Paracord bracelet with a side release buckle

Step 9: Other variations.

Once you have the hang of the basic bracelet/collar, you can add another layer of cobra stitches overlapping first set of knots, called a king cobra stitch/doubled Solomon bar/doubled Portuguese sinnet. The amount of cord used for a king cobra is about twice as much as for the regular stitch. Glow-in-the-dark cord can be found at CoolGlowStuff.com. Both the 1/16" and 3/32" sizes work well for the bracelets and can be used alone or combined with paracord.

Comments

[MrsHill]

Very good instructions!! So easy to follow. I made one for me and a matching one for my 2yo daughter in about 30 minutes. Thanks!!

[rockrat]

Hi, thanks for this.
One question nobody has asked... If the ends are melted into the surrounding cord , what strength (or loss of) impact will it have on the Cord when uncalled, and also hw do you unravell it. I want t make one as a spare cord to carry that will actually get used in backpacking etc

[Stormdrane]

When I melt the cord end, I spread the melted part over the surrounding cord, without also melting that cord too.  Using the flat side of a screwdriver, knife blade, or side of  the lighter, instead of your fingers, can help prevent getting burned by hot melted cord.

A butane torch lighter helps with making a precise melt of the cord end, without damaging the surrounding cord.

The melted part can be pried/pulled apart from the underlying cord, after it's cooled/hardened, when you want to take the bracelet apart.

Alternatively you can use hemostats to tuck/pull the end strands under the last couple of knots on each side of the bracelet and trimmed to finish, and avoid melting issues all together.

Sewing the ends in place also works, but requires carefully cutting the thread between the cords, with a knife/scissors/razor blade, when you want to disassemble the bracelet.

Super glue hardens the cord, so is not recommended if you're planning on taking the bracelet apart.  Rubber cement works if carefully applied, and after drying it can be peeled off of the cord.

[Izzy1665]

I use a drop of hot glue from my wife's hot glue gun that she uses for crafting. It dries pretty fast and stays soft, doesn't harm any of the cord, and can be peeled off with ease if you ever need to unravel the cord for some reason.

Glue guns are cheap at WalMart and Kmart and a bag of glue sticks lasts forever and a day if you don't use them for everything.

[wilsonmpa]

where did you get the medical ID charm? i would love to make my husband one of these!!

[Stormdrane]

I believe I bought that one at a Kroger grocery store in the pharmacy section.

[Countrygirl27]

Hi , just a question , on the King Cobra bracelet , do you start it like a normal bracelet , but over the finished part ? just wanting to know because would like to try it =)

[Stormdrane]

The king cobra/doubled Solomon bar/Portuguese sinnet can be tied in more than one way, but the simplest is to use a single strand, tying it like the normal bracelet, and when you reach the point where you would trim and melt/sew/glue/tuck the ends to finish the normal bracelet, you instead continue the same knotting process back over the bracelet towards the starting end.

Of course you would have doubled the starting amount of paracord to be able to do this with a single strand when starting. You could use a different color for the second layer, having two colors for the start(as seen in examples), or two colors for the second layer, etc....

[garykentjr]

so in order to do a king cobra 2 color bracelet the first bracelet would have to be longer than a basic cobra? i usually make an 8" would i make a 9"? then how much for the outer layer (the king)?

[Stormdrane]

A king cobra/doubled Solomon bar type paracord bracelet will be thicker, so the inner diameter of a finished bracelet would be less than that of a regular bracelet at the same length. So, I usually add at least an inch to my wrist measurement when figuring size for a comfortable fit, but that can vary by how tight or loose you tie your own as well as variations in actual paracord dimensions from various manufacturers, meaning you may get by with less or need more than an added inch.

Tie one adding an inch to your wrist size to check if that works for you before making final cuts. You can then untie and make longer or shorter if needed.

[garykentjr]

my wrist measures 7". when i do my regular cobra i make an 8". for the king cobra, the inner layer would be a 9"? then the outer would be 10"? forgive my inexperience.

[Stormdrane]

Ok, so you're adding 1" to your wrist measurement for a regular bracelet, so you'd probably need somewhere around 1/2" to 1" more for a king cobra.  You just set up for tying an 8.5" to 9" bracelet and start knotting. 

Once you have that measurement you tie the cobra stitch and then work the king cobra over that.  Your finished bracelet is going to be 8.5" or 9", there is no 'second' outer layer measurement, the longer starting length allows the thicker bracelet to fit the wrist...

