After you've filled up the space between the buckles with knots, trim
the leftover cord ends off with your scissors, melt the ends and press them onto the surrounding cord so it attaches as it hardens and won't come loose. *Be careful that you don't
burn yourself. You may use the flat side of your scissors on the hot melted cord.An alternative to melting the ends, is to use hemostats/forceps and tuck/pull the cord ends under a few of the knots, down the center of the bracelet, then trim and tuck the ends to finish.
I've also put this tutorial up on the Instructables website.
On my main blog page, Stormdrane's Blog, you can see various other paracord lanyards, fobs, keychains, bracelets, collars, belt, and a guitar strap that I've made, as well as links for more knot related books and online links for knot related information.*Further tips for paracord bracelets: If the side release buckle is large enough, you can loop the paracord around them again before you start knotting, to fill in the extra room on the buckle.
The 1/2" side release buckles are a tight fit for this, but will work, and the 5/8" size are just right.
This leaves a two strand core for the bracelet when you start knotting.
Now, you could also have a four strand core by starting with a lark's head on the first buckle end, double wrap on second buckle end(at your wrist size), run cord back to and over the first buckle end, then start knotting over the four strand core.
Or, for a six strand core, lark's head first buckle, run the two strands around second buckle(at your wrist size), back to and around first buckle(now has four strands around), then back to and around second buckle, and start knotting around the six core strands.
This gives extra cord in case you need it for whatever, but it also makes the paracord bracelets thicker and more rounded, which I personally didn't care for and that's why I stick with the two strand core. YMMV
55 comments:
Great work where can I buy 2 in OD
If you want to buy a paracord bracelet, I recommend Eric Isaacson on BladeForums(www.bladeforums.com). Look under the Exchange section under Individual gadgets/gear for sale.
You can also try Ken Cardwel, his site is www.knivesandlanyards.com
Excellent instructions! Thank you so much for publishing them! Financy
Holy cow! It's Macrame! Good job!
Yes, macrame enthusiasts know it as square knotting.
Scouts, sailors, soldiers, marines, and knot heads know it as the square/reef knot, Solomon bar, or Portuguese sinnet.
Children learn it with gimp, scoubi, scoobie, scoubidou, or boondoggle as the cobra stitch.
And in Chinese knotting is known as the flat knot.
Examples of the reef/square knot have been dated as far back as 10,000 years old, but since organic materials used for knots rarely survive very long, there's no telling how long humans have been using it and the manner of it's usage.
Until books started being published and available to the masses over the last few hundred years, most knotting knowledge was learned from person to person. Kinda makes ya wonder what's been lost to time or just waiting to be re-discovered... =)
Thanks for the great idea and help! Appreciate the time and effort you went to to share this.
Gerry
The design is not new, but when I couldn't find any instruction in books or online on how to attach a side release buckle, I figured it out on my own(not too hard ;) ) and had to share the info with a tutorial. I'm glad it's been helpful to many.
Would you mind explaining how to tie this same bracelet but with more inner strands (to bulk the bracelet up/use more cord)?
I was able to follow your incredibly clear instructions to tie a bracelet in about 20 minutes but I'm stuck with how to double or triple up the core to make the bracelet thicker.
Also, how would I go about using two contrasting strands of cord to create a patterned bracelet?
I understand the cobra stitch but can't wrap my head around the tying pattern for attaching multiple strands and/or two different colored strands to the side buckles.
Any help would be most appreciated!
If you use a larger buckle, like the 5/8" size, you can loop onto one end as you would making the regular paracord bracelet, then run the cord thru the other end, figuring the length, then run the cords back and around the starting end, then again back to the other buckle. From there you start knotting. You'll have six strands to knot around from there. I does make the bracelet thicker and more rounded, and I personally prefer it flatter. The benefit is adding 2 to 3 feet more cord to the bracelet.
To use two colors, you sew, melt, or glue two colors together. That point will be the center section of the cord you're using and will be located just to the side of looping onto the buckle and hidden as the core strands. Tie the bracelet as you normally would and the two different cords give the two-tone pattern. The pattern will be different on each side of the bracelet, center section one color and outer edge the other. You decide which side you want facing out when you start knotting.
Aha! That makes perfect sense! Thanks so much for your instructions and explanation!
After reading your reply and experimenting some more, I found that I could use two differently colored, separate strands of paracord and build the bracelet as in your instructions, then weave an outer layer of paracord using the two remaining free strands, making a very solid and wide bracelet.
Thank you again for your amazing instructions and help with my questions! Keep up the great work!
fantastic work...very good instruction...thank you so much for sharing these valuable information with us. really nice work.
Thanks a lot for your tutorials, Storm. My son and I are hooked with making paracord bracelets and have already distributed some among frieds and family.
