SCUTCHER
The scutcher processes the retted flax straw into fibre. During the scutching process, the stalks of the flax plants, hanging down from a belt in which they are clasped, are superficially beaten by rotating blades, in order to remove the shives (broken wooden inner parts of the stalk) and the tow (short fibres). The main product of the scutcher is the scutched flax (long fibre).