Tag: Flax Production

In my first blog I spoke about the growing of the flax and how I got to the point I had a good product to start processing.,
When I first started wanting to grow, process, spin, and weave linen, even if only a small piece of fabric, I was going to use traditional methods. I ordered the plans to make a break and all the other tools needed to process linen to thread for weaving.
During this time, I became more involved in living history and wanted to try and find out more about how fax would have been processed during my chosen time in the 10th century Iceland.
In my research I found that the flax break was not in wide use until the 14th century. There is evidence of examples of breaks before the Viking age, only one or two have been documented. The use of such in Iceland was not much of possibility.
What I did find is the except for the break, the other tools, scutching knife, hackles and weaving methods were in my time period. Question now was to find how flax was broken before the break came into being
I found that a ‘flax mallet’ is what was used. Some theories suggest that the dry shafts were pounded on a flat surface or over the edge of a large stone. I came across mention of a stump of wood with a V cut in the top to aide in the breaking. The depression in the log making breaking much more efficient then on the flat surface or over a stone. I am sorry I can not at this time confirm my source, when I find it, I will certainly share it. It did make sense; I know I did not come up with it on my own.
Hopefully, I have given some insight on why I have undertaken this venture. It is the way I would have done it had I lived in the 10th century, with the research and documentation I have found up to this point.