With a little practice using a drop spindle you can spin a bowstring's worth of thread in about one and one-half hours. Or about 20 minutes using a spinning wheel, or the drill-wheel, to follow.
Any of the finer fibers lend themselves to spinning: flax, silk, ramie, hemp, milkweed, nettle, dogbain, iris, and many others.
Pull a fiber-bearing plant from the ground, pull a twig from a tree — for use as a spindle — and with this cave-man gear, thread can be spun finer and stronger than the finest machine-spun equivalent. Tell this to ten people and you'll get ten arguments, some suspiciously caustic and heated — modernism is a religion of the first order. Modern spinning methods are faster and cheaper but cannot equal the spinners of India, for example, whose Dacca muslins were woven of spindle-spun cotton so fine it measures 250 miles to a pound. Four-thousand five-hundred years ago Egyptian mummies were wrapped in cloth woven 540 threads per inch. Silk cloth from the Han Dynasty in China has been found woven 508 threads per inch. The best modern mechanical spinners and weavers can manage is 350 threads per inch.
The drop spindle. Used in various forms for the last 9,500 years by almost every culture. Here, a section of small log is pierced by a straight twig. A drop spindle can be as simple as a rock or bone dangling from a string.
The notch prevents spun thread from slipping off the spindle. Carved as shown, it centers the thread for smooth, uneccentric spinning. Tie a starter thread just below the weight. Twist the thread around the spindle a few turns, then run it through the notch, leaving about eight inches free.
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From a bundle of combed fibers, draw out sufficient fibers to lay over the starter thread. Twist both together lightly. Pinch and hold the end of the starter thread.
Quickly, before the spindle can untwist, switch pinching hands, and draw more fibers from the bundle. Pull to desired thread diameter, then pinch the stream of fibers just before they widen near the bundle.
Let the spindle hang free. Twirl the spindle until the starter thread and fiber are twisted so tightly they try to kink. Do not let any of the twist escape up into the unspun fiber.
Release the lower pinch, and let the pent-up twist run up into the newly-drawn fibers. Do not release the upper pinch or twist will run up into the fiber bundle, preventing the drawing out of new fibers.
Now you can switch into high gear. Using the flat of your palm roll the spindle forward along your hip, letting it fly free into the air when you run out of runway. With practice you will be able to impart terrific spin, which can be nursed through several drawing-out and re-pinching cycles.
When three feet or so has been spun, wind the newly spun thread onto the spindle shaft. Leave eight or ten inches free to store up twist for the next cycle.
Pulling threads from the bundle before you need to is the secret to fast, uniform spinning. Allowing pent-up twist to run up into un-pinched fiber is the secret to agonizing spinning.
A true spinning wheel is easier and faster to operate than a drop spindle. Wheels cost between two and four hundred dollars. But with the tools and skill
Operate this "spinning lathe" the same as a drop spindle. A slot lets the spun thread get past the front bearing. Hardwood shafts work best, acting as self-bearings. Shallow "U" grooves suffice as female bearing surfaces. The male bearings in this case are horn, but could be bone, antler, or hardwood. Or metal or plastic. Note most of the spindle weight is away from the axle, giving far greater flywheel effect. Roll the palm of you hand quickly over the shaft, as when hip-spinning the drop spindle. Make two or three passes and build up high speed.
Without the drop spindle constantly threatening to slow down and reverse, you can now take your worry-free time, concentrating on quality. Once you get the hang of spinning and can more easily operate a drop spindle, you will abandon this device. It is only faster and easier for beginners.
Of a bowmaker you can certainly make your own spinning wheel, and in short order. Materials cost between five and twenty-five dollars. Look at one up close — it's self explanatory. Or weaving supply shops will steer you to a set of plans. While there you might also pick up a pamphlet on spindle and wheel spinning.
The main reason a spinning wheel is faster than a drop spindle is that thread can be fed directly to a take-up spool, with no need to stop and start the spindle.
A small pulley wheel is added to the ancient drop spindle. A big wheel, with a string for a belt drive, causes the small wheel and spindle to spin fast. A take-up spool rides free on the spindle shaft. Spun thread enters thru a hole in the tip of the spindle, as a way of getting past the spindle's bearing; once past, it exits through a side hole in the spindle.
The U-shaped flier arms are connected to the spindle. Spun thread is wound onto the spool by the flier arms. The spool rides free on the spindle shaft. In order to take up thread, the spool obviously must be made to spin somewhat slower than the flier. This is done by applying string friction against its grooved hub. By adjusting string friction take-up speed is controlled. When adjusted just so, the spinner, by resisting or giving in to the slightest tug, can cause spun thread to feed onto the spool at any chosen rate.
