Processing & Hand Twisting Agave Cordage

In this article Im going to describe the process of harvesting fiber from the Agave Deserti more
commonly known as the Desert Agave, Mescal, Century Plant, Avave Americana or Maguey.

There are many variaties of fiber producing Agaves but Ive found the Agave Deserti to have some
of the strongest fibers.
The process is actually very simple but requires some attention to detail to have a good expereince
and a high yield fiber harvest. At the end of this article I will show you how to create cordage from
the fibers.
First you need to carefully harvest a few bottom row Agave leafs from a large Agave plant. Be
careful not to remove too many leafs from one plant before or during its flowering cycle or it may
die. Beware of the sharp spines on the sides of the leaf. You can cut these off before you attempt to
remove the leaf from the base of he plant. Try to avoid damaged or browning leafs as this will make
it more difficult to release the fiber from the inner pulp.

After harvesting I cook the Agave leafs to neutralize the dangerous steroidal saponins that are
naturally occurring in the juicy pulp. These saponins can cause contact dermatitis, a very painful and
irritable rash, unless you are immune to them. The cooking process also makes it easier to remove
the fiber from the pulpy interior of the Agave leaf. You can do this in one of two ways
1. You can pit fire the Agave leafs by digging a small fire pit and proceeding to burn a fire in
the bottom to heat the interior of the pit. After the fire dies down snuff it out with a little bit
of water and place the Agave leafs in the bottom of the warm wet pit and cover them with
dirt. Build a new fire on top of the covered Agave leafs and let it burn out. When the dirt has
cooled dig up the Agave leafs and rinse them with water.
2. You can also cook the Agave leafs in the oven. Pre-Heat your oven to 300 Degrees, wrap the
Agave leafs with tin foil, and cook for 2 hours. Sometimes I have to fold the Agave leafs in
half to fit them in the oven. The tin foil will help keep them stay folded in half. I put a little
water in the foil so it steams the leaf and doesnt dry it out.
After cooking and before you begin retting the Agave leafs; there is a waxy paper coating that
will need to be pealed from the outer part of the leaf. The casing is water proof so if you dont
remove it completely the leafs wont ret properly.
After the outer leaf casings have been removed I like to ret them, using the tank retting method,
in a five-gallon bucket with a lid. This method of retting allows for greater control and produces
a more uniform quality fiber. This process takes four to six days and can be done indoors if
necessary.
After the Agave leafs have been retting for 6-8 hours, also known as the leaching period, I drain
off the bucket and replace it with fresh water for the remaining time. You can use the waste
retting water as liquid fertilizer. The more you change the water the longer it will take but the
less it will smell.

Its important not to disturb the Agave leafs during this changing of the water or the long fibers
locked inside them can become tangled.
If you prefer you can use the natural water retting method, which uses stagnant or slow-moving
waters, such as ponds, bogs, slow streams, and slow moving rivers. The leaf bundles are
weighted down, usually with stones or logs, for about 8 to 14 days, depending upon water
temperature and microbial content in the water.
If you choose this method its important to lash the Agave leafs with bindings to prevent tangling.
After retting the Agave leafs should be very mushy but for the most part still in one piece. Now
its time to comb and rinse them to prepare the leafs for drying. I get a long plank of wood and
lay out on leaf at a time lengthwise. The leafs will have a thick end, at the base of the cut leaf,
and will thin towards the tips.
Its important to clean the thick end first as its the strongest part of the fibers and will give you
something to hold onto while you comb the rest of the leaf.
I do this by using a rock and a wide toothed comb to separate the fibers and scrape the pulp off.
Start by holding the middle of the leaf and bang the thick end with a smooth rock until its
broken up half way down the leaf.

Now comb from the middle of the Agave leaf towards the thick end with while holding the
middle of the leaf very tightly. I sometimes turn the comb over and press the pulp off by sliding
the back of the comb and applying pressure smashing the fiber into the board.
Once the thick end is pulp free rinse it off with some water and wrap the clean end of the bundle
tightly around your finger so the fibers stay together and dont tangle.

Now start combing again but this time start from a couple of inchs above the thin end and comb
towards the tips slowly working your way up toward your clean end. This action is similar to the
process of combing knots out of long hair.

Continue cleaning the fibers until they look pulp free. The fibers should look off white after final
rinsing.

You are now ready to dry your Agave fiber. Hang the bundle from a branch at the middle and airdry the fibers. Every 15 mins or so try to gently separate the drying fiber by rolling it gently
between your fingers or holding one end tightly and whipping it once or twice. If done correctly
the fibers will stay together as they were in the leaf but will be easily separated from the main
bundle and look like this. The ball you see is some of the wasted fiber that accumulates in the
comb. It can be used to create a less uniform cordage if you clean it as I have.

Now you are ready to make Cordage.

I usually start with any where from 8-16 fibers. While building the initial bundle I'll lay the
individual fibers out next to each other while doing my best to stagger them so they will not all
be the same length when you gather the bundle in the middle to begin the counter twist.
Take your bundle and twist it a couple turns in the middle and allow it to begin twisting around
itself.
Continue twisting each pile clockwise about 1/2 inch to 1 inch and add in 3-4 fibers at once,
again try to stagger them and grab from the center.

The easiest way I've found to do this is to grab 3-6 fibers from the processed fiber bundle and
pinch the ends with my fingers. While loosely holding the opposite end of the main fiber bundle,
gently pull until they separate from the pile.

Now take the bundle of 4 fibers and pinch it at the center with your right hand. Pick up the cordage
and do one quick twist to tighten up any slack. With my right hand I lay the center of the fibers over
the right side and under the left.

With the new pile in place, I try to very slightly untwist both piles leading into the cordage, without
really grabbing the new pile, counter clock wise and then continue twisting both piles clockwise only
this time include the new bundle into the twist. I wrap the new pile twice around each side before
allowing the cordage to build coils.

I've noticed that as long as you keep the twist even, they can be a little loose, being even and
elongated is what you want. Then just pinch at the V with your left hand and twist your newest work
clockwise 2 inches above with your right hand until it's nice and tight.

Keep adding in 4 pile bundles every inch or so as needed if you notice you desired thickness is a
little small or any ends begin to approach the V. I usually try to add in 1.5 inches before the end of
the strands. To build it up just add double the amount every half inch until you find the thickness
youre looking for or is comfortable for you to work with. Also if you notice one side is smaller or
larger than the other you'll need to add fiber to the smallest side only. Use the same 4 pile method
just use the whole length and let the ends poke out the other side an inch or 2 and clip off later. After
1-2 twist it should hold in place just fine.

I do all my twisting with my finger tips but there are many methods of producing cordage.
Here is a primitive bowstring and needle.

Happy Twisting!
Mario Antoci
Mario@PaleoTube.com
www.PaleoTube.com - Free Primitive Skills Media Resource for Photos, Videos, and A/V Chat.