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Comb

During the visit of the artisans, we discovered that combing is an essential part of the fiber preparation. We observed that what they used to comb the henequen was a nail board with concrete backing sitting on the floor. They showed us how to use it and it was a lot of bending over which is hard on the back. Our idea to help with that was to make a height adjustable board, with three height settings that is put on a wall. The community also informed us that they have different boards for combing for different purposes and that they even sometimes use their hands, which can be really rough on the skin. Our solution to that was to make the board interchangeable so you can switch out the board part depending on your needs.

Construction Steps

  1. Preparing the Backing
    The backing is the main support that gets mounted onto the wall. It includes the French cleats and a t-slot for height adjustment of the frame.


>  Materials and Tools to make this
Plywood, Nails, Wing nuts, Bolts, French cleats, T-slot hardware, Basic woodworking tools (saw, hammer, drill, etc.)

  1. Constructing the Frame
    The frame holds the combs and allows for easy replacement and height adjustment. It can be placed at 3 different height levels by hanging off the cleat and adjusting the wingnut in the t-slot.

  2. Creating the Combs
    The combs are made from wood pieces with nails pounded through them. Different combs can be created for varying fiber thicknesses and densities. We also explored using 3D printed material for softer comb instead of hard nails which was requested by the community artisans.

  3. Assembly
    Assemble the backing, frame, and combs. Mount the backing onto the wall using the French cleats, attach the frame to the backing, and then insert the combs into the frame.

Usage Instructions

  • Adjusting Height
    Use the French cleats to set the frame at the desired height. Secure the height using the wing nut in the t-slot.

  • Replacing Combs
    Remove the bolt and wing nut securing the current comb. Insert the desired comb and secure it with the bolt and wing nut.

  • Processing Fibers
    Run the plant fibers through the comb to separate and straighten them, preparing them for basket weaving.

  • The adjustable comb for plant fiber basket weaving is a versatile tool designed with user comfort and efficiency in mind. Its modular design allows for quick adjustments and easy maintenance, making it a valuable addition to any modern artisan workshop’s tooling.

Molds

Molds are used mainly for the jipijapa technique and they are made of solid wood. For the henequen costurado, the artisan may have a mold to look at and compare, but not directly sew on it. Through the interviews about the forms and the complexity they can achieve we identified that making squares is something that does not come out naturally, it is more complicated and they do not do square products.