The spinner is drawing down flax fibers that have been dressed on her distaff. The bundle of prepared flax fibers were tied to the finial on the top. The best grades are used for fabrics such as damasks, lace, and sheeting. The massive ripple on the left is almost 3 feet long and a foot wide. Since the flax fiber are up to three feet long, the cloth wears better than the shorter one-inch cotton fiber fabrics. $37.00. Lunch was very good. Jul 24, 2014 - Plans for Tools to process home grown flax. Flax is the plant that linen is made from, and the collection at the Amherst Historical Society at the Simeon Strong House includes some antique flax processing tools. Mondadori Portfolio / Hulton Fine Art Collection / Getty Images. While some may be available through antique stores and auction sites, it is not easy to purchase a set. Previous presentations have been about my hackles, flax break and scutching knives and scutching board. Tools were excellent. Buy It Now +$11.90 shipping. In this period of social distancing, the Dorchester Historical Society is closed to visitors. Dorchester Illustration no. Jul 24, 2014 - Plans for Tools to process home grown flax. Yarn Ribbon And Thread. A scutching (wooden) sword and board helped scrape away the boon before combing with the hetchels. 2449 Flax Processing Tools. A flax brush history. When spinning the flax fibers, a spinster would wet her fingers and smooth the errant ends. Spinning flax is much less popular than spinning wool is in America, so it's a little harder to find flax tools, but luckily you can often substitute wool tools. Flax is "broken" when forced to bend into the shape of a W. A central pith-like core falls from the stalk. (Factoid: The Declaration of Independence is written on a hemp based paper.). The harvest season begins about one month after the flax begins blooming. Clothing, … The methods used in processing differed from area to area and not every step is present everywhere. Clothing, … After retting the plants were once again put out to dry. This keeps the almost three-foot fibers from tangling during the spinning process. From the earliest settlements, each ethnic group brought its own types of tools to process flax. Oct 9, 2014 - This Pin was discovered by Colleen Keegan. A rare tool for flax processing is the flax brush. Aug 22, 2017 - This Pin was discovered by Kathleen Unger. While some may be available through antique stores and auction sites, it is not easy to purchase a set. Commercial grade fiber flax seed is readily available. Hetchels, also known as flax or wool combs, were used to clean the flax from the seeds. A lively, engaged audience of 26 participants learned about the history and processing of the flax plant – the raw material used in making linen. Greater access to tools will help the experiments get closer to flax fibre extraction operations from the Middle Ages. A flax break or brake was used to break the inner core or boon of the flax plant into pieces that would readily drop away from the fibers. A Bronze Age factory dedicated to flax processing was discovered in Euonymeia, Greece. TheWoolery.com is a good place to get supplies. Industrial-scale flax fiber processing existed in antiquity. Then dried for another two weeks on a rack in the garage. The four pictured ripples all preform the same function. Harvest Flax: 1 per harvest Separate Rotten Flax on a Flax Comb (Batches of fewer than 10 Rotten Flax give no XP) 1 per action (Straw/Tow/Lint) Spin Thread, Twine, or Rope on a Small Distaff: 1 per Duck Minute Rot Flax in the water: 0 Flax processing tools dried flax plant with seed pod: removing the seed pods with a dowel : seeds ready to winnow: Once the flax is retted and dried, we break the flax. Usable flax fibers are on the outside of this central core much like fibers in celery stalks. By the time of the American Revolution, Pennsylvania was the biggest linen producer — with the entire process being done by hand. Wood should be of good quality. Flax is a Resource found uncommonly across the world on flax plants and is used for making String, Rope, and Oil. This meat tenderizer works okay but I'd like to have some more heavy duty tool for breaking up the pith. We arrived for the flax processing course and were warmly welcomed with tea and coffee. The intent of these plans is to supply linen spinners with functional tools at a reasonable cost - not necessarily to recreate something from a particular period. Processing flax. 8/23/20 ©2000-2015 The Woolgatherers Lltd., LLC     25A N. Main Sst., Fond du Lac, WI 54935  920-907-0510      info@woolgatherers.com       www.woolgatherers.com, THE WOOLGATHERERS - LOOMS, LINENS, LESSONS. This detail showing people processing flax is from the 16th century wool and silk tapestry known as I Mesi Trivulzio: Novembre (The Months: November) made by Bartolomeo Suardi between 1504-1509. DIY And Crafts. Antique flax cutter linen tool (would Be Used With Comb )primitive 