A simple foot treadle keeps both hands continually free, further speeding the process.
But maybe you don't have the patience for spindle spinning. Perhaps you don't want to go to the trouble of making a wheel. Possibly you're afraid your testosterone level might plummet. Or you dread the funny stories the guys might tell about you.
No problem!
The spinning wheel in these photos says Black and Decker on it!:
Here is a "drill wheel." It is a full-fledged, very efficient, no-apologies spinning wheel. It takes ten minutes to make. And is easier to use. The spool is harder to make than the spinning wheel itself. Weaving shops sell them for about $5.
The hollow spindle entrance, and the flier, are replaced by twisted coathanger wire. Quarter-inch metal shaft material serves as a spindle. Hammer the front inch of the shaft slightly flat, then the coiled wire to match. The spool spins freely on the shaft gripped in the drill chuck, its rate of spin, and thread take-up, is adjusted by the amount of string friction on the pidley.
The variable speed control. Don't laugh. It works great! Just slide it back and forth over the trigger. Fine-tune speed with a slight squeeze.
The secret to fast, uniform spinning is a smooth, even supply of fiber.
Arrange the mass of fiber to be spun in such a way that long, even columns of fiber can be pulled freely from it. To a large degree, internal fiber friction will pull fresh fiber from the bundle, or distaff, in a long parallel, uniform draw. Aid this process by selective hand feeding. This long lead-in of fiber should be kept from feeling any effect of the spindle's twist. Given a smooth supply line, spinning can proceed at about twenty feet per minute with linen, slower with shorter fibers.
Another secret to spinning with flax is to have a container of hot water near your left hand. Wetting the fiber with dampened fingers just before twisting activates the glue-like pectin surface of flax, leading to smoother, stronger thread.
When spinning, once a threshold tightness has been reached, small-diameter threads don't gain or lose much strength until twisted much tighter. A long plateau exists, but this becomes less true as thread diameter rises.
A more uniform thread will likely result if an example of a section of drawn-out, about-to-be-twisted fiber is taped in front of you while you spin.
When beginning a spinning session do a quick strength test of your work: Break short lengths which have been spun lightly, moderately, and tightly. See which is strongest, then spin the whole batch with equal twist.
In the same vein, some commercial strings benefit from tighter spinning. If a batch of string looks loosely spun it's wise to test it at different degrees of twist. One batch of 5-ply cotton, for example, rose from 12 lb. to 26 lb. test, only gaining about 15% mass per length — string shortens when twisted. Some commercial linen thread has also gained a similar percentage, but usually gains are much smaller. An entire spool of commercial string or thread can be quickly twisted tighter: run it through the spinning wheel, as if spinning loose fiber into thread. About fifty feet can be tightened per minute.
A spinning wheel will also speed up the making of the fifty feet or so of multiply string needed for an endless string. Imagine the agony of reverse-twisting this volume of 6-ply cord by hand. Instead, spin each ply, one at time, onto separate spools. Spin the plies tighter than normal. Set the six spools on six wire axles, or such. Feed the six plies as one through the wheel, now spinning in the opposite direction. At about twenty feet a minute the spool will take up perfectly formed 6-ply cord. This is about the only way the string for an efficient, completely home-made endless string can be made.
The top thread is highest-quality wet-spun commercial line linen. The smoother, more uniform bottom thread is hand-spun. Fully hand-made bowstrings can be superior to those made of machine spun thread. But, facing facts, a beginner's first efforts will not equal those of a machine.
When spinning is complete you are about fifteen minutes away from a flawless, first-class bowstring. See "Making Bowstring," farther on.
Following is the primitive method of making cordage. It yields a strong and tightly twisted cord. Due to its thicker and irregular plies such cordage is not the most efficient for bowstrings. Depending on the fiber, and skill of the string maker, cast will be lowered by an equivalent four to eight pounds of bow weight. Animal fibers do not suffer as much loss.
Using this ancient technique, completely serviceable strings can be made in the field under the most primitive conditions.
Yes, when you first try reverse-twisting cordage you will feel like a four-year old tying shoestrings. And you will feel worse after seeing "savages" spewing the stuff out by the yard on National Geographic Specials. But persevere. This is the real thing.
Tightly twist up a quantity of fibers, which when doubled will equal the thickness and strength of cordage wanted. Twist until the cord begins to kink.
Fold the twisted ply in half at the kink. Pinch the kink tightly with the left hand. Twist the top ply clockwise, tightly.
Without letting the top ply untwist, twist both plies counter-clockwise. Advance your pinch to prevent any untwisting.
The "bottom" ply is now on top. Twist it clockwise tightly. Then again twist both plies counterclockwise, and advance your pinch. Continue this process. Before twisting counter-clockwise get a grip on both plies and pull with mild pressure. This puts equal strain on both plies, insuring strongest-possible cordage.
