Processing sinew into sewing thread and cordage

In a previous post I showed you how to obtain tendons from a deer leg. Today I'll show you how to process one so as to make sewing thread and sinew cordage.



What you'll need is

• a dry tendon, 
• a smooth rock (so that the fibers don't get damaged) for pounding (a hammer would work as well), 
• and a piece of wood to pound on. The softer the wood the more difficult it will be (tendons are tough!)

The process is real simple. Place the end of the tendon on the piece of wood and pound it with the rock until the fibers separate. Keep pounding down the whole length of the tendon.


On the left you see the fully pounded end; in the middle the barely pounded part; on the right the part that hasn't been pounded yet.

Fully pounded end

Once the whole length is pounded well you can start separating the fibers with your fingers.

Keep in mind that the fibers are not nicely placed parallel to each other; they're somewhat intertwined. So separate them carefully, making sure you keep the fibers as long as possible.

I think it's easier to do if you split the whole bundle down the middle, then separate those smaller bundles down their middle, etc, instead of starting to pick fibers from the outside.

You should end up with something like this.

Now, you can pick out a small thread that you can use as sewing thread. If it's dry and unruly, which it probably will be, you can soften it in your mouth briefly and twist it gently. Don't worry, at this point it's just like eating jerky.

Keep in mind that a moist thread is a lot weaker than a dry one though.

Bundle of fibers and two sewing threads picked out

Now I'll show you how to make a very strong reverse wrap cordage with some sinew fibers.

Start with two small bundles of fibers, depending on how thick you want your cordage to be. You can tie both ends together with a knot or just hold both ends between your thumb and forefinger so you have one strand away from you (T1) and one close to you (T2), as shown on the picture.

Take T1 between the thumb and forefinger of your other hand and twist it away from you so that your forefinger moves below your thumb toward you.

At the end of this motion your forefinger is between T1 and T2.

Then, while still holding T1 between your thumb and forefinger, also grab T2 between your forefinger and your middle finger...

... and twist your hand back the way it came so that T1 is now close to you and T2 is away from you. Note the twisted strands right next to my left hand.

Now I move my left hand to grab that twist and I repeat the motions down the whole length.

At the end you can tie both strands together again or just let them be. If done correctly the cordage will not unwind itself.

A very strong piece of sinew cordage

 If you want a longer piece of cordage you'll have to splice another thread at the end of the one that's running out. It's important that both your threads don't run out at the same time or it will create a very weak spot so think ahead!

When you reach the last inch of one of your strands, pick another strand of the same width.

Overlap both strands together...

... and twist them together to form a single strand.

Then keep on making cordage as you were before.










Making cordage if a lot of fun and can be very addicting, though if you start thinking of how much cordage you'd need to make a net for example it will make your head spin!

Sinew cordage is amazingly strong and was used traditionally to make bow strings, among other things. Their drawback, however, is that they lose their tension when wet, which doesn't happen with plant fibers.

Pounded tendon; sewing thread; sinew cordage

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