FLAX cloth. Here's a start

General Discussion
1

Anybody playing with cloth like this? I'll post some test results when the samples arrive.

 

http://www.compositesevolution.com/Biotex/Flax/tabid/60/Default.aspx

2

hey  matey. flax  is used to make linen. so the cloth is a course linen,

a heavy weight llinen sheet or curtain!

3

Hi Paul. Linen indeed, but you should see it's fibre properties. Better than hemp, Mercedes are using both hemp and flax in many of their car dashboards! The times they are a'changing!

4

times are a-changing indeed. parallel to bamboosero’s 'boo bike efforts, here’s something the flax advocates have developed so far :

short brief here : http://inhabitat.com/2010/09/07/worlds-first-flax-fiber-bicycle-wins-eurobike-gold-award/

cheers,

5

Greenlight Brian has worked with it… he’ll give you the good and bad for surfboard application. All I can tell you is I felt up a board he did with it and it felt ROCK hard.

6

If these guys use it, it can't be too bad!

http://www.netcomposites.com/newspic.asp?6298#

7

Hey guy's,

 

Intereting stuf, has anyone used it yet? I was looking for a glassfiber alternative and found this linen cloth at homeblown surf suplys.

Any on tests known about strenght, weight and flex?

here's a link for the stuff I found.

http://www.homeblown.co.uk/acatalog/Linen_Cloth.html.

And on to the next step for an eco freindly board.

 

Cheers Bart

 

8

I saw that on the shelf last time I was at homeblown and had a brief chat with Tris about it.

He said it looks great for aesthetics, would need a vacuum to get resin:cloth ratio down to anything lightish. I’m sure from your previous posts you’re more than capable of that.

9

Anyone try laminating with flax? Notox in France is making boards laminated with flax http://www.notox.fr/blog/2011/07/04/la-technologie-greenone

It’s readily available from r-g.de in germany http://shop1.r-g.de/cat/Faserverstaerkungen/Naturfaser

10

Flax is good on the paper but results in laminate are often far from what is expected. Some independant research shown that’s come from non consistence of molecular struture. Industry often use mixed with polymer fibers now for non structural use. I see and repair notox board (very expensive) in poor condition.

11

Can anyone tell me why flax is better than hemp? handling, strength, weight, color, finish?