Thanks! I really enjoy utilizing materials that most people think of as a nuisance. There's so much out there!

I still occasionally add new wildcrafting instructional videos, but I also do whatever else I feel like on my channel, so it might be another six years before you see another video that interests you. You've been warned . . .

@@PacoWarabi Hahahaha no worries man 😄

Yours is definitely simpler though. If you're out and need to make cordage without all the tools, you can do your technique with just a pocket knife and sticks you find around the area.

@@PacoWarabi True I normally make 2-3 foot cordage just for entertainment as I'm walking in nature, i really do love the stick for removing thorns i feel a bit daft that i never thought of using one. This is what makes watching others so nice, learning things that are obvious to others.

@@denverkirk7722 I didn't come up with that one initially. I started by using a potato peeler, but then over time I realized that the thorns were brittle enough to just come off with pretty much anything. That's when I made the switch to a much simpler tool.

Dorky but cute is kinda my M.O.

As I've discovered this year by following the growth cycle, the primacanes (first-year canes) are the ones that grow fast and long, and they're the ones that work for making cordage. The floracanes (second-year canes) are the ones that have the flowers and berries. You can still pick the berries from the floracane AND make cordage from the primacane, probably for the next couple of weeks! At least, I made some cordage this past Sunday, and it still worked fine.

Thanks, I will have to get out there and find out. :-) I'm in Kentucky. I am also overrun with bamboo. Crazy stuff. I'm about ready to call in an air strike to get rid of it. Anyway thanks for the fast response and encouragement and pointing out that the two season canes and that their may be the first year canes out there and good to go.

Of course, your results may vary. I'm in the Pacific Northwest, so it may be different where you're at. I'm expecting the canes to stop being useful for cordage any day now. There's plenty of things you can do with bamboo as well. I've even seen a bamboo unicycle!

@@Javaman92 Oh my! Are you sure you aren't talking about my flood irrigated yard? We also have blackberries and bamboo. The other plants that are volunteers/out of control are lantana, orchid trees, and baby Mexican fan palms. I'm looking for at least some way to gain from them other than compost. - Phoenix AZ

Thanks for the welcome back! I've missed my community on here. Can't guarantee that I'll be putting up videos on a regular basis, but I make them when I can!

PacoWarabi Aww shucks. That's fine. I get your sense of humor.

Thanks Ralloh. I've missed making videos, but my old computer crashed, and the hand-me-down I got to replace it couldn't handle the video editing. Just got a new one the other day and it felt so good to jump back in!

When I saw your comment pop up on my notifications, I thought you must be talking about my air conditioner installation video. That one is DEFINITELY cool . . .

I'm very glad! Although you may have missed your window for blackberry cordage by about a month. You might have to wait another 9 months or so until they're ready again . . .

You're very welcome! I just uploaded a video on how to make baskets from Himalayan Blackberry bark as well. 4 years later, but still a lot of the same techniques.

PacoWarabi awesome, I'll check it out. Still have the basket from watching your last bramble basket video. Thanks for sharing!

I'm kind've like an ASMR artist, just with more goofing around.

I visited Vancouver, BC, and I found them all the way up there as well.

Thanks! I don't get many views on this video in particular, but I'm still happy with the way it turned out.

Thank you! This video doesn't get as many views as my blackberry basketry video, but I think it's very useful. We're about a month away from bramble cordage season . . .

Will check out some of your other video's. Tried it out yesterday, bit early indeed;) Cheers!

Thanks for the suggestion. That's an excellent method with Himalayan Blackberries; running the Pacific Blackberries through canvas seems to get a better result since the prickles are so small.

The algorithms are watching . . . Actually though, I linked to this video in my reply to you, so they may have just turned that into a recommendation.

@@PacoWarabi Thank you!

When I spend time splitting the fibers pretty thin, it's not bad. But when I make coarse cordage (which is a much faster process), the thick fibers don't hold up as well. But I've got some five-year-old cordage that is still holding together some old projects, and it still looks beautiful.

I think you probably used a combination of outer bark and inner bark. There's no way the outer bark itself is strong enough (maybe the strength of toilet paper). It's perfectly acceptable to use a combination of outer and inner bark. It just means more bulk, and more shrinkage when it dries.

Nice! That's why I always carry blackberry vines with me whenever in in bear country. Glad I saved your life, and I'm glad the bear gave you time to watch this video.

@@PacoWarabi I was talking about the end of the video that sweet spin move into the camera view . But the vine cordage was a useful tip to .

@@andywilson8698 Ah, that makes sense. Turning fibers into cordage can be called spinning, which is what I thought you were referring to. But the other is a funnier joke.

@@PacoWarabi 😂

That is an excellent question. I should go try that. The cordage gets brittle when it dries out, but waxing it might be the thing that makes it stay pliable.

Yeah, I've toyed with the idea of spinning blackberry cordage for a little while now. I actually made a DIY spindle to try with the cordage, but haven't really spent the time learning it. It's fascinating how the same technique is used in many different disciplines with many different names.

You know, I don't think I've tried soaking the drier vines. I have a feeling it wouldn't work because it's not necessarily about the moisture content, but more about how the bark has attached itself to the woody part. On younger vines, they aren't so attached. But I'll have to experiment later this year. I get frustrated when the short window closes, because I have to wait another nine months before I can make cordage again.

