Broom Making Information
The broom maker often demonstrates his craft mostly during Pioneer Day festivals or at pioneer village exhibitions throughout the United States, entertaining audiences by wrapping, tying and sewing pieces of straw onto sturdy handles to create the ubiquitous brooms that stand or hang in easily accessible corners in kitchens and garages ready for action.
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History
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Before brooms were brought to America, early Americans used "besons"--basically a stick with twigs tied around one end. Original broom straw from broom corn (a plant related to sorghum) originated in India. Benjamin Franklin planted the first seeds that he had taken from an imported brush. In 1789, a Massachusetts farmer named Levi Dickenson first made a corn straw broom and began manufacturing them soon after, according to a book on Hadley, Massachusetts, by Sylvester Judd. In 1878 Shakers invented the broom press, which changed round brooms of the past into flat brooms.
Materials
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Making brooms requires a stick 1 inch in diameter (any desired length) for the handle, which can be any hardwood. Each full-size broom consists of 3 lbs. of broom corn, and twine holds the broom straw together as waxed jute or hemp string is used for sewing.
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Tools
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A person who makes brooms by hand needs a drill, one long-eyed sails maker needle, sharp scissors and a tying block (a foot devise for holding the line taut).
A broom press, invented by Shakers in the late 1800s, is sometimes used to make flat brooms. The press is used to flatten out the broom corn and hold it while the broom straw is sewn together.
Method
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While soaking the broom corn for 15 minutes, the craftsman tapers one end of the handle and drills a hole. After winding string around a tying block, she securely ties it around the base of the handle and begins placing the broom straw under it, making two layers, then trims the ends. She winds the string tightly around the brush and up the handle.
For a flat broom, the broom maker ties a loop at the end of the string, surrounds the broom corn bristles with the string and ties the end of the string into the loop using a lark's head knot. He sews, using a lock stitch, across the broom, runs the thread through the broom brushes across the width of the broom and ties it tightly at the end; he cuts the ends flush with the broom and repeats two more times. He cuts the ends of the broom straw to make a flat bottom, braids a piece of string and threads it through the hole at the top of the handle.
To make a round broom, craftsmen use the same procedure only they bundle the broom corn and wrap the string around the broom corn about a fourth of the way down the sweeping part, tying it tightly and leaving the bottom rounded.
Types
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Alterations such as changing the type of handle produces decorative brooms such as guitar brooms, iron-handled brooms and leather-strap ones. Longer handles and rounded longer broom straw become cobweb brooms. For a spooky touch, a knotty-hickory handle with long twigs at the base turns into a witch's besum.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit broom image by .shock from Fotolia.com
