agave-cordage.doc

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Processing & Hand Twisting Agave Cordage

In this article I’m going to describe the process of harvesting fiber from the Agave Deserti morecommonly known as the Desert Agave, Mescal, Century Plant, Avave Americana or Maguey

!here are many variaties of fiber producing Agaves but I’ve found the Agave Deserti to have some

of the strongest fibers

!he process is actually very simple but re"uires some attention to detail to have a good e#pereinceand a high yield fiber harvest At the end of this article I will show you how to create cordage from

the fibers

$irst you need to carefully harvest a few bottom row Agave leafs from a large Agave plant %ecareful not to remove too many leafs from one plant before or during it’s flowering cycle or it may

die %eware of the sharp spines on the sides of the leaf &ou can cut these off before you attempt to

remove the leaf from the base of he plant !ry to avoid damaged or browning leafs as this will make

it more difficult to release the fiber from the inner pulp


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After harvesting I cook the Agave leafs to neutrali'e the dangerous steroidal saponins that are

naturally occurring in the (uicy pulp !hese saponins can cause contact dermatitis, a very painful andirritable rash, unless you are immune to them !he cooking process also makes it easier to remove

the fiber from the pulpy interior of the Agave leaf &ou can do this in one of two ways

) &ou can pit fire the Agave leafs by digging a small fire pit and proceeding to burn a fire inthe bottom to heat the interior of the pit After the fire dies down snuff it out with a little bit

of water and place the Agave leafs in the bottom of the warm wet pit and cover them with

dirt %uild a new fire on top of the covered Agave leafs and let it burn out *hen the dirt hascooled dig up the Agave leafs and rinse them with water

+ &ou can also cook the Agave leafs in the oven Pre-eat your oven to .// Degrees, wrap theAgave leafs with tin foil, and cook for + 0 hours 1ometimes I have to fold the Agave leafs in

half to fit them in the oven !he tin foil will help keep them stay folded in half I put a little

water in the foil so it steams the leaf and doesn’t dry it out

After cooking and before you begin retting the Agave leafs2 there is a wa#y paper coating that

will need to be pealed from the outer part of the leaf !he casing is water proof so if you don’t

remove it completely the leafs won’t ret properly

After the outer leaf casings have been removed I like to ret them, using the tank retting method,

in a fivegallon bucket with a lid !his method of retting allows for greater control and producesa more uniform "uality fiber !his process takes four to si# days and can be done indoors if

necessary

After the Agave leafs have been retting for 34 hours, also known as the leaching period, I drain

off the bucket and replace it with fresh water for the remaining time &ou can use the waste

retting water as li"uid fertili'er !he more you change the water the longer it will take but the

less it will smell


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It’s important not to disturb the Agave leafs during this changing of the water or the long fiberslocked inside them can become tangled.

If you prefer you can use the natural water retting method, which uses stagnant or slowmovingwaters, such as ponds, bogs, slow streams, and slow moving rivers !he leaf bundles are

weighted down, usually with stones or logs, for about 4 to )5 days, depending upon water

temperature and microbial content in the water

If you choose this method it’s important to lash the Agave leafs with bindings to prevent tangling.

After retting the Agave leafs should be very mushy but for the most part still in one piece 6owit’s time to comb and rinse them to prepare the leafs for drying I get a long plank of wood and

lay out on leaf at a time lengthwise !he leafs will have a thick end, at the base of the cut leaf,

and will thin towards the tips

It’s important to clean the thick end first as it’s the strongest part of the fibers and will give you

something to hold onto while you comb the rest of the leaf.

I do this by using a rock and a wide toothed comb to separate the fibers and scrape the pulp off

1tart by holding the middle of the leaf and bang the thick end with a smooth rock until it’s broken up half way down the leaf

6ow comb from the middle of the Agave leaf towards the thick end with while holding the

middle of the leaf very tightly I sometimes turn the comb over and press the pulp off by sliding

the back of the comb and applying pressure smashing the fiber into the board

7nce the thick end is pulp free rinse it off with some water and wrap the clean end of the bundle

tightly around your finger so the fibers stay together and don’t tangle


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6ow start combing again but this time start from a couple of inch’s above the thin end and comb

towards the tips slowly working your way up toward your clean end !his action is similar to the process of combing knots out of long hair

Continue cleaning the fibers until they look pulp free !he fibers should look off white after finalrinsing


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&ou are now ready to dry your Agave fiber -ang the bundle from a branch at the middle and airdry the fibers 8very )9 mins or so try to gently separate the drying fiber by rolling it gently

between your fingers or holding one end tightly and whipping it once or twice If done correctly

the fibers will stay together as they were in the leaf but will be easily separated from the main

bundle and look like this !he ball you see is some of the wasted fiber that accumulates in thecomb It can be used to create a less uniform cordage if you clean it as I have


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Now you are ready to make Cordage.

I usually start with any where from 4)3 fibers *hile building the initial bundle I:ll lay the

individual fibers out ne#t to each other while doing my best to stagger them so they will not all be the same length when you gather the bundle in the middle to begin the counter twist

!ake your bundle and twist it a couple turns in the middle and allow it to begin twisting arounditself

Continue twisting each pile clockwise about );+ inch to ) inch and add in .5 fibers at once,

again try to stagger them and grab from the center

!he easiest way I:ve found to do this is to grab .3 fibers from the processed fiber bundle and

pinch the ends with my fingers *hile loosely holding the opposite end of the main fiber bundle,gently pull until they separate from the pile


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6ow take the bundle of 5 fibers and pinch it at the center with your right hand Pick up the cordageand do one "uick twist to tighten up any slack *ith my right hand I lay the center of the fibers over

the right side and under the left

*ith the new pile in place, I try to very slightly untwist both piles leading into the cordage, without

really grabbing the new pile, counter clock wise and then continue twisting both piles clockwise only

this time include the new bundle into the twist I wrap the new pile twice around each side beforeallowing the cordage to build coils

I:ve noticed that as long as you keep the twist even, they can be a little loose, being even andelongated is what you want !hen (ust pinch at the < with your left hand and twist your newest work

clockwise + inches above with your right hand until it:s nice and tight


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=eep adding in 5 pile bundles every inch or so as needed if you notice you desired thickness is a

little small or any ends begin to approach the se the same 5 pile method

(ust use the whole length and let the ends poke out the other side an inch or + and clip off later After

)+ twist it should hold in place (ust fine

I do all my twisting with my finger tips but there are many methods of producing cordage

-ere is a primitive bowstring and needle


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-appy !wisting?

Mario Antoci

Mario@Paleo!ubecom wwwPaleo!ubecom $ree Primitive 1kills Media esource for Photos,

agave-cordage.doc

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