Abaca Twine: Two-Ply Reverse Wrap from Manila Hemp

Abaca, Manila hemp, is a banana plant whose leaf-sheath fibre is stronger than hemp and stands up to salt water, which is why ships' ropes were made of it. Its fibres are 1.8 to 3.7 metres long, so a twine twisted from them needs few splices. This twine is made by the same two-ply reverse wrap as our bark rope. The picture: abaca fibre drying on a line among the plants, Costa Rica.

初学者

An hour for a few metres

说明

Dampen and split the fibre

Dip a hank of abaca fibre in water so it twists without springing back, and split off thin strands, a few fibres each.

此步骤所需材料：

马尼拉麻纤维50 克

水1 as required

所需工具：

碗

Reverse-wrap it into two-ply twine

Fold a strand bundle at its middle and reverse-wrap it as the bark rope is made: twist one ply away from you until it kinks, wrap it back over the other, and repeat. Splice in new fibre with 5 to 8 cm of overlap, never on both plies at the same point.