Elizabeth purchased her flax break in New York. Previous presentations have been about my hackles, flax break and scutching knives and scutching board. The massive ripple on the left is almost 3 feet long and a foot wide. Flax is an annual plant that produces long, strong fibres that have been used to make linen textiles for at least 8,000 years. From shop LyonMountainAntiques. Wood should be of good quality. Hetchel, hetchel, and hackle are all names for the bed of nails that were used to comb the flax fibers after scutching. Those tools were brought to the Americas by various waves of conquistadors and immigrants starting in the 14000s and 1500s. The best grades are used for fabrics such as damasks, lace, and sheeting. The wooden item is a flax break. 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. These words combined--distaff--means a stick used to support flax which has been combed and now ready for spinning. The bundle of prepared flax fibers were tied to the finial on the top. From the earliest settlements, each ethnic group brought its own types of tools to process flax. 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. Watch; Primitive Antique Hetchel Hatchel Wool Flax Wooden & Iron COMB TOOLca 1800's. My first flax processing tools were two hackles, one for rough hackling and one for fine hackling. Tow was also used as tinder to start fires or used in guns. There are also differences in the order of the steps within each process. Flax is a Resource found uncommonly across the world on flax plants and is used for making String, Rope, and Oil. Hackling takes care of the remaining bits of cellulose (if the flax is retted enough), removes the short fibers and aligns the fibers. The four pictured ripples all preform the same function. Nails and screws are standard "penny" sized nails and standard wood screws found at building supply stores - exact sizes given for each tool. Flax must be properly retted for this stage to be accomplished properly. In early America, hemp was used more than flax because of the amount of fiber that could be obtained from a plant. The mangle is a device for cold pressing linen fabric to give it its characteristic sheen. 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. Commercial grade fiber flax seed is readily available. Julia Best - 3 years ago - #11493. 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 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. A Bronze Age factory dedicated to flax processing was discovered in Euonymeia, Greece. your own Pins on Pinterest 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. Buy It Now +$26.70 shipping. Jul 24, 2014 - Plans for Tools to process home grown flax. 5 out of 5 stars (7) 7 reviews $ 275.00. Our break has two blades pointing down and three pointing up. 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. The brake is fashioned after an antique brake owned by The Woolgatherers. While some may be available through antique stores and auction sites, it is not easy to purchase a set. Greater access to tools will help the experiments get closer to flax fibre extraction operations from the Middle Ages. We are constantly searching for new sources. 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. A flax brush history. Knots or stricks of flax could also be sold as a cash crop. 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. There’s a special tool for automating the process called a flax break. Discover (and save!) 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. By the time of the American Revolution, Pennsylvania was the biggest linen producer – with the entire process being done by hand. They spun when ever they had an idle moment. This is a restoration project for warmer months. 4. your own Pins on Pinterest The Germans, French, English, Swedes, Scots, all had tools in the style of their homelands. A flax dresser who could gain the largest amount of spinable fiber from a crop of flax was very highly paid. Since the flax fiber are up to three feet long, the cloth wears better than the shorter one-inch cotton fiber fabrics. Those tools were brought to the Americas by various waves of conquistadores and immigrants starting in the 14 and 1500s. 2449 Flax Processing Tools. Plans for Flax Processing Tools. When one says they are from the distaff side of a family, it implies they are from the woman's side. This keeps the almost three-foot fibers from tangling during the spinning process. Jul 24, 2014 - Plans for Tools to process home grown flax. Antique flax cutter linen tool (would Be Used With Comb )primitive 18th c. $49.00. Flax Strick is currently unavailable. 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. After retting the plants were once again put out to dry. Dorchester Illustration no. Plans for a mangle board complete the set. The ripple with wooden tines is as we found it, tines broken and snapped off. While this particular distaff may be ornate, some versions are nothing more than a tree branch. An excellent day from start to finish. By the late Middle Ages and the Renaissance, the basic flax processing tools that are still used today had been developed. 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. Saved from woolgatherers.com. Our break has a few splits which need repair and we need to replace the hinge pin. They'll have the hackles, drop spindles/spinning wheels, etc. We arrived for the flax processing course and were warmly welcomed with tea and coffee. TheWoolery.com is a good place to get supplies. 5. SMALL SCALE PROCESSING We are processing Nova Scotia linen for sale and offering custom processing for wool and flax They were bolted to a work surface in a series from coarse to fine. The harvest season begins about one month after the flax begins blooming. Dew retting takes between 3 and 6 weeks, depending on the weather. 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. 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. Distaffs vary from a long pole to the cage model shown above. 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. The word "dis" means flax while "staff" means stick. A scutching (wooden) sword and board helped scrape away the boon before combing with the hetchels. Buy It Now +$12.75 shipping. RIPPLING FLAX. In this period of social distancing, the Dorchester Historical Society is closed to visitors. These plans are based on traditional tools using contemporary materials. These plans are based on traditional tools using contemporary materials. The bundle of fibers are flipped over the teeth and pulled though, much the same as combing hair. Altogether a very satisfying and inspiring day. A crop that was over retted would disintegrate in the hetchels and be worthless for fiber. 