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