Singles for bowstrings - Project notes

 

When I start a project I usually start with a research paper that includes a picture of the fiber I am striving to recreate. This tells me thickness, twists per inch, or at the very least twist direction. I wasn’t provided with that information about a period bowstring, but what I was sent was a modern fiber to recreate.

Question 1: Strick or Tow for a bowstring?

I am going to tap the knowledge pool of the Babas who still spin flax in the old way for this one. After the flax has been grown, retted and broken eastern Europe hackles the fiber, separating the long fine fibers from the shorter coarse fibers. This creates Strick, which is fine and used for fabric making. Tow, the shorter, rougher fiber is used for field cloth, sacks, twine and rope making.

I chose to use tow for this, as bowstrings were disposable objects. I can’t see the more prized Strick being wasted on bowstrings.

Question 2: Twist direction?

Going with counter clockwise here since it is the typical flax spin. Flax grows with a natural counterclockwise twist and takes to it readily.

Question 3: Water or flax snot?

Since this won’t be scrubbed to clean an lighten the fiber I’m opting to spin with water only rather than flax sizing. I’m not spit spinning for the sake of hygiene, but using a small pot of clean water to dip my fingers as I spin.

Notes: Spinning from my lap rather than a dressed distaff because of the way the combed tow is processed. Handling it from my lap just makes it easier for me to manage. Below is my test spin to see if I could match the modern fiber sample I was sent. I got 60 yards out of .3 OZ of fiber in a thickness consistent with the sample.