[garykentjr]

i guess by "second layer" i meant second cord. i would like to do 2 different colors. the inside green and the outside black .the inside weave ill use about 9' of cord to make the bracelet. the outside weave (which will make it a king cobra) im still unsure of the length. i do appreciate your time sir.

[garykentjr]

(removed by author or community request)

[Stormdrane]

Ah, the amount of cord used for the 'second' layer king cobra will vary on how tight/loose you make the knots and their spacing over the underlying bracelet.

I usually overestimate what I need in order to keep from coming up short, so if I used 8 feet of cord for a cobra bracelet, I'd double the total plus a couple extra for a king cobra/doubled Solomon bar, using around 10 feet of cord, which you may not need all of... ;)

[garykentjr]

ok that makes sense. ill give it a whirl tonight and keep you updated. THANKS SO MUCH!!

[Countrygirl27]

Okay thank you for getting back to me , I will have to try it out when I find some paracord , hopefully I'll be able to find some in town . Thanks again =)

[Stormdrane]

Check local Army/Navy surplus stores, or outdoor stores like REI and Bass Pro Shops. ;)

[pmckeever iii]

Hey love this it helped me make my first one. I am attempting a second on but with 2 colors. on a 5/8ths buckle I believe. It looks like it was shown in other variations. I am having trouble making one do you have a tutorial for them.
Can you help me?

[SparkytheHappyGiraffe]

Thank you so much!!

[i8ntrt]

I've been thinking of trying one of these for a while now. When I saw at the end you mentioned Glow in the dark para chord I was hooked. I have loved all thing Glow in the dark since I was a kid. Had my supplies ordered within 15 mins. Ordered the 3/32 glow with 3/8th buckle

[Texasknight]

How do you attach the skulls and the medical id tag?

[Stormdrane]

There are different methods to add them, like sewing them in place, running the cord through the skulls or tag rings as you tie the bracelet, where you want them placed, etc...  I've used multiple methods, so there's not just one way that works, you choose which works best for the items you have to work with.

[txbywayofms]

how do you finish/hide the knots at the end when you finish overlapping the first set of knots?

[Stormdrane]

You can either sew, melt, or glue the ends, after you trim them right at the last knot, or use hemostats to push/pull the end strands under a couple of knots on the inside of the bracelet, then trim the excess to finish.

[txbywayofms]

thanks for the quick reply. I also liked your youtube video with the slip-on paracord bracelet. Look forward to doing both.

[black hole]

I'm having a little trouble making the "king cobra" bracelet. How much longer should the center strands be, compared to the standard cobra?

[Stormdrane]

When I make a king cobra/doubled Solomon bar/Portuguese sinnet type bracelet, I usually double the total amount of paracord that I use for a regular bracelet. The bracelet will be thicker, so I add about 1" to 1.5" to my wrist measurement for a comfortable fit, but you will have to try it yourself to see exactly where yours fits best.

[black hole]

Okay, thanks. I'll try that.

[lknowles]

Just made my first one...love it! Thanks so much!!!!

[Swairlines]

This variation is such a killer braid.....Anyone have the step by step instructions for it?

[csteelmon]

I made one for my husband and one for my self, we love them...

[SIRJAMES09]

this is just too cool!! I read your other instructable on the watch band/bracelet...
not sure which one is better, this one or that one...They both are well written, very informative, very educational, & last but not least, I enjoy reading them both immensely!!

TY for sharing!!

[monkey6880]

Hi everyone, where do you the buckle? Thanks.

[amstewart]

You can also get a sample supply of 5 buckles from www.itwnexus.com and it's free.

[caddocrawler]

Craft/sewing stores have them for under a dollar. At least they used to be under a buck. Good luck!

Caddocrawler

[dwtaylor99]

I got my first buckle from a Wal-Mart dog collar which cost about $3.50. I just discovered that REI sells a 5/8" curved buckle in their backpacking section for only $0.75. I just finished making a bracelet using it and it works fine although it is slightly more difficult to latch than the dog collar buckle.

[monkey6880]

thank you for your info.

[Stormdrane]

The side release buckle I used came from Creative Designworks, as mentioned(linked) in the 'Intro' of the instructable.(cdwplus.com)

[monkey6880]

thank you, sir