We've tried to make them with two different colors, like we've seen in different websites, but haven't been able to come up with a decent start and finish. Could you share with us how to get this done?
Thanks in advance.
Nemo
You can sew, melt, or glue(one drop of super glue) two colors together, then loop onto one buckle end keeping the attached section of the cords where they'll be the 'core' of the bracelet. From there you knot as usual.
Wow. I love these. Thanks for your great tutorial. So many possibilities...only limited by the imagination. Fantastic, clear instructions. You're terrific for posting these for us!!
Wonderful instructions - thank you so much for taking the time to post! Can't wait to try making something....
Check out the editor we built at http://paracycle.se see what you think stormdrane.
Having more fun with your blog & the big box of paracord I got for my birthday. Thanks, as always, for an amazing tutorial!
Hope you had a Happy Birthday! Careful, this knot stuff can be addictive! :)
Dear StromDrane,
I am TT from Turkey.
I first saw paracord stuff on Striders of a friend and then started to search for info.
Then I saw your blog, and ordered 100 feet of 550 para from US which arrived and almost run out today.
I want to thank you a lot to found the cord-cyclopaedia for us.
Best regards,
TT
turantactical@hotmail.com
Great stuff, However when I tried to make one it twisted....what have I done wrong and / or how do I fix it?
Thanks in advance
If you tie the knots the same each time, you will get a spiral twist pattern. For example:
right cord under core strands, left under the right over the core and through the right, then again right cord under... = twist pattern.
You have to alternate the over/under with the left and right side cords:
right cord under core strands, left under the right over the core and through the right, then left under the core, right under the left over the core and through the left, then right... = flat pattern cobra stitch/Solomon bar/Portuguese sinnet/square knotting.
Your ideas and explanations are excellents and I'll try to work to make jewelry for men!
Greetings from France to U.S. :-))
Anna
I have found that a wood burning pen or soldering iron provides a tidy way to cut and seal paracord without the black marks left by using a lighter.
When joining two colors I like to remove a half inch or less of the white core strands inside one color and slide the other color cord inside the first. If both cords are lightly colored a stitch or two where they overlap will hold them in place while tying or braiding.
Thanks for sharing this, very useful!
This is really interesting, like the time you have put into your work. Nice!
Can you show how you would make a paracord bracelet using a maring shackle? Unless of course you already have one posted and I missed it.
A lot of folks use the marine shackles/bow shackles/D shackles instead of a side release buckle, but I've not used them.
You loop your paracord onto the bow/D end of the shackle, just as you would with a side release buckle, and then around the removable pin of the shackle, as would be done with the other buckle end, figuring the length, and start knotting from there.
I've been making these for a while now and started selling them in my gf's ebay store - http://stores.ebay.com/World-of-Neysa
Your blog gives an excellent tutorial.
I was just wondering if you have ever worked with the 450 paraline instead of 550 paracord?
I have used 450 cord before, and the outer sheath is often identical to the 550 paracord, where the 450 inner strands are loose fibrous poly strands, compared to the usual 7 twisted nylon strands in 550 paracord.
For decorative knot work, or gutted paracord projects(inner strands removed), the 450 type is fine. If you want the mil spec strength and potential utility of the inner strands, stick with the 550 paracord.
I have been enjoying your blog, and it has inspired me to try my hand at some simple projects.
However, can you explain (or give a source for) how to neatly and securely attach the two different colored cords that would be needed to make say, the paracord bracelet project as dual color versus a single color. Is there a trick to doing it correctly. Any info appreciated, and thanks for sharing your experience!
For two colors, you use half the amount for each color, that you'd use for a single color bracelet. So if you used 10 feet for a single color bracelet, you'll use 5 foot of each color for a two toned version, and once attached, you treat it as one length of cord.
You will insert one color about 1/2 inch into the other color. You may remove a small amount of the paracord's inner strands by pulling them out, trimming with scissors, and pulling the paracord outer sheath back over the strands, leaving room to insert the other color. A bent paper clip can help tuck one end into the other.
For various projects, I've used three different methods for securing the attached two colors of paracord: melting, sewing, or super glue. The choice is yours, I usually sew them together, it doesn't matter which method you use, as long as it's a good connection.
When looping the two colored cord onto a side release buckle, keep the attached section just off center, where it'll be in between the buckle ends. It will be hidden under the knots as you tie them.
Thanks for your blog and other pages on the subject of paracord bracelets.
I want to make a paracord watch band. Because of the design of my watch band attachment (a plastic Armitron band with an unconventional attachment) I need (or at least strongly desire to have) a band with what I think you'd call 3 cores (i.e., the cords that go between the buckles around which you tie the knots).