Proceed until cord diameter would otherwise begin to narrow, then splice in about ten percent new fiber. Bend the new fiber at the center of its length, creating a "Y." Insert snugly into the cord's “Y." Take any twist out of the cord's unspun plies before adding the "V." This will permit fidl twisting of new and old fiber.
Continue reverse-twisting and adding new fiber when needed, until desired cord length is reached.
Take care to maintain equal diameter in both plies, otherwise they will not wind symmetrically around themselves. This places more strain on the straighter ply, weakening the cord.
The illustrated finger-twisting method gives a tighter net twist than the following method because each new twist of a ply re-tightens the slight unwinding from the last reverse twist. You can feel the ply twisting under the grip of your thumb, running back up into the last link of finished cord.
Longer fibers can be reverse-twisted into cordage much more quickly using another primitive method: rolling on the thigh, as shown in the photos.
Here both plies are twisted at once. Pinch the "Y" tightly, then roll both plies forward on the thigh with the flat of your palm until they are twisted tight enough to kink. In order to get such a tight twist you might have to pre-roll each ply separately.
Release the pinch and the two plies will twist around themselves, forming new cordage. Re-pinch at the new "Y." Tighten this newly-formed cord by rolling it forward. Splicing proceeds as with the finger-twist method.
Primitive strings made of coarse fibers are usually covered with stubble. Moving the string slowly over a flame removes these fiber ends but does not damage the string body.
Strongest-per-mass strings are made of small simple plies of about 5 to 10 lb. test. There can be much variability in the size and number of simple plies, the number of primary plies, and in the complexity of the cord. In fact you will usually need to juggle these numbers to achieve correct string strength (see examples below). Feel free to juggle away — as long as simple plies are no more than 10 lb, and as long as primary plies contain no more than 7 simple-plies. Here are some sample configurations.
Designed with a reasonable margin of safety, straight-stave bows of normal length require strings with breaking strengths equaling four times draw weight.
A 35 lb. bow's 140 lb. string might be made as follows. Two 70 lb. plies, each containing seven 10 lb. simple plies. Which can be expressed as:
140 lb. = 2-70 lb. = 7-10 lb. = 140 lb.
A 3-ply cord would come out slightly over weight, but would still be satisfactory:
140 lb. = 3-47 lb. = 5-10 lb. = 150 lb.
A 50 lb. bow's 200 lb. string might be:
200 lb. = 3-66 lb. = 7-10 lb. = 210 lb.
If made of 5 lb. simple plies each primary ply would contain 14 simple plies.
Too many. The "7" limit is exceeded. Outer fibers would be over-strained and weakened; inner plies would be dead weight. Instead let each main ply be made of two sub-plies. In other words, each main ply would itself be a finished 2-ply cord:
200 Ib. = 3-66 lb. = 2-33 lb. - 7-5 lb. = 210 lb.
Or:
200 lb. = 3-66 lb. = 3-22 lb. = 5-5 lb. = 225 Ib.
A 70 lb. bow's 280 lb. string might be:
280 lb. = 3-93 lb. = 3-31 lb. = 6-5 lb. = 270 lb.
If only 10 lb. simple plies were available then a four-ply string would be appropriate:
280 lb. = 4-70 lb. = 7-10 lb. = 280 lb.
A 100 lb. bow's 400 Ib. string might be:
400 lb. = 4-100 lb. = 3-33 lb. = 7-5 lb. - 420 lb.
Or if using 10 lb. simple-plies it might be:
400 lb. = 4-100 lb. = 2-50 lb. = 5-10 lb. = 400 lb.
A 200 lb. test, primitive linen string (two simple, hand-twisted plies), made by a relative novice, will weight up to 300-grains. A 200 lb. = 3-66 lb. = 3-22 lb. = 5-5 lb. = 225 lb. string, made by an experienced spinner/stringmaker, will weight about 100-grains.
The difference in cast between these two strings will be unnervingly large.
In practice, primitive strings often do not shoot terribly much slower than prime strings. But for a very bad reason. They don't posses the same margin of safety, often having only half the breaking strength of prime strings. When primitive strings are made to high margins of safety they are very thick and heavy.
An anthropologist friend recently returned from the rain forests of South America. He had with him several Indian bowstrings. Typical of the design, they were longer than double length, half intended for bracing the bow, half for wrapping around the limbs as a spare. This anthropologist's Indian friends routinely harvest their meals from 20 yards and higher in the forest, shooting monkeys which do not especially want to be shot. The Indian strings were flawlessly made, but were almost one-quarter inch thick. They were designed not to break.
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