Before you start braiding anything with paracord, it is important to buy enough cord, keeping in mind that the length of paracord you should buy is dependent on the type of braid you will be doing.
Creating a belt with a cobra braid for example, you will need about 50 to 70 feet of paracord depending on your waist size.
For smaller accessories like watch bands or bracelets, approximately 15 feet should suffice.
For a simpler braid, shorter lengths of cord may be used (also depending on the width of the item) but generally, the rule of thumb is to cut off or order more than you think you will be need just in case.
For those of you who are just starting out or are interested in beginning their first project with the greatest amount of ease, it would be best to start with a typical braid and using objects you can wrap the paracord around each end while braiding to ensure that it is as tight as possible.
Like nails on a workbench for instance...
For a typical braid pattern, depending on the width of the item you are thinking of making (lanyard, bracelet, belt, etc.
), you would need to wrap a minimum of 3 to 4 loops around two fixed nails or post-type fixtures.
Then start the braid vertically over and then under the horizontal cord while alternating the strands.
Remember that you have to keep tightening the braid after every pass before moving on to the next strand.
Once you have reached the desired length, remove the nails/posts with care while securing each of the strands and then passing them through the same set of loops.
Easy, wasn't it? The cobra weave is a bit more complex, but remains fairly straightforward.
This type of braid is normally used in making paracord survival belts.
When using the cobra weave you don't have to fixed posts as mentioned earlier, you do however need quite a long length of paracord.
Start by folding the paracord in the middle and coiling the ends up so that the braiding process is a bit faster and easier, otherwise you would have to pass a lot of cord under and over each other which could become quite tedious and exhausting after a while.
Now, take the left end of the paracord and pass it under the central strands, then take the right end passing under the left end, over the central strands and through the loop made by the left and then pull out the slack.
Repeat the steps, but starting with the right end of the cord this time.
Next, widen both loops at the end of the braid.
These loops will be for removing the slack in your finished accessory.
Continue the alternating pattern of the right- and left-sided loops until you have the length that you are looking for, then pull the ends of the cord through the widened loops mentioned earlier and knot them, also checking that the knot is tied at the desired length.
All that's left is to shorten the strands past the knot and pull the knot through the loop created by the central strands and tighten your accessory.
Now that you know all about braiding with paracord, what will your first project be? Whichever you decide, be sure to have fun.
Creating a belt with a cobra braid for example, you will need about 50 to 70 feet of paracord depending on your waist size.
For smaller accessories like watch bands or bracelets, approximately 15 feet should suffice.
For a simpler braid, shorter lengths of cord may be used (also depending on the width of the item) but generally, the rule of thumb is to cut off or order more than you think you will be need just in case.
For those of you who are just starting out or are interested in beginning their first project with the greatest amount of ease, it would be best to start with a typical braid and using objects you can wrap the paracord around each end while braiding to ensure that it is as tight as possible.
Like nails on a workbench for instance...
For a typical braid pattern, depending on the width of the item you are thinking of making (lanyard, bracelet, belt, etc.
), you would need to wrap a minimum of 3 to 4 loops around two fixed nails or post-type fixtures.
Then start the braid vertically over and then under the horizontal cord while alternating the strands.
Remember that you have to keep tightening the braid after every pass before moving on to the next strand.
Once you have reached the desired length, remove the nails/posts with care while securing each of the strands and then passing them through the same set of loops.
Easy, wasn't it? The cobra weave is a bit more complex, but remains fairly straightforward.
This type of braid is normally used in making paracord survival belts.
When using the cobra weave you don't have to fixed posts as mentioned earlier, you do however need quite a long length of paracord.
Start by folding the paracord in the middle and coiling the ends up so that the braiding process is a bit faster and easier, otherwise you would have to pass a lot of cord under and over each other which could become quite tedious and exhausting after a while.
Now, take the left end of the paracord and pass it under the central strands, then take the right end passing under the left end, over the central strands and through the loop made by the left and then pull out the slack.
Repeat the steps, but starting with the right end of the cord this time.
Next, widen both loops at the end of the braid.
These loops will be for removing the slack in your finished accessory.
Continue the alternating pattern of the right- and left-sided loops until you have the length that you are looking for, then pull the ends of the cord through the widened loops mentioned earlier and knot them, also checking that the knot is tied at the desired length.
All that's left is to shorten the strands past the knot and pull the knot through the loop created by the central strands and tighten your accessory.
Now that you know all about braiding with paracord, what will your first project be? Whichever you decide, be sure to have fun.