Blog
One of the plants that many people who come on my bushcraft courses arrive with a disdain or even fear of and leave having found a new friend in the humble nettle. Extracting the fibres is a simple process and one that I am happy to do whilst about camp, try to gather the longer stems and remember that for each stem you will get a length of 2 strand string between a third and a half as long as its original length.
The first thing to do is de-sting the nettle. There are a few ways to do this firstly by running your fingers straight up the stem from base to tip, not for the faint hearted as you need to be making confident bold strokes to avoid being stung. Alternatively any old rag or a garden glove grasped around the stem while you run it back and forth will have the same effect. With the hair like stings gone you need to split the stem along one side which can be done with a blunt edge or back of a knife once it’s opened out its easiest to insert a thumb into the stem and run it the length opening it out.
You’ll see that there is a pithy core to the stem which needs to be taken out leaving just the fibres. It is well worth taking the time to remove ALL the pith, as when dry it becomes sharp and even the smallest amount twisted into the cordage will slowly wear at the fibres, creating a weak point in the string.
Separate it by holding the stem with the pith facing you with about 5-10cm of the bottom end protruding from your hand then fold back the stem till the pith breaks the peel it away from the fibres, move up the stem another 5-10 cm and repeat all the way up the stem. Leaving you with a small pile of pith bits and a few green ribbons of nettle fibre.
Leave for 24 hours to dry then you’re ready for splitting the fibres to use however you wish though Id take the time to try some cordage. If it’s a little too dry when working then damp your fingers as your working with the fibres. Used wet the fibres dry differently and will twist and warp as your finished work dries.
Written by: Dave Roderick.
