Wednesday, March 14, 2012

DIY PARACORD LACING NEEDLE

I once thought that there was no way that someone with basic tools could produce a better Lacing Needle than the Tandy Leather Factory's Perma Lok Lacing Needle, until now. After trying many different techniques from collaborations between my readers and I, I decided that I would take the simplest route possible. You can make this type of Lacing Needle with little more than a screw driver, drill and something to cut the needle material (i.e. hacksaw or Dremel).



MATERIALS
TOOLS
  • Screwdriver
  • Drill
  • Hacksaw (anything that will cut the needle)
  • Vise (anything that will securely hold the needle)


INSTRUCTIONS
 Once you've acquired the tools and materials, the rest is fairly easy. CAUTION: ALWAYS WEAR SAFETY GLASSES WHEN WORKING WITH METAL AND FOLLOW SAFETY GUIDELINES OF THE SPECIFIC TOOL YOU ARE USING. 
Please excuse the mess in my workshop
  1. Determine the length that you want the needle to be and mark it and then cut it.
  2. Place the needle in an upright position in the vise.
  3. Using the #43 drill bit, drill down the center of the shaft of the needle to a depth of  ¼" (be careful to drill straight down the center). I used a smaller bit before using the final bit so that it is easier to drill the center point.
  4. Use one the 4x¾ Metal Screws, screw in the screws with the screwdriver until you reach the total depth.
  5. Remove the screw and you're pretty much finished. If you want to produce the polished look like my final result you will need to remove the paint from needle. I used my Dremel, but you can use sandpaper in a pinch. Once sanded, use a polishing compound to bring the needle to a brilliant shine (I recommend using Flitz, it's the best polish on the market). 
Perma Lok Needle, Size 5 Needle, Size 6 Needle


SOURCES AND REFERENCES

    5 comments:

    1. How do u connect the paracord to the needle?

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    2. @Daniel: Using any of the needles on paracord whether it's homemade or a Perma Lok needle, it has always been a chore to secure the paracord to the needle. The method I use is by using my trusty Wood Engraving tool to melt the end of the paracord forming a point like a pencil tip. You can use a lighter to achieve the same result, but you have to smooth the heated paracord with your finger tips and if you're not careful you will burn yourself. I would recommend spending the ten bucks to buy the wood burner, it makes cutting and finishing your paracord designs easy. Here's a link that shows the one that I use and was purchased from Walmart.

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    3. Thanks for the advice. I just made two and they work great!

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    4. Can you use double sided needles too?? That are still aluminum just they have points on both sides. I was just asking because you get more in a pack for the same price as the ones you recommend. Please respond ASAP.Thanks.😎

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    5. @Joshua: If you mean a needle that has points on both ends, you could use them to widen the hole so that the paracord will go through. With double sided needles there is no way to attach the paracord to the needle.

      ReplyDelete