Wie man ein Seil macht | SWR Handwerkskunst

(rattle) An ancient art: making ropes. There is the knowledge of the cord, each machine has to fit. Bernhard Muffler masters an art that only a few know. The braiding of a rope that is much more than a commodity. A work of art made of linen. The rope has always been one of humanity's most important technical aids. Everyone knows the rope. Everyone knows, yes, I have to do with the rope from time to time. In the garden, in the hobby, in the sport. Or the elevator cable, for example. But it simply disappeared from view. Master string maker Muffler still handcrafts strings regularly.

A special rope. A braided whip with a unique architecture. In the past, shepherds in the alpine pastures used it to communicate and drive their livestock. Bernhard Muffler produces 300 of these extraordinary strings every year. The flax must be ready to spin. That is, I remove the fibers, the bundle. Make sure the fibers are nice and parallel. Because only when the fibers are parallel does spinning work quite well. Strictly speaking, flax is also a much older cultivated plant in Europe. Linen was already used in the Neolithic. For example, all linen fabrics that were woven always used linen material.

In order to spin, I need fibers of a certain length. And then I can spin, so there's this flow when spinning. Bernhard Muffler spins almost four-meter-long conical threads from these one-meter-long flax fibers. In the past, every rope maker had to master spinning in order to produce yarn. Requirement to make ropes. Nowadays, threads are usually delivered finished. But there are no mass produced products for this special rope. Bernhard Muffler has to turn himself. The machine is used regularly, but it still needs to be oiled each time. (Engine whirring) The master rope maker in reverse gear. He continues picking flax from his apron until the short fibers have reached the proper length. (quiet rattling of the machine) The cloth in your hand helps guide the fibers correctly.

In the end, the fibers must be sharpened. As the machine rotates, the fiber strands bond together. (Buzzing) (Clicking) As he walks forward, he twists three spun threads into a conical strand. That is, a thin and conical rope. You need ten of these ropes for the whip. Twist the ends of each rope into a loop. This is the spinning machine of the future: that's what it was called then, about 90 years ago. The second generation of Seilerei Muffler had designed and built an interesting series of machines. And this machine is a must for me. Just to make those spun ropes. (Loud noise) While the master ropemaker makes this unique piece, mass production takes place in his factory.

He uses industrial production machines to meet the needs and multiple fields of application of ropes. The financial backbone of the rope factory. (Buzzing) Our main customers are the furniture industry, road construction, road construction and machine construction. Water sports, a bit of recreational boating. And also commercial shipments. (Buzz) Hundreds of different types of strings in their store next door. Each one for a specific application and made of different materials. Such as sisal, cotton, polyester, but also wire. (Quiet voices in the background) The Muffler String Factory produces strings... with machines, industrially. And of course we also produce handmade ropes.

You really can't compare it, they are two different things. I can't imagine making such a conical rope, hand-spun, mechanically...unthinkable. (Click) This rope made here is unique. The differences that arise can only be compensated for by experience and feeling. (Clicks, hums) This is the wood that guides, the wood that teaches. This wood allows us to obtain an orderly twisted rope, a twisted thread. Because otherwise everything would go wrong and wouldn't work. (The noise stops.) In total, ten strings with which he makes the whip, a Stockacher Karbatsche. Now it's the chick's turn. That means... I'm going to finish with the endings now.

Everyone has a loop. The ten strands of wire are combined... in a common eye, that is the beginning... of this whip, this Karbatsche. The whip for the Swabian-German carnival. The night before the great fast, when the fools act again. And that includes making a lot of noise with this Karbatsche. Thanks to its conical shape, the whip reaches almost twice the supersonic speed when swinging, punches holes in the air and lets the air particles collide with a strong blow. (Loud knock) (The engine starts. ) (Chattering) (The machine stops.) (The engine starts.) Yes, now we are winding the threads, the ropes, making them a little more pearly.

The entire final product will be, yes... a little more beautiful. Five strings rotated clockwise and five strings rotated counterclockwise. Only in this way can a solid structure be created when braiding. The twists work against each other and keep the rope under tension. A universal tool for rope makers, riggers and maritime crews: the marlin spike or splicing nail. This is the heart... the heart or soul of the entire braid that we are now making. The heart is there to practically fill the middle. The cavity, which is also located here in the mesh, is filled. And through this heart I also have the opportunity to influence the course of the Karbatsche, which is very important, the nice and uniform course necessary for the acceleration of the whip.

