Unique Key Fobs

I decided I needed to change out my old Monkey Fist fob and replace it with something new, and in the next couple of posts I'll be adding some images of the fobs that I like best and I'm hoping for some input from you on your choices.

Click the Continue Reading button for individual images of each fob.

Unique Oblong Knot

The Oblong Knot is similar to the Chinese Cloverleaf Knot. I have been waiting for a practical use for this knot for quite awhile now and when I decided to "unique-ilize" my laptop backpack, it gave me just the situation I needed. I wanted to decorate the bag with zipper pulls and a Turk's Head handle. (Continued...)

 The easiest method of learning to tie this knot is to pin it out on a board following the diagram below. Note that in my example I cut and singed one end and made a loop and tucked it inside the inside the knot with the other, the original would have a strand on top and bottom. This is just another example of tweaking knots to fit your needs, I also tied a Chinese Cloverleaf zipper pull in this same manner.



Double-click the image to see the full size, you may want to print it out and pin your cord straight to the image.

Unique Elastic Somon Bar Bracelet

Most paracord bracelets are made using plastic buckles but now there's another way. J.D. at TyingItAllTogether had another great idea by using elastic ponytailers to create a stretchable bracelet.
I really like the look of the full band without the cumbersome knot or buckle. The only drawback is going to be for the folks with larger wrists, though these are stretchable, the tighter it's stretched, the more it's going to dig-in to your skin. If this is the case, I believe Shock cord would work in place of the ponytailers. This can be purchased in basic colors from Supply Captain. (Continued...)

I followed  J.D.'s instructions for creating an Elastic Solomon Bar (Cobra) Bracelet by using six feet of paracord but I chose to use two colors (black and silver) so I had to join them together using three feet in each color.
Once I reached the end, I continued to weave the final leads into the beginning side so it would seem as the bracelet is one piece. This worked well but the cut leads can still be seen, but that doesn't mean that it's obvious. The silver lead end can't be seen while wearing the bracelet because it's on the inside. The black lead end will be seen but you can trim and singe it well enough that it's not noticeable inside the silver loop, you may choose a different method but this one worked best for my situation.

Unique Paracord Lamp

For a while now I've been wanting to try the Table Lamp project described in Stuart Grainger's Creative Ropecraft. So I set out on a journey to find the materials needed to complete the project. The cordage was the easiest thing since I knew I was going to be using paracord and since this project would probably require around thirty feet or more, I used my olive drab paracord because it seems that I have more of that than any other color. As for the lamp, you can purchase the lamp guts, the wiring and socket for the bulb, from a hardware store which was what I intended to do. In the book, Grainger used a cut-off piece of broom handle for lamp post, I was going to use pvc, which can also be purchased from a hardware store. (Continued...)
So having my vision for the lamp in my head, I headed to Lowe's and here's where my vision was derailed. I found the lamp socket like I expected, but what I didn't expect was to have to pay five dollars for it and without the electrical cord. I was told by my dear mother while researching this project that you can purchase the whole lamp (electrical cord and all) from one of the local Dollar stores and it would be less than ten dollars. Since I was trying to maintain a budget on this project, I went with the Dollar store option and purchased the lamp and hood for less than ten dollars, had I went with Lowes it was sure to have cost twenty dollars or more for a lamp. One of my main objectives when deciding to create a project is not to spend as little as possible on cheap materials but to spend the least amount on the best materials.

To tie this lamp I followed along with Grainger until I reached the halfway point, he used a Matthew Walker knot, I tied this and didn't like it so I removed it and kept going with the eight strand Crown knot. Also he started and ended with a Star knot, with the way the posts join together on my lamp I decided to only tie the Star knot on the top which would leave the ends showing on the bottom, I covered this with a 3Lx4B Turk's Head knot.
For the upper section, it was pretty much the same as the lower section just smaller. The only thing different was since it was such a small section, another Star knot wouldn't look right so I tied an eight strand Crown knot with a 3Lx4B Turk's Head knot covering both ends.
The Table Lamp project in Creative Ropecraft is a great weekend project. If you decide to try one I would only use the book as a reference and add your own touches to it because you know what knots you like and what will go with your individual lamp. This is the glorious part of knot tying, there is always another knot available, you just have to tie it.



