FIBERS

In the past, hemp handles (boots) were rusted, that is, maceration in water. The rusty hemp boots were first put to dry on a meadow; it was "brightened" by turning it from time to time. The already dry hemp had gone back to the shed or barn and was waiting for the oven to pass.

The boots were then removed and crushed in a grinder (crushing or braying, in two passages) to separate the filasse from the other parts of the stem. The cleaning of the handles was completed by hand and the filasse was collected.

Nowadays, the rusting is avoided and the swaths are pressed into bales and stored. Then the fibers are separated from the rest of the stem which will form the chènevotte (woody residue), this defibring is carried out in a hammer mill or grinder that hits the stems hard.