Bast fibers are fibers obtained from the stems or leaves of certain plants. There are a lot of such herbaceous representatives of the flora - about 2 thousand. However, the most popular are such as flax, hemp, jute, rope. Wood fibers are those obtained from certain types of wood.
What does this fiber look like?
Bast and wood fibers are the "fabric" of plants. Their cells have an elongated shape and pointed ends. Unlike others, their length can be measured in millimeters and even centimeters. But the cross section is in microns. The fiber sheath is very rigid, the cell practically does not live inside, it is always dead. Over time, lignification of such a cell occurs, and its useful properties are lost. It becomes more brittle and crumbly. A non-lignified fiber cell is rich in cellulose and therefore very flexible and flexible.
Practically in industry, not a single fiber is used, but their conglomerate. The pointed ends of the cells are interconnected using pectin, so the material is quite durable. The latter quality is also due to the fact that in their shell, cellulose febrilites are tightly twisted into a spiral (like a rope or rope).
To get a finished high-quality fiber, you need to destroy the stem. Most often this is achieved by soaking. Pectin and other bonding agents are destroyed - the whole fiber remains. Sometimes a chemical or mechanical method of its extraction is used.
What is bast fiber used for?
Firstly, they are widely used in the textile industry for the manufacture of fabrics and yarn. Not all fibers are suitable for these purposes, but only soft ones. They are obtained from flax or ramie. Another function of bast fibers is rope and rope products. Coarse products (hemp, jute) and hard products (sisal, abacus) are suitable for these purposes. Wood fibers are also widely used. They are used in construction for the manufacture of composite materials, in the paper industry.
Flax fiber
Flax is a fairly common crop. Its fiber is the finest and most delicate, which is why it is so widely used in the textile industry. To obtain bast fibers, flax flax is grown. This variety of plant got its name in its appearance: its stems are very thin and long, reaching 1 meter. In a percentage ratio, the fibers occupy 20-25% of the mass of the whole plant. Harvested flax fiber is tested for strength and cleanliness. An indicator of quality is a small extensibility, abrasion resistance and moisture absorption. They make yarn from flax. Use both long fibers, and "combed", that is, waste after combing. Depending on the spinning technology, the yarn may be more fluffy or, conversely, smoother.
Fabrics made from linen fiber can be of different quality - from the roughest burlap to thin and soft dressing. In Russia, only coarse flax is mainly grown.
Hemp
Bast hemp fibers are classified as coarse. The resulting material is called hemp (a coarse rope woven from these fibers has the same name). It should be said that hemp has male and female plants. From men's just hemp is made. And from women - mothers - rough sea ropes. To process this fiber, special milling machines are used. Without them, the fibers do not lend themselves well to at least some kind of weaving. They are not very extensible, very rough to the touch and absorb moisture well.
Jute
The plant is grown mainly in India and Pakistan. The fiber has the same name and belongs to the category of coarse. Mass fraction of it from the whole plant is 20-25%. Because of its rudeness, it is used mainly for furniture upholstery, packaging, and sometimes for carpets.
Kenaf
A plant with a lower fiber content (16 to 20%). Ropes, coarse fabrics such as burlap or tarpaulin are made from kenaf fiber. The leader in production is India.
Cable car
A herbaceous plant with a high proportion of fiber content. To improve its qualities, it is boiled in a special solution. Ropes, ropes , etc. are made from it. Twine made of bast fibers of the cable car is very elastic and strong.
Ramie
A plant with a very high-quality fiber, which is distinguished by a special shine, elasticity, softness. It is resistant to decay. High-quality linen fabrics, fishing nets are made from ramie.
In general, the plant belongs to the Nettle family. It grows in a subtropical climate. The leading positions in the production of ramie are China, Japan, the Philippines.
Coarse fibers
Such bast fibers are obtained mainly from tropical plants. They are named so because of their low moisture permeability, resistance to decay, stiffness, strength and low tensile properties. They are used only for the manufacture of ropes.
Abaca is a textile banana. From the leaves of this plant produce the same fiber.
Sisal, geneken - a fiber from agave leaves. It is less durable than abacus, and more brittle than hemp. However, this does not interfere with the manufacture of nets, ropes and twines from it. Burlap and packing cloth are also made from it. From waste and cleanings - paper, mostly wrapping. The length of the technical fiber of this plant reaches 1.5 m.
Wood fiber
They are obtained both from the stems of trees and from their bark. Linden is especially popular. Bast linden bark fibers are often referred to as “bast”. In Russia, bast shoes were woven from it, and even during the war years this skill was useful to partisans. Soaked linden fibers - bast. Its application is the most diverse. This is good stuffing. Also to this day, whitening brushes are made from it. Or used as a bath sponge. Linden fiber is very strong, therefore fishing nets are made from it and ropes are woven.
In addition, linden fibers are widely used in folk medicine. It is believed that, soaked and mashed to the consistency of mashed potatoes, they promote wound healing and remove toxins from the body. This explains the popularity of linden washcloths.