That means now I can add something here later, remove something. To simply cross out the optimal course. The optimal progression from thick to thin is essential for the whip to produce this special effect and accelerate when swinging so that it eventually reaches supersonic speed and cracks very loudly. Now we are going to form a real eye using pork tenderloin. That is, all half knots, which we now use with a good twisted hemp line. The best you can get today in the form of a cord. And then it has the advantage that everything is well assembled and is also resistant to abrasion.

Because this is the beginning of the karbach, the stem will be tied here later. Half knots, the basic shape of many knots. It makes sense that the rope manufacturer is not at war with knots. Because knots, especially when a ropemaker works as a craftsman, constantly accompany him in his work. (Clicking sound) To prevent the ends from unraveling during the braiding process, Bernhard Muffler provides them with special small knots. Small Slipsteks, which can then be quickly removed to continue working. Now we braid squares around the core, around the heart. These ten threads... towards the Karbache. When braiding, the master ropemaker pulls on the individual threads to compensate for irregularities that may arise during spinning.

This can only be done by hand and with feeling. A machine can't do that. We use the top thread, pass it through the left half and bring it back to the right side. And then get to the end of this right side. We do this process all the time. From top to middle, back. Fine motor skills of the hands are essential. Experience of many 100 handmade karbachs a year. And we basically made sure that now we have a good direction. This means that the karbatsche, the whip, is getting nice... uniformly... thinner. The classic rope is twisted. In this particular rope, ten of them are woven into one.

The end is near. More than two meters long but not yet finished. The karbach is now being polished. We check that the vegetable glue, pectin, dissolves from the fiber. That's what we do when we get wet. Then we polish it in one go. This has two effects. (laughs) Once we make the dried pectin shine a little bit. As well as a polish. And on the other hand, we will go around the last bumps of the Karbatsche inward. (Click) (Thud) Of course everyone can recognize my Karbachs. With the characteristics, braids, the type of pork loin, insert material used.

And on the stick. Yes, now we save the ends of the pork loin. They have to go, we'll put them back. And hide them so that they are no longer... exposed. Bernhard Muffler learned the trade from his father. And yet, he also introduced industrial production into the family business. Today there are only a few rope manufacturing companies. They often pass down special knowledge on how to make ropes from generation to generation. The great-grandparents of the Muffler family were already involved in the rope trade. My great-grandparents were dedicated to agriculture. And at the same time it had an agricultural rope manufacturing plant.

And my great-grandfather traveled the country on a bicycle and sold his ropes to other farmers. So my father made it very tempting for me to learn the craft and then continue practicing it. We, my wife and I, have five children. Two of the children plan to take over the rope business in a few years. One is Sophie, the fifth generation of the Muffler family. She is already helping her father. And this in a work process that requires especially skillful fingers. Only this station with the handmade whip is left for Sophie, the teacher's daughter. Sophie Muffler measures 1.50 meter ropes for the end of the karbach.

These pieces are the only ones made of synthetic fiber. She burns the ends of the rope so they don't fray. (Cracking) I'm going to use the Karbatsche now, that's the end. It is always conical in shape and is made of polypropylene, a chemical fiber. The ending sometimes hits the ground, that requires a lot of stress. And if it is made of chemical fiber it is more resistant to abrasion. Not like nature, hemp rope. The work step is equally complex as the rest of the parts of the whip that your father has already braided. This part of the karbach must also be tapered so that the whip can crack properly.

Now I start twisting the strands. If I were to braid now, the result would be a flat braid, like braiding hair. We don't want that, we want something round. That's why I twist the pieces together, then it looks pretty too. As I turn them, I add a little more twist to each one. If I just twisted them like that, it would fall apart again. Because I twist it, it wants to squirm. Then it is turned with the wire next to it. I'll make the loop so the cord can go in there later. Because it needs a closure where you can tie it.

So now the loop is done. That was the mission now. So I've done it from here... to here. It also shows well, because this is where you can see that the synthetic begins. And here is Dad's last thread. As the individual threads or strands are gradually exhausted, it is also noticeable that it has a conical shape. It is 3.3 meters long and weighs 700 grams, still without a whip handle. So. Now we are waiting for dad, who will take care of it. Then the tape and that's it. The strap is made of a special material - fine parachute silk. (Rumble) The cord is the decisive piece, so to speak, because here all the energy that you put into the Karbatsche is practically discharged at the end of the Karbatsche.

So, now let's tie the handle to the karbach. (snap) A little philosophy. I think it makes sense not to tie the karbatsche so tightly but to leave it loose. So that the karbatsche finds its own path and there are no obstacles when it explodes. So, and now let's feel it explode. (Loud crack) A whip like that can't be made with a machine. Conical spun, twisted, braided. And rope art is very successful when there is a real explosion. (Loud clicks) SWR 2022