non-yucca fibers and see what happens. (yucca is naturally soapy)

I'm glad work picked up, busy, busy, but now I don't have much time to play.. Working long hard hot days really saps my energy level, but hopefully I'll catch some free time over the weekend to try some stuff.. I'm getting antsy to make that deadfall trap and some more rope

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## hunter63

So, has anyone tried wild grape vines for cordage?
Seem to work well but have to use the intire vine, tried breaking down the fibers, not happening..........Have to use whole.

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## rwc1969

I tried using some this past winter to make a tripod but had no real luck. The whole thing might work well in a pinch, but it was pretty brittle

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## justin_baker

Heh you guys probably arent going to believe this but you can use wood as cordage. You need to separate the wood into extremely thin fibers(like individual grains) and twist them. It was extremely difficult and irrational, but i managed to do it. It was pretty strong.

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## rwc1969

That's the cool thing about cordage. Anything you can twist and will hold will work to some extent. Plastic shopping bags would probably make excellent cordage and around here they are easier to find while walking the woods and fields than dogbane.

BTW, I found a huge field of tall dogbane and it still seems viable for cordage after sitting all winter.

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## hunter63

> I was wondering if anyone has used a rope loom? 
> 
> Guests can not see images in the messages. Please register in the forum.
> 
> I read recently that if a             natural fiber twine is soaked in soapy water before making  it into a             rope, a tighter rope can be made. The soap can also make the  rope             last longer. Has anyone tried this?


Here is a site that sorta explains it.

http://www.wctatel.net/web/equityrea...peMaking1.html

I worked in a plant the made wire rope (cable) everything from SS .015 fishing line to 6" dia drag line rope, for 30+ years so I know a little about bit about it.

Some of the equiptment is for sale again, it looks like:
http://eam.go-dove.com/catalogs/MFA-092602A.pdf

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## Rick

RWC - there was guy on here some time ago that talked about making thread out of plastic bags. So you probably could make rope with it. 

Hunter - That's some great resources on rope. Thanks!

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## your_comforting_company

I tried the green stalks of what was left of my mustards today. the stalk seemed fibrous, so I beat on it with a rock, seperated it into fibers and twisted it up..
seemed a little thick, so I'm gonna try preparing it differently, but it did work!

I wonder what kind of special processing you'd have to do to your fibers to make that machine work? Would it twist yucca or palm cordage? Might be a handy investment for a BOL?

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## crashdive123

> I tried the green stalks of what was left of my mustards today. the stalk seemed fibrous, so I beat on it with a rock, seperated it into fibers and twisted it up..
> seemed a little thick, so I'm gonna try preparing it differently, but it did work!
> 
> I wonder what kind of special processing you'd have to do to your fibers to make that machine work? Would it twist yucca or palm cordage? Might be a handy investment for a BOL?


From what I remember about using that type machine when I was in the Scouts was that we used it to make heavier rope, so making your cordage as you normally would and then using the machine to twist your cordage into rope.  Of course, Scouts was more than a couple of years ago, so I could be suffering from CRS (can't remember, ummmm,errrr squat).

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## crashdive123

I do remember that we used the thin bailing twine to make the rope that we used on our monkey bridges.

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## justin_baker

> RWC - there was guy on here some time ago that talked about making thread out of plastic bags. So you probably could make rope with it. 
> 
> Hunter - That's some great resources on rope. Thanks!


Sometimes when i am bored in class i will take a piece of paper, cut it into thin strips, and roll it together to make cordage.

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## justin_baker

I actually made some cordage out of poison hemlock a few weeks ago D:
Obviously i didnt put it anywhere near my mouth because i had no idea what it was at the time. It kind of sucked as cordage.

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## justin_baker

> So, has anyone tried wild grape vines for cordage?
> Seem to work well but have to use the intire vine, tried breaking down the fibers, not happening..........Have to use whole.


I might try that with blackberry bushes, sometimes they have green or greenish branches, might work the same.

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