One of the most valuable parts of the hemp plant is the fiber, commonly referred to as "bast," meaning that it grows as a stalk from the ground. Other fibers such as sisal, manila hemp and jute are mistakenly referred to as hemp, yet only Cannabis Sativa is considered "true hemp". Among the characteristics of hemp fiber are its superior strength and durability, and its stunning resistance to rot, attributes that made hemp integral to the shipping industry. The strong, woody bast fiber is extracted from the stalk by a process known as decortication. Hemp fiber contains a low amount of lignin, the organic glue that binds plant cells, which allows for environmentally friendly bleaching without the use of chlorine. In composite form, hemp is twice as strong as wood. All products made with hemp fiber are biodegradable.
Extracted from the bark of the stalk, this type of fiber is called "long" because it stretches the entire length of the plant. The length of the fiber enhances the strength and durability of the finished goods. Hemp can grow to 15 feet or more, making it excellent for textile production. Hemp is most similar to flax, the fiber of linen products. By contrast, cotton fibers are 1-2 mm in length and are prone to faster wear. Hemp fiber also has insulative qualities that allow clothing wearers to stay cool in the summer and warm in the winter. Long hemp fiber is used in twine, cordage, textiles, paper,webbing, and household goods.
The short fibers, or "tow", are the secondary hemp fibers. While not as strong as the long fibers, the tow is still superior to many other fibers. Tow is extracted from the long fibers during a process called "hackling". a method of combing and separating the fiber from hurd. Short fibers are used to make textiles, non-woven matting, paper, caulking, auto bodies, building materials, and household goods.
Also known as shives, the hurd is the woody material found in the center of the hemp stalk. The hurd is rich in cellulose, a carbohydrate that can be made into paper, packaging, and building materials, as well as plastic composites for making skateboards and auto bodies.
As long ago as 450 BC the Scythians and Thracians made hemp linens. The Chinese first used hemp for paper making in 100 AD. Hempen sails, caulking, and rigging launched a thousand ships during the Age of Discovery in the 15th Century. The American Declaration of Independence was drafted, not signed, on hemp paper. The USDA calculated in 1914 that hemp hurds could make four times as much paper per acre as trees.
Ian, have you read "The Emperor Has No Clothes" by Jack Herer? You'd probably like it.
It's the The Emperor Wears No Clothes , Frosti. Definitely good stuff. I'm guessing Ian's read it.
Actually, I haven't, but I found his web site, and I need to check it out.
Ian, have you ever tried to make hemp fiber? I've been interested in trying to make fiber for cloth and paper. Any suggestions?
Those are two very different fibers and processes you're talking about. Making cloth is fairly easy...just take the fibrous "skin" part of some hemp, and there you basically have a unit of hemp thread/yarn/whatever. You can beat it up or soak it to soften it, I suspect, and then you'd wanna weave it into whatever fabric item you want to make. On the simple end, you could prolly make a rough bracelet or necklace pretty easily; wallets and pants and stuff are gonna take some practice, and more stems than will be easy to come by, probably.
The big issue is length. The longer the strings, the better, which is why a hemp plant is better for this than a smokin' pot plant, because pot plants have shorter fibers (because they are shorter, and have shorter distances between branch formations). I haven't a clue where you could get a hemp plant, or even a seed to grow one from. And I think it's considered to be just as illegal as growing a smokin' pot plant (if you care about that sort of thing).
The fiber for paper is the hurds , which is the "marrow" of the plant, for lack of a better term. You'd get that by scraping out the insides of fresh hemp stems. Again, smokin' pot has hurds in its stems too, but you'd get less, partly because pot plants use more energy for structural work, so they can hold up the buds (and so I presume less energy for hurds)...plus again they are shorter, which means less stem, and naturally less stem marrow.
The process of taking it from raw hurd fiber to paper is not a simple one. I'm not even sure it can be done with easy-to-get chemicals, or by hand necessarily.
Yahooka!is generally the first place I would check for any cannabis-related "how-to" stuff. I didn't check there though...all the stuff above is just guesswork from what I know about the plant.
(On edit: I hadn't really read all the previous information Ian posted, and thus didn't realize the redundancy of much of what I said.)
I haven't a clue where you could get a hemp plant, or even a seed to grow one from.
thats one nice thing about MN, there are hemp fields and various patches everywhere! In Sept you can find as much as you want, its a shame they don't get used (for fiber etc)
Ocasionally the "authorities that be" will cut a large feild of hemp down, claiming that they are helping the "war on drugs"--Idiots! Anyone that would actually smoke this stuff deserves the headache they'll get
What they probably do is pile it all in a heap and burn it. This would be known as an anti-drug "photo-opportunity". Then, of course, they get high from the smoke. (This idea is based on a true story about the local cops here--they confiscated a big load of pot, put it in a heap, and then stood around to watch it burn. I guess they wanted to make sure nobody stole any of it. They all got pretty stoned. This happened quite a long time ago--possibly in the 1970's.)
stoner joe
Kind of like the time we pulled a bunch of ditch weed on our property up north and threw it into the fire pit.
kids... love... fiber!