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!). 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 From the planting of the seed to the wearing of the shirt could take more than a year or two. $65.00. While this particular distaff may be ornate, some versions are nothing more than a … A lively, engaged audience of 26 participants learned about the history and processing of the flax plant – the raw material used in making linen. By the late Middle Ages and the Renaissance, the basic flax processing tools that are still used today had been developed. 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. Spinning flax is generally associated with work of women and for centuries all women, regardless of status, spun. Oct 9, 2014 - This Pin was discovered by Colleen Keegan. Turn the flax once a week, so that it rets evenly. Flax was one of the first European plants cultivated in America. In this summer series of short blog posts I will present my flax processing tools. 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. Buy It Now +$11.90 shipping. Antique Tool Flax Hatchel with Lid Heckling Primitive Tools Flax Linen Comb Authentic Farmhouse Antique Tool 18th Century LyonMountainAntiques. When spinning the flax fibers, a spinster would wet her fingers and smooth the errant ends. Flax is "broken" when forced to bend into the shape of a W. A central pith-like core falls from the stalk. A lot of the pith has broken away and I'm pounding it some more. 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. Flax stricks for dressing the distaff are practically a thing of the past - or the result of our own flax cultivation. Explore. Plans for Tools to process home grown flax. 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. Clothing, … This week I present my last, and most rare tool, the flax brush. This begins separating the boon (chaff) from the fibres: The flax is then scratched using a wooden sword and board to remove more boon from the fibre. Check out our flax tools selection for the very best in unique or custom, handmade pieces from our shops. The retting process introduces microorganisms that help break down the plant structure. First, the upper part of the flax bundles are drawn through coarse combs to remove seed in a process called rippling. This meat tenderizer works okay but I'd like to have some more heavy duty tool for breaking up the pith. Also, retted and rippled flax straw is available for handspinners. In-person course. Traditionally the long flax fibers were dressed on a distaff. Flax Processing by Hand This flax has been retted. Processing flax. Elizabeth is shown here breaking some of her flax. Most persons with access to a garden can grow their own flax straw. A rare tool for flax processing is the flax brush. To prepare stricks from flax straw requires a set of tools - ripple, brake, scutching board and knife, and a set of hackles. Aug 22, 2017 - This Pin was discovered by Kathleen Unger. Watch; Antique Primitive Flax Hetchel Artisan Hand Made Farm Tool Hatchel Comb . The bundle of prepared flax fibers were tied to the finial on the top. Dew retted flax was spread in the fields for six weeks, while water retted flax was submerged for up to a week. 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. Clothing, … The methods used in processing differed from area to area and not every step is present everywhere. The leftover cakes of pressed seed were used for cattle feed. We picked it up as it was the only wooden tined ripple we had seen. Tools were excellent. If the weather is dry, water the plants with a watering can. Spinning Wool .. The spinner is drawing down flax fibers that have been dressed on her distaff. When flax linen is harvested it is pulled, rather than cut in order to obtain the longest fiber. Processing flax is an extremely labor-intensive process, providing skilled and unskilled employment for both adults and children. Discover (and save!) 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. Jul 10, 2014 - Neat flax processing tools and info on the process. Industrial spinning mills require a type of roving rather unsuited to the hand operated spinning wheel. Jul 24, 2014 - Plans for Tools to process home grown flax. Linen is a spun bast fiber. This hetchel is unique because of the way the square nails are attached to a rounded piece of wood and then … Also, when the roots are left intact the plant withstands being stooked better for a period of time. Mondadori Portfolio / Hulton Fine Art Collection / Getty Images. Then dried for another two weeks on a rack in the garage. Some of the seed was set aside for planting next year and the rest was pressed for linseed oil. Fabric Crafts. Once dry, the flax was rippled to remove the valuable seed heads. DIY And Crafts. Hetchels, also known as flax or wool combs, were used to clean the flax from the seeds. Elizabeth discusses spinning flax with a spinner at Mannings in Pennsylvania. Some breaks have a large and heavy head which can be used to crush the fibers prior to using the break as shown. Materials needed are listed on each sheet. This mangle board is a simple functional one, though decoration could always be applied. Pulling is very strenuous work, and harvesters often injured their backs. I'm saving the seeds. After spinning, the term linen is used, or more specifically flax linen. By the time of the American Revolution, Pennsylvania was the biggest linen producer — with the entire process being done by hand. While some may be available through antique stores and auction sites, it is not easy to purchase a set. Yarn Ribbon And Thread. Industrial-scale flax fiber processing existed in antiquity. Dew retted flax has a grayish color, but water retted flax is a light blonde color, hence the old term flaxen haired maiden. Coarser grades are used for the manufacturing of twine and rope, and historically, for canvas and webbing equipment. To prepare stricks from flax straw requires a set of tools - ripple, brake, scutching board and knife, and a set of hackles. Retting broke down the plant structure to separate the fiber from the inner core or boon. This keeps the almost three-foot fibers from tangling during the spinning process. 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. It was soaked in a wading pool for three or four weeks. Usable flax fibers are on the outside of this central core much like fibers in celery stalks. $37.00. (Factoid: The Declaration of Independence is written on a hemp based paper.). 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