18th c. $49.00. If sufficient quality in a single board is not guaranteed, plywood may be substituted - except on the blades of the brake which should be of single hardwood boards. By the late Middle Ages and the Renaissance, the basic flax processing tools that are still used today had been developed. Our break has a few splits which need repair and we need to replace the hinge pin. Processing flax is an extremely labor-intensive process, providing skilled and unskilled employment for both adults and children. This is a restoration project for warmer months. Some of the seed was set aside for planting next year and the rest was pressed for linseed oil. Flax must be properly retted for this stage to be accomplished properly. It was soaked in a wading pool for three or four weeks. The mangle is a device for cold pressing linen fabric to give it its characteristic sheen. In early America, hemp was used more than flax because of the amount of fiber that could be obtained from a plant. Coarser grades are used for the manufacturing of twine and rope, and historically, for canvas and webbing equipment. The supports for the ripple and hackles are styled so that they may be used by placing a foot in the lower hole, or supported on a wooden frame or pair of sawhorses. Explore. 1 Obtaining 1.1 Foraging 1.2 Farming 2 Recipes 3 Processing Flax can be foraged from flax plants by clicking on them using the Forage tool. A crop that was over retted would disintegrate in the hetchels and be worthless for fiber. A flax break is a set of intersecting wooden blades that force the retted flax straw to snap into short sections which then fall away from the fibers. Materials needed are listed on each sheet. The word "dis" means flax while "staff" means stick. Knots or stricks of flax could also be sold as a cash crop. These plans are based on traditional tools using contemporary materials. Dew retted flax has a grayish color, but water retted flax is a light blonde color, hence the old term flaxen haired maiden. When one says they are from the distaff side of a family, it implies they are from the woman's side. A lot of the pith has broken away and I'm pounding it some more. Industrial spinning mills require a type of roving rather unsuited to the hand operated spinning wheel. 5. Check out our flax tools selection for the very best in unique or custom, handmade pieces from our shops. We picked it up as it was the only wooden tined ripple we had seen. When flax linen is harvested it is pulled, rather than cut in order to obtain the longest fiber. Elizabeth is shown here breaking some of her flax. While many flax spinning wheels have a built-in distaff, this creation permits the spinner to sit on the flat board and position the flax in a most comfortable and efficient location. Elizabeth purchased her flax break in New York. your own Pins on Pinterest Spinning flax is generally associated with work of women and for centuries all women, regardless of status, spun. 5 out of 5 stars (7) 7 reviews $ 275.00. These words combined--distaff--means a stick used to support flax which has been combed and now ready for spinning. The ripple with wooden tines is as we found it, tines broken and snapped off. Fiber left in the hetchels is called tow and was collected and spun to make rough clothing or sacks. They were bolted to a work surface in a series from coarse to fine. On a perfect late July Saturday, the Home Textile Tool Museum (HTTM) in Orwell hosted Johannes and a small part of his collection of tools and artifacts relating to flax and linen. Most persons with access to a garden can grow their own flax straw. Flax Processing by Hand This flax has been retted. Therefore it seems a good idea to try to share some of the items in the Society’s collections in this space from time to time. This mangle board is a simple functional one, though decoration could always be applied. To prepare stricks from flax straw requires a set of tools - ripple, brake, scutching board and knife, and a set of hackles. Dew retting takes between 3 and 6 weeks, depending on the weather. Altogether a very satisfying and inspiring day. Elizabeth discusses spinning flax with a spinner at Mannings in Pennsylvania. Dew retted flax was spread in the fields for six weeks, while water retted flax was submerged for up to a week. From the planting of the seed to the wearing of the shirt could take more than a year or two. Jul 24, 2014 - Plans for Tools to process home grown flax. An excellent day from start to finish. In-person course. After spinning, the term linen is used, or more specifically flax linen. First, the upper part of the flax bundles are drawn through coarse combs to remove seed in a process called rippling. Throughout Medieval and Early Modern England the growing and processing of flax formed an important part of agricultural life, and linen clothes were a significant feature of people’s attire. The bundle of fibers are flipped over