P.S. I know the final image is hard to see but I completed the project rather late and wanted to get it out there as soon as possible so I haven't had time to take a definitive image so that will be on the agenda for tomorrow.

Unique Crimson Tide Paracord Gear

 I finally started my Alabama Crimson Tide Fan Gear. The first knot is a Monkey's Fist with Snake knot finished off with a Hangman's Noose. The other two are Chain Sinnets, also known as a Zipper Sinnets. To tie the last knot, follow J.D.'s tutorial at TyingItAllTogether. As for the middle knot I've included a short tutorial located in the previous post.
I've returned to this post with more Tide Gear, hope you enjoy.

Unique Double Chain Sinnet

Click the Continue Reading button for the remainder of this post...

The Unique Double Chain Sinnet is fairly easy to tie, you have to continue to tweak the cords after each loop to get the best look.

 

Front Side

 Back Side

Unique Lacing Needles for Paracord

Recently I searched online to try and find the cheapest Perma Lok Lacing Needles to tie Turk's Head knots. The needles are fairly cheap but considering that it costs more to ship them than the actual product costs, I just don't find that it's worth it unless you're ordering twenty or more so that the shipping per package doesn't seem so much like robbery. Times are tough these days and I believe in saving every penny possible so I read an article in KHWW.net that shows you how to create your own lacing needles using copper pipe. The trouble with this method is that I couldn't find any copper smaller than 1/4 inch in diameter (I believe that's the smallest size) and when you figure the Paracord is 1/8 inch, the 1/4 inch copper pipe is a good bit larger and doesn't seem practical. (Continued...)

Before tying my last Turk's Head knot, I read an article about taping the ends of the paracord in a point and this got me thinking about the ends. When paracord is heated, it gets really hard so I broke out my wood burner that I purchased from Wal-Mart for around eight dollars and using the flat tip, I started from the end making a sharp point and then went up to about two inches.  I have to say that it worked really well and I was able to complete the Turk's Head knot without using my hemostats. I'm not saying that this way is better than using lacing needles but if you don't own any and your in a pinch, this will get you by. You may also use a  soldering iron, I didn't use mine because the wood burner comes with multiple tips and the flat tip made it easier to form the point and the wood burner uses a higher temperature than my soldering iron.
You can either create a needle for every project you tie or you can cut the needle a couple of inches away from the needle you created and reuse it by joining two ends of paracord together and then cutting it again once you're finished using it. Just remember that the heat makes the paracord fairly rigid, not unbreakable so don't try to bend it because it will break and you'll have to start over.

If this method doesn't strike your fancy you may want to use the other method of creating lacing needles that I mentioned before but instead of using copper from a hardware store, a reader commented that you may be able to find some small diameter copper tubing from hobby shops for use on model airplanes and such. Also, if you can locate some hollow knitting needles, they will work but you'll have to improvise a way to make the paracord stay in place. I will be trying both of these new methods as soon as I can find the material and I will let you know what I come up with.

Unique Super Swamper Bracelets

The Dragons Tongue is rapidly becoming my favorite weaving method for survival bracelets. I learned to tie this weave by watching the video by J.D. at TyingItAllTogether, he has shown me many of the knots I tie. I like to call these bracelets "Super Swampers" because in my opinion it looks just like the tread of tires called "Super Swamper Boggers" by Interco Tire. If you don't know what I'm talking about then check out the website and make your own conclusion. (Continued...)






For both of these bracelets I thought I would try a different knot for the catch of the bracelet. I tied a Double Knife Lanyard Knot and once I tried them on I wished I had tied the single. While typing on my laptop I learned that the knot made it really hard to type because it was too big. The Double Knife Lanyard Knot looks cool but it's just too big and shouldn't be used for bracelets. For the earth tone bracelet I used black and coyote brown with coyote tan 550 Type III Nylon Paracord. For the other bracelet I used red and white with silver 550 Type III Nylon Paracord. Each bracelet used around five feet for the main strand and two feet for the tying strand.

Unique Triple Cobra Fob

For my first post I thought I would go with a common design, though I added a not so common twist. I chose to triple weave the cobra, and no you aren't seeing the image wrong, it's kind of fat but I like the chunky look of the king. (Continued...)

 
The king cobra part of the fob is about 3.5" with the loop adding another 3". I followed this tutorial to join two six feet strands of Coyote Brown and Black 550 Nylon Paracord.