I tried with dried ones, I get some fibers from it after soaking, but if the brambles broke like a stick they are more rotten than dry. Anyway they are harder to separate and long dry thorns are much more dangerous (after soaking becames softer)

There are two layers in the core, and there are two layers of bark (these aren't the technical terms, but I think this should make sense). The very center of the core is very spongy, or texture like stale popcorn. Earlier in the season, this is very wet (you'll still get that in the tips of the vine). The next layer of the core is the "wood," which is similar to pieces of kindling. Next you get the bark. The inner bark is the fibrous layer, and the outer bark is somewhat like tissue paper, but even more fragile. The popcorn and the wood should be removed. If the bark isn't coming away from the wood, then it's too late in the season. You can tell it's too early when the vine has the consistency of asparagus, and the bark doesn't really have any fibers to extract. If you can snap the vine and there are no fibers holding it together, it's too early.

Huh, never heard of a Monk's Cord before. Then again, I'm not privy to the sewing world jargon. Looks like a good place to start a Google search. Thanks!

it's too early in spring! wait another few weeks until the brambles start putting out vines

That was a very pithy remark.

😆😁😂🤣😉

It really depends on what you're doing with it. I've got some cordage that's at least five years old that's still holding up beautifully. But it's decorative cordage that doesn't get used. It just hangs on the wall. I haven't figured out how to condition the rope yet. Mainly because I haven't really looked into it. You might be able to use mineral oil, or mineral oil mixed with beeswax. I've got a wood finish made from this, and it might work on the cordage as well. But again, I haven't done the research and experimentation yet.

@@PacoWarabi thanks but not sure I would use mineral oil, my understanding is it suck the vitamins out of the skin, which is probably good for a mineral oil salesmen. I think beeswax might be a good alternative, worked into a warm cloth. There are a couple of guys on youtube who make leather goods and have a concoction of beeswax, cocoa butter and almond oil, works nicely on leather. I made a small batch. pretty easy to do, but leather is tougher than plant matter and I wonder if the oil would turn rancid combined with plant matter. [thinking emoji here] Some suggested murphy's oil soap, which I think is some sort of chemical fat. Ammonia came up too, which I thought might dry things out, but I guess if it was a light wash followed by a warm spray of cocoa oil mixed with lemon, that could bring back some of the darks. I've seen people use this cordage for building huts, which, who knew it was that strong? but I think we'd use if for more decorative and natural elements. Doll making, thinking about belts and shoe stings, capes, handles, etc... I want to incorporate this as part of our traditional Folk Arts - when it comes to cordage there are no idle hands and sky's the limit! BTW, I'm very impressed by your juggling abilities and unicycle skills. Wondering... and with your permission, I'd like to incorporate you and your talents into our Roman Circus and Folk Arts Club. What do you think?

@@SPQRIUS I used mineral oil as makeup remover back in my clowning days. Probably not something I'd want to do on a daily basis, but soap also removes minerals from your skin. I just used a little oil in my beeswax paste as a wood preserver; just to make it pliable. Plus, it will never go rancid. Thanks for the research; I haven't really looked into this in a while (my latest cordage was made from grass, which has a different set of properties).

+AzraelChiaroscuro From my perspective, it seems like the inner bark that I use for cordage would dissolve faster than the woody core, so the retting process might not work. However, please experiment with the retting process and tell me how it works. I've only read about retting; I have no firsthand experience, so my view on it may be completely off-base. My method only works for about 2 months out of the year, and I would love to see if there is a way to continue making cordage through the other ten months!

@@PacoWarabi I live much farther south. I see new growth throughout the summer, though they likely are not from the primary canes. I hope to experiment a bit this week, to see if it is still possible to get cordage from them. I need to try to cut back/ clear out a few areas. Would you mind sharing what peeler you use, or a link to one that seems similar?

@@melissajarvis4829 I've actually switched over to an old butter knife. I just use the back of it, or the back of my pocket knife. When the brambles are ready, the outer bark just comes right off.

@@PacoWarabi Thank you so much! That makes perfect sense. And, I've got an old table/ butter knife that doesn't match anything else. 😁 You don't want to know how many peelers I looked at on store websites and on Amazon! I got to the point where I was tying to remember if I knew where some small pieces of scrap metal were. I feel silly that I didn't think of a knife! )

@@melissajarvis4829 The trick is just experiment until you find what works for you, and second-hand stores can be your best friend while experimenting. I've actually upgraded from a stick to a headless golf club as well. It knocks the thorns off like anything!

That's one of the issues I've encountered. Within a few hours, it gets somewhat brittle, and within a few days, it won't take repeated sharp bends without breaking. I need to figure out how to condition it. However, I have lashed art projects together with this cordage, and it has lasted for years, because I'm not constantly bending it. I've also made a rope that hangs in my office, and without putting constant stress on it (tying it in knots, yanking on it), it has stayed in one piece with occasional handling for over five years.

@@PacoWarabi ya I was looking for a natural fiber to lash a structure together.

@@ExploringCabinsandMines If I ever get into working with the fiber again, that's one of the qualities I plan on experimenting with. I know rope conditioning is a thing; I just haven't learned much about it yet. An alternative to blackberries is nettle. I've heard of people making very strong, very flexible cordage out of it. It also grows in similar environments, and is very unmistakable after touching it for the first time.

He replied on another comment of mine that he now uses either the back of an old butter knife or the back of his pocket knife! Hope this helps someone else out!