the teeth and pulled though, much the same as combing hair. The Germans, French, English, Swedes, Scots, all had tools in the style of their homelands. The bundle of prepared flax fibers were tied to the finial on the top. Turn the flax once a week, so that it rets evenly. After the flax was harvested it took considerable effort and a number of specialized tools to separate the fibers from the flax plant in order to spin it into linen thread. Spread your flax thinly on a lawn or grass field, so that you can still see the grass through the flax; make sure all the roots point in the same direction. In this summer series of short blog posts I will present my flax processing tools. Saved from woolgatherers.com. Those tools were brought to the Americas by various waves of conquistadores and immigrants starting in the 14 and 1500s. Buy It Now +$12.75 shipping. Also, retted and rippled flax straw is available for handspinners. Flax was one of the first European plants cultivated in America. 4. Hackling takes care of the remaining bits of cellulose (if the flax is retted enough), removes the short fibers and aligns the fibers. Hetchel, hetchel, and hackle are all names for the bed of nails that were used to comb the flax fibers after scutching. Flax is an annual plant that produces long, strong fibres that have been used to make linen textiles for at least 8,000 years. Watch; Antique Primitive Flax Hetchel Artisan Hand Made Farm Tool Hatchel Comb . Plans for Tools to process home grown flax. While this particular distaff may be ornate, some versions are nothing more than a tree branch. Those tools were brought to the Americas by various waves of conquistadors and immigrants starting in the 14000s and 1500s. A set of initials are carved in front of the duck indicating that this may have been a gift between a man and his true love. Flax stricks for dressing the distaff are practically a thing of the past - or the result of our own flax cultivation. Julia Best - 3 years ago - #11493. They'll have the hackles, drop spindles/spinning wheels, etc. your own Pins on Pinterest This keeps the almost three-foot fibers from tangling during the spinning process. Flax Strick is currently unavailable. Discover (and save!) Sometimes the flax would be roughly hetcheled and then twisted into a knot and put away into an attic to dry further, thus resulting in even finer flax fibers. The leftover cakes of pressed seed were used for cattle feed. Traditionally the long flax fibers were dressed on a distaff. Pulling is very strenuous work, and harvesters often injured their backs. Our break has two blades pointing down and three pointing up. Distaffs vary from a long pole to the cage model shown above. It’s kind of like a big paper-cutter, only with multiple blunt wooden blades It turns out, there actually is a flax break not too far away, owned by Five Mile House, a historic homestead just south of Charleston, Illinois. These plans are based on traditional tools using contemporary materials. This hetchel is unique because of the way the square nails are attached to a rounded piece of wood and then … Nails and screws are standard "penny" sized nails and standard wood screws found at building supply stores - exact sizes given for each tool. By the late Middle Ages and the Renaissance, the basic flax processing tools that are still used today had been developed. Linen is a spun bast fiber. RIPPLING FLAX. From shop LyonMountainAntiques. A flax dresser who could gain the largest amount of spinable fiber from a crop of flax was very highly paid. They are both quite old and I use them with great respect of their age and their potential to hurt me (I only got one hackling injury this time!). By the time of the American Revolution, Pennsylvania was the biggest linen producer – with the entire process being done by hand. The wooden item is a flax break. LearningToGarden- The tools to process flax are similar to those used to process wool. We are constantly searching for new sources. Discover (and save!) Jul 10, 2014 - Neat flax processing tools and info on the process. This week I present my last, and most rare tool, the flax brush. Fabric Crafts. While this particular distaff may be ornate, some versions are nothing more than a … Tow was also used as tinder to start fires or used in guns. Plans for Flax Processing Tools. The brake is fashioned after an antique brake owned by The Woolgatherers. They spun when ever they had an idle moment. Our objective is to design, prototype and manufacture small-scale equipment for processing flax into long line and short line linen yarn for machine sales domestic and export. As combing hair of conquistadores and immigrants starting in the 14000s and...., flax break and scutching board series from coarse to fine hand operated spinning.... Retting broke down the plant structure season begins about one month after the flax brush rough or... 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