Flax Tow

[TDM]

I’ve never used it, but I’d like too. Would appreciate the best sources to purchase that you use. I have researched this myself and found several places but their prices seem a little high, hoping to find the more cost effective source.

Without having to gather it myself

 

[nhmoose]

My son grew some flax this year in the garden but for his life and mine we could not tell it from the weeds.

So much for growing flax from the seed at the feed store.

 

[tenngun]

Very hard to get now. As a substitute I go to the craft section in Wal Mart and by the hemp cord. Cut off stings around a foot and a half apart. It’s two ‘yarns’ twisted together. And they pull apart real easy. Then each half can be teased in to fibers pretty fast. In an evening watching a movies you can pick apart a few ounces. I can’t tell it from tow in use,
I’ve gotten some tow from Turkey foot trading that was blond and slick, it looked like a bundle of hair. But most I bought was brown and rough and sometime even had some straw in it.
In use the slick blond stuff was good for wadding and fire, but didn’t go on a worm well. The rougher stuff hangs on a worm, and seems to scrub a bore well. Washes out easily and will even catch a spark at times with our char cloth.
I think I’m out of true tow, but may have a little in my tow sack
I always seem to make more then I need

 

[rich pierce]

I grew a small patch of flax this year. I’ve got some learning to do. I planted it as dense as they said. Not good. All skinny and half fell down from rain and wind. Next year I’ll plant it less dense.

I dried the stalks and have not processed it yet.

 

[TreeMan]

This is what I use. Works perfect. One bag will last for years!

AAYU Raw Jute Grass Fiber - fire Starter| Spinning Natural lint | 500 Grams or 17.6 Ounces | Natural Product, Eco-Friendly | Excellent Fiber Material | No Artificial Color | Pet Bed and Bird Nest https://a.co/fywann3

 

[Bnewberry]

My son grew some flax this year in the garden but for his life and mine we could not tell it from the weeds.

So much for growing flax from the seed at the feed store.

That is sad. Try cutting it all and soaking it in water. The weeds will likely rot away, as will the non useable flax parts leaving fibers that are the part of the flax you use.

 

[Hatchet-Jack]

Smiling fox sells real Tow.
https://smilingfoxforge.com/shop/index.php?id_product=352&rewrite=tow&controller=product

 

[TDM]

This is what I use. Works perfect. One bag will last for years!

AAYU Raw Jute Grass Fiber - fire Starter| Spinning Natural lint | 500 Grams or 17.6 Ounces | Natural Product, Eco-Friendly | Excellent Fiber Material | No Artificial Color | Pet Bed and Bird Nest https://a.co/fywann3

Just ordered some. Thanks.

 

[satwel]

The last flax tow I bought was before the pandemic. I bought some from the Woolery.com and some from a Canadian guy I found on eBay. Looks like the price has gone up a lot since 2019.

 

[TDM]

The last flax tow I bought was before the pandemic. I bought some from the Woolery.com and some from a Canadian guy I found on eBay. Looks like the price has gone up a lot since 2019.

I had looked at Woolery.com a couple of times, seemed a good source. But the deal on the jute that TreeMan recommended was too good to pass up. I have a small package of flax tow coming too. Just wanted to try it out.

 

[David Veale]

My son grew some flax this year in the garden but for his life and mine we could not tell it from the weeds.

So much for growing flax from the seed at the feed store.

I've grown and successfully processed it myself. I just scatter the seed by hand, but aim for about 1 seed per square inch. That density has worked well for me. I still go in and hand weed it (I grow it in rows that are about 2' wide, so that makes it easier).

Once you see it start to yellow it's time to pull it (don't cut it or you're losing the fibers in the roots). Pulling by hand is easy.

Then I do one of two things -- either water retting for about a week or two (will vary a lot depending upon temperatures, bacteria, etc in the water, so you'll want to check to see if the fibers are showing when you blast it with a hose) or "dew retting" where you let it lie outside and rot slowly with the dew. I try to flip it every so often so that it rets evenly... but have not had the best of luck with this method. After a month outside it still didn't process as nicely as the water retted flax for me.

I built a german style flax brake for the initial processing, and then found an original antique hackle (basically a bed of forged nails) for knocking out the chaff and stem bits. If you're going to process it for spinning, it's good to have multiple hackles so that you can go from coarse to fine.

The tow that gets left on the hackle is really nice for fire starting -- especially when there are small bits of stem in it. That's actually where I use the majority of my tow.

 

[rich pierce]

I've grown and successfully processed it myself. I just scatter the seed by hand, but aim for about 1 seed per square inch. That density has worked well for me. I still go in and hand weed it (I grow it in rows that are about 2' wide, so that makes it easier).

Once you see it start to yellow it's time to pull it (don't cut it or you're losing the fibers in the roots). Pulling by hand is easy.

Then I do one of two things -- either water retting for about a week or two (will vary a lot depending upon temperatures, bacteria, etc in the water, so you'll want to check to see if the fibers are showing when you blast it with a hose) or "dew retting" where you let it lie outside and rot slowly with the dew. I try to flip it every so often so that it rets evenly... but have not had the best of luck with this method. After a month outside it still didn't process as nicely as the water retted flax for me.

I built a german style flax brake for the initial processing, and then found an original antique hackle (basically a bed of forged nails) for knocking out the chaff and stem bits. If you're going to process it for spinning, it's good to have multiple hackles so that you can go from coarse to fine.

The tow that gets left on the hackle is really nice for fire starting -- especially when there are small bits of stem in it. That's actually where I use the majority of my tow.

Seed source? How tall does it grow?

 

[David Veale]

It's been a few years... so I don't remember the source, but it was a fiber variety called "Marilyn" if my memory serves. There are different types of flax -- some optimized for fiber and some for oil production. You'll want to make sure you get the former. I believe the location I bought it from is no longer in business.

 

[rich pierce]

Mine grew about 4-5 feet tall. I got it from Landis Valley in Pennsylvania I think.

 

[nhmoose]

Sorry my son tilled it all under with the tractor roto-tiller. It is tiny pieces now mixed into the soil.

 

[rich pierce]

Mine grew about 4-5 feet tall. I got it from Landis Valley in Pennsylvania.

 

[hanshi]

I've made it by cutting and pulling apart pieces jute (I think) I think it was. It catches fire easily and burns cleanly. But I'm no expert and only use it in a fire starter kit.

 

[mtsage]

I use both flax and hemp tow with good results. I use it after shooting and at home in the cleaning process. After the water flushing of the barrel I run a wad of tow that is wrapped in a tow worm up and down a few times. It offers a bit more abrasive that a cleaning cloth. Just a few times up and down and done. The tow can be washed as well and hung up to dry and used again. I did not buy the stricks. I purchased it in bulk.
Here is my source for both the flax and hemp tow. Johannes is great to work with. They are somewhat slow to respond to reply to emails but you will get an answer. www.flaxforsale.com.

 

[TDM]

Took awhile, but I finally have a couple of bags of flax tow. I’ll be trying it out soon. Thanks for all the help.