Make Bramble Cordage – by Bjorn Wenneker
Cordage can be made from a variety of natural materials. The dried inner bark of most trees and the fibrous inners of various plants eg nettles are regularly used by bushcrafters for this.
Here, Bjorn Wenneker shows us how to make cordage using brambles.
The best time to harvest brambles for cordage is in the late spring/early summer. Outside of this time the outer fibres and skin can be too tough to peel away. Select young, but sturdy, stems which are identified as being bright green. Carefully cut the stem at the bottom and avoid being pricked or torn by the thorns.
Steps to making bramble cordage
Having gathered the bramble stems, the steps to go through are as follows:
1. Remove the thorns and leaves from the main stem using a knife or other blade.
2. Next, carefully remove the outer skin of the stem. If you don’t remove the outer properly then it will reduce the quality of the fibre when dried. This isn’t so good for the finished cordage.
3. Once the outer has been scraped off, gently crush the stem with a piece of wood. This crushes the pith inside and the fibres should become easier to remove. The fibres should then be peeled out.
4. Make sure that the fibres are removed carefully. Take particular care where there were side shoots. Peel off thin strands. There are other methods for doing this so therefore do whatever works best for you.
5. Once you have enough strips of the bramble fibre, start twisting them together as you would do for, say, nettle cordage. Feed in more strips when needing to add extra length.
6. When you have fed in enough fibres to get the length of cord you want, that’s it finished. Tie off at the end or whip the ending for a neat finish.
About Bjorn Wenneker
Bjorn is a Metal Worker in The Netherlands but has been involved in nature and bushcraft all his life.
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This is a great article! Love the helpful instructions on how to create your own rope.