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.