I've done a fair amount of searching on the Internet, but haven't found anything like that so far. Can you point me to something? (I'm looking for the type of knots to use, and, ideally, a set of instructions like this.)
Thanks!
@Randy, I haven't tie a paracord watchband for an Armitron, or a similarly built G-Shock, that have that unusual smaller band attachment area, so I can't really offer a quick fix for adding a paracord bracelet.
I know County Comm has a G-Shock watchband adapter that makes it possible to fit a normal watchband to the watch, but don't know if there's something similar for Armitron.
Here's an example link of someone adding a paracord bracelet/watchband to a G-Shock with an adapter.
You could probably follow any bracelet/watchband instructions and just put two or three core strands under the pins if they'll fit, and run any extra core strand just on the outside of the pins under the watch, but you'd have to experiment to see if that would work...
Stormdrane,
Thanks!
I've also now found your "Woven paracord bracelet/watchband" at http://www.instructables.com/id/Woven-paracord-braceletwatchband/ which uses the "weaving with 3 warps" method--that might do the job for me.
how to make a thinner version for a ladies size? same design though?
@amsgator, For a smaller/thinner version, just use paracord with the inner strands removed(gutted), or use smaller diameter cordage, it will be tied the same way.
@Stormdrane: ok, I think the cord I have is all the same diameter. Maybe I'll gut one so it's the width of one strand instead of 2 and see how it turns out. thanks!
Stormdrane, I haven't received my paracord yet, it is still in the mail, so I haven't gotten to play with it yet. But...how easy are the strands to pull out? If I wanted to pull all 7 out, could I just pull all 8 feet out at one time by grabbing all the strands and just pulling?
@amsgator, The inner strands are easily removed from the outer paracord sheath. For longer lengths, you can 'inchworm' the inner strands out, pull some, slide the sheath back, pull some more... A quick melting of the ends keeps the cord from fraying.
awesome, thanks for your help!
is a 5/8" buckle too big? that's all i have now, i'll have to order 3/8" if it's too big... :-\
@amsgator, a 5/8" might be on the large size, especially if you're using gutted paracord, even if you wrap the cord around the buckle ends extra times to fill up the space. I'd use a 3/8" buckle for this type bracelet with the gutted paracord. YMMV
I was going to get the 3/8 for gutted, but would 5/8 be ok for regular or should i use 3/8 for both?
@amsgator, I use 3/8", 1/2", and 5/8" buckles for the regular style paracord bracelets made in the tutorial, and you can use any of those depending on your personal tastes.
I'm realy sorry to ask this but do you sell these? My nephew would love one. I came accross your work on flicker and i'm blown away. again i have to stress i'm sorry to ask this but would you be willing to sell one? I went over to the websites you mentioned for other peoples work but it doesn't take my fancy. I really like the Long 4 bight turks head knot over paracord. I've trolled the web but not found anything of yours for sale. what do you say?
@gerrard, I've gotten away from selling online to keep from getting burned out on my hobby.
If you can't find someone that is selling some particular type of knot work on ebay, etsy, or various online forums, some will do custom requests if asked. I usually recommend folks give it a try themselves. :)
Thanks for this tutorial! I found a place that is ten minutes from my house that has a HUGE selection of paracord and they have a website. The prices are very competitive from what I have seen. I bought most of mine off amazon before I found these guys.Here is a link. http://www.parachutecord.net/ I am in no way affiliated with them, nor do I get anything for posting this. I am simply trying to help you guys out.
You suggest ~1ft of paracord per 1 inch of bracelet length w/ cobra stitch. How much would you advise starting with to do a King Cobra stitch?
@Anonymous, For the 'king cobra', I'd double the amount of paracord used for a knotted item using the 'cobra' stitch. You may use less or more depending on how tight/loose the knots are done, but it's always better to overestimate what you need than to come up short on a project.
Excellent article, thank you so much!
I have to agree with everyone here! Excellent explanations! BTW, try using "D" shackels instead of the plastic side buckles. They are a little more expensive but worth it if you want to do a really sharp looking one for yourself or someone you know...
Thanks for the tut! My son made 11 OD bracelets yesterday. He can't wait to sell them to his Boy Scout friends at camp. He used to make them with a lanyard knot on one end, but we bought some buckles recently, and he needed instructions on how to use them. Thanks again!
Made a few bracelets recently with craft wire doubled over, or a piece of #8 copper wire as the core. Cover it with a hollowed piece of paracord of your color choice, then start a cobra weave bracelet with seven strand cord and finish off as usual. No need for a clasp, knot and loop, button, etc. The wire bends around the wrist and holds in place easily.
I made quite a few different buckle bracelets (you can see a few examples at http://paracordcentral.org/paracord-jewelry/paracord-bracelet-instructions/. I am in love in using metal buckles, even though they are a bit more expensive.
Mark
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