Whaddya use for PC string?

[Marc Adamchek]

If ya gotta hang a powder measure from yer strap, frinstance?

 

[Doc Arroyo]

A strip of leather or a braided peice of heavy weight linen thread. I use both. Then I can find my powder measure and my priming flash easily by feel.

 

[Keppy]

I use a piece of braded leather also and have made a little pocket on my bag to put it. The strap is attached to the strap of my bag so I don't lose it. I attach my cap holder to a strap also. That I hang around my neck. When hunting its in my jacket and out of the weather.

 

[boar]

I use leather, braided horse hair, or dogbane. Dilly

 

[RonT]

For thread I use Irish Linen carpet thread, get where they sell and install carpet. Have also used braided sinue and twisted squirrel gut.

 

[George Holton]

:hmm: Dilly ; please expound on dog bane,sounds really pc. Thanks Bob

 

[boar]

Doebane is relateded to milkweed. It grows wild here in Ohio. It is redith in color and is about waist high, will grow in old corn fields, and waysides, it has a long pod handing in clusters. in middle of summer or after. I have used it green and dry.. You break the stems and strip off the fiber. I twist it or braid it. It is the no I plant for fiber, it is strong. It makes good tinder if dry. I gather a bunch of it in fall and have it on hand. If you go to libaray and look at plants it should have it listed. It will grow in big bunches. Another good plant is the Yucca plant , root makes soap, stem is no I fire bow wood after it is dead, and leaves soaked in water you can get strings after you beat them, also can eat the stem green and blossoms. Dilly

 

[Brasilikilt]

And then there is the regular Wal Mart variety hemp twine which is what I use.
It's an unbleached natural color, tends to be coarse fibered and woven in such a way that it looks perfectly authentic for PC applications.
Hemp was widely used back then, so hemp string should be perfectly correct.

 

[Stumpkiller]

A strip of leather or a braided peice of heavy weight linen thread. I use both.

Exactly what I use.

I also carry some manila (twisted hemp twine) that I got at a crafts store. They had little, fine stuff right up to 5/16 +/- line. I think it was for edging picture frames and macramè. (sp?) You have to whip the ends or tie knots in it or it unravels quickly.

 

[Norskie]

Any of these materials used for cords will benefit if you rub beeswax on them. Cotton, linen or hemp seem less prone to fraying if they're dressed with wax, and buckskin or leather thong would also benefit.
I have seen references to silk cord watch fobs, but whether one of those would have made it to the frontier is doubtful.
Moose

 

[blacksmithman64]

4 ply waxed linen thread braided for powder horn stoppers, it ain't going to break or rot. I also make small jack chain and twisted link chain to hold measures,picks and brushes.

 

[Mad Professor]

Most tree barks can be pounded then separated from the fibers. The best are basswood , elm (if you can find somethat's not blighted), walnut,maple, cherry, aspen, ceder.

For fibrorours plants, dogbane, milkweed, velvet leaf, nettle, eve-ening primrose,catail,rushes, saghbrush,stinging nettles,velvet leaf,and fireweed.

The above is from "Tom Browns Field Guide to Widerness Survival"

Have tried some (of the above), but the plants are not all here (Northeast USA). Comments from other users?

Thanks in advance!

 

[BRUN]

Here is a first attempt at a yucca horn strap in the makings.The top two are leaves cut off plant and the bottom one has been pounded to get fibers.

 

[BRUN]

Here is a better pic of the fibers.

 

[RonT]

Neat Brun, now my wife will wonder where the leaves from her yard Yucca went... :shocked2: I'm used to pounding sinue (for selfbows). Gotta' try this.
R

 

[Seamus]

If you can find dogbane it will make the strongest natural string.
As for yucca, I like to use yucca filamentosa. Think yucca with little fibers peeling from along the leaves. The adavantage is that it dosen't need to be retted before working. The leaves have very little tissue in them so it takes much less prep time, but it is harder to find.