Paracord Outdoor Gear Projects E-Book

Pepperell Braiding Company

• Herausgeber: Fox Chapel Publishing
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2017

Seitenzahl: 50

Beschreibung

If you love the outdoors, you'll love parachute cord! Strong, lightweight, and durable, it's the most versatile material ever developed for making outdoor gear and accessories. This book shows you how easy it is to use colorful paracord to create attractive and useful survival bracelets, lanyards, straps, and more.Paracord Outdoor Gear Projects takes you step by step through all the knots and wraps you need to know. Get practical advice on tools and materials, and learn the right way to melt and fuse the cut ends of your cord. Whether you're camping in the wilderness, working outside, or just walking the dog, you're sure to find the ideal DIY project here.

Leseprobe

Contents

Getting Started

Knots

Lark’s Head Knot

Double Lark’s Head Knot

Half Hitch

Alternating Half Hitch

Figure Eight Knot

Square Knot over Filler

Crown Knot Round Sinnet

Crown Knot Square Sinnet

Half Hitch Spiral

Terminal Knot

Crown Knot for Netting

Lanyard Knot

Monkey’s Fist

Turk’s Head Knot

Three-Strand Hair Braid

Four-Strand Round Braid

Six-Strand Flat Braid

Ten-Strand Flat Braid

Projects

Survival Bracelet

Hiking Stick Grip

Wrist Lanyard

Classic Neck Lanyard

Breakaway Lanyard

Water Bottle Holder

Watch Strap

Bedroll Straps and Handle

Utility Strap

Belt

Monkey’s Fist Keychain

Flashlight Wrap

INTRODUCTION

In its current form, parachute cord is a product of the Second World War. Historically, silk was used in various lifesaving military applications due to its strength-to-weight ratio. Notable uses were webbed straps, parachute cloth, and shroud lines. After the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, however, trade with Japan ended, causing a shortage of silk and the need to find a replacement.

Nylon had been invented about six years earlier by Wallace Carothers at DuPont. The strong, lightweight, and consistent synthetic material actually proved superior to silk when utilized properly. The invention of nylon coupled with the military need for a silk replacement resulted in parachute cord (or paracord).

The military specifications for minimum standards of paracord are outlined by MIL-C-5040H in six types. The most common is Type III (type 3) or 550 parachute cord. The “550" is in reference to the minimum tensile strength specified by the US government. Initially, paracord was only available in olive drab and “natural,” an off-white color. Until recently it was a surplus item.

Due to its very high tensile strength, soldiers and sailors found many uses for paracord other than shroud lines, and it became a staple utility item for all branches of the military. It is believed that soldiers stationed in the Middle East are the catalyst of the recent popularity of this great cord. As a sort of modern “trench art,” paracord is tied into various useful items and accessories. The most common items are bracelets, given as gifts or sent home to loved ones.

Civilians wear these gift bracelets to show support for their friends and family in the military. They soon began to be marketed and worn as “survival bracelets” and advertised as a way to keep a necessary survival item at hand. These bracelets (as you will learn) are not only handy but also easy and fun to make.

The popularity of these bracelets encouraged manufacturers to develop and market commercial versions of paracord in many bright colors, color combinations, and sizes for the civilian market.

GETTING STARTED

Working with paracord is easy and fun. You only need a handful of items and several lengths of cord to get started making tons of handy projects. This section introduces you to the tools you will need to make the projects in this book. You will also find some great tips and tricks to make working with paracord as simple as possible.

The Anatomy of Parachute Cord

Paracord consists of an outer jacket of nylon strands braided over inner strands of twisted nylon (called filler). The number of strands used for the jacket and the filler varies by the size of the cord. In 550 cord (the most common type), there are thirty-two strands in the jacket and seven or eight strands of filler.

Paracord is manufactured using technology that dates to the late nineteenth century. The nylon yarn is wound onto bobbins and then braided on a machine called a Maypole Braider. The largest builder of these braiding machines was the New England Butt Company of Providence, Rhode Island. Though they are no longer in business, the machines they built continue to braid cord around the clock.

Even though nylon is a synthetic fiber, it is still subject to variations in size and color with each batch. This means that cord braided on the same machines from different lots of yarn may vary in color, size, feel, and “shine.”

Figure 1. These illustrations are from an 1888 patent for improvements to braiding machines that were commonly used during that time.

Figure 2. To braid the cord, bobbins wound with yarn are placed on carriers. A leather belt attached to a drive shaft moves the carriers, braiding the yarn around the filler strands.

Figures 3 and 4. The braided cord comes out of the top of the machine and around a “takeoff reel,” where it is collected in a basket or wound onto a spool.

Tools

Good sharp scissors, a butane lighter, and a yardstick or tape measure are all that you really need to start working with paracord. While these basic items will get you started, you’ll find that the additional items listed below can often make projects a little bit easier and therefore more enjoyable to make.

QUALITY SCISSORS

Stiff and sharp blades are a necessity to cut paracord cleanly.

YARD STICK OR TAPE MEASURE

Most projects require several feet of paracord, so you’ll want something longer than a standard ruler to measure it. You can also measure out marks on your workbench for quick reference.

BUTANE LIGHTER

This is used to fuse two lengths of cord together, as well as finish the ends to prevent unraveling.

BLACK PERMANENT MARKER.

This is good for marking lengths of cord, as well as touching up fused ends to make them look nicer.

CYANOACRYLATE GLUE.

Sold as “super glue,” this adhesive can be used to secure cord ends and prevent fraying in projects where fusing is difficult.

FID

In its basic form, a fid is simply a pointed stick. This is used to work knots tighter as well as break them.

LACING NEEDLE

This is a metal tube that is pointed at one end and threaded on the inside at the other end. The threaded end can be twisted onto the end of a cord for weaving and tying knots. It can also be used in the same manner as a fid.

SPLICING TOOL