Harvesting and processing linden bark

Linden, basswood or lime-tree, whatever you whant to call it, has strong fibers in it´s innerbark (floem) that is great for making cordage. The innerbark consists of several layers. These layers don´t seperate unless you process it. You can use the bark fresh to make cordage on the spot but if you whant to make a long and strong cordage it´s better to process it to get the layers to seperate easily.

There are different ways to make the layers seperate. In this video the bark is boiled in a lye solution for 3-4 hours. The lye solution consists of 1 part of wood ash and 2 parts of water. This method was used by several groups of indians around the Great Lakes. When the boiling was finished I rinsed the bark several times in fresh water. After that I seperated the layers and pulled them into thinner strips. I did not film the boiling and seperating of the bark so there are only pictures of that in the end of the video.

Hope you enjoy, thanks for watching.
Cheers