We de-fuzz the rope before it gets to you, but like any natural fibre rope, flax will get fuzzier with use, and eventually you’ll decide it needs cleaning up.

If there are just a few bits here and there, you can use a candle or a cigarette lighter. If the whole rope needs sorting out, you’re better off with a “camping gas” burner. Set the flame to “medium-low” - certainly no roaring light blue centre to it - and pass the rope through at a steady speed (about one foot per second), twisting it between thumb and finger as you go. The technique needs a bit of time to get right, but not much! A good guideline is that if you get soot marks on the rope, you’re going too slow.

A few words of warning. Once harper was de-fuzzing some rope while sitting down (an old injury sometimes makes standing in the same place for too long rather painful), and a kink in the rope caught in one of the pan supports on the camping gas burner and tipped the whole thing straight into his lap, flame pointing in exactly the worst possible place... he survived intact, although his trousers didn’t. Don’t let it happen to you!

Make sure you have some ventilation around. Possibly it would be wise to wear a respiratory mask, especially if you’re planning a long de-fuzzing session and/or have any breathing medical issues.