Paracord watchband/bracelet with a side release buckle

This tutorial will show how to make a paracord watchband with a side release buckle using the alternate half-hitch. It can also be made without a watch for use as a paracord bracelet, or on a larger scale as a dog or cat collar. More projects, links, knot references can be seen on my blog page, Stormdrane's Blog.

Step 1: Supplies

Supplies needed: 10 feet of paracord, scissors, torch lighter, tape measure, a watch with the watchand pins, and a 5/8 inch side release buckle. The 5/8 inch curved buckles can be found at Creative Designworks or ITW Nexus brand ones on ebay, either will work fine. I use paracord with the 7 inner strands from the Supply Captain, but other similar types/diameter of cord will work as well.

Comments

[southpaw0727]

I am really excited to try this out, but I need a watch that has enough room between the pins and the watch body. I bought one watch and even after Dremeling away a little bit of plastic molding, there is no way that I can get 1 let alone 4 strands of 550 between the pins and the body. Do you think that this watch will work?

http://www.amazon.com/Timex-T2N647-Weekender-Black-Slip-Thru/dp/B004VR9GCQ/ref=sr_1_268?s=watches&ie=UTF8&qid=1359000562&sr=1-268&keywords=watches

This is the one I bought that didn't work out.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000B55AFE/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00

[Rambo556]

you don't have to use 4 strands,just 2. It will hold less paracord, but if u can just attach the paracord to the pin and the buckle without putting it under the watch. Then u can use a 1/2 in. buckle. Also , try to take the pins out to get the paracord in. Hope this helps

[Rambo556]

you don't have to use 4 strands,just 2. It will hold less paracord, but if u can just attach the paracord to the pin and the buckle without putting it under the watch. Then u can use a 1/2 in. buckle. Also , try to take the pins out to get the paracord in. Hope this helps

[Stormdrane]

You can't really tell from photos if paracord will fit, even when they do give the watch dimensions. Paracord can vary slightly in size, from one manufacturer to another, so where one might fit, another may not.

If possible, look for the watch you like at a brick/mortar store, where you can handle it and get a good look at it before buying one just for a paracord poject. ;)

[Rambo556]

Great 'ible! This is the easiest paracord bracelet i've seen. 5 stars. :)

[Vincent VD]

Very nice post! I get a lot of compliments on my watch!!
Thank you :)

[aesquivel]

I have a question: the 10ft of paracord are for a 8" bracelet like the one pictured, right? So if I want to make a 7" bracelet should I just do the proportion (10ft x 7"/8" = 8.75ft)?

[Stormdrane]

There are many variables with making paracord bracelets that affect how much cord is needed/used. Paracord can vary from one source to another in diameter/thickness, some feeling more solid/round and others flatten out, as well as how tight or loose any particular knotting pattern is tied by each person.  So I recommend using more that you think you'll need so that you don't come up short on a project. 

If making many of the same type projects, you can narrow down the exact amount of cord needed, based on your own tying style and supplies used.

Leftover bits of paracord can be used for short fobs and zipper pulls, so they don't have to go to waste.  Lengths of just a few inches can be tied with a lanyard knot, wall knot, Matthew Walker knot, snake knots, etc. and shorter pieces can be used with cord tips/ends... ;)

[the bull]

are the buckles pretty strong, how hard are they too break. i would like to see and use the d-ring shackle . has anyone used these.

[aesquivel]

The plastic buckles are strong enough for most applications. Keep in mind that you don't want something attached to your wrist that is stronger than your wrist itself: if it gets pulled it with enough strenght to break a plastic buckle you will always want the buckle to break first rather than your skin and flesh. That will not happen with a steel shackle.

[kathyb910]

I have bought buckles and d-ring shackles from the supply captain and they are great.Very strong,Friend them on facebook,they have great sales around all the holidays,

[silverassassin3]

i have used the shackles, no complaints, the buckles would probabley break if you fell on them. plus you can get the shackles at home depot.

[bigdaddy0]

your not going to break that shackle.........

[jade1234]

i dont use the d-ring shackle but the buckles are pretty good

[the bull]

thanks , i have 2 watches think i will try both,

[Stormdrane]

The plastic buckles hold up well, I've never had one break on me, but being plastic, they will eventually break if enough force/stress is applied to them. Some folks like to use the bow/D shackles for paracord bracelets, but they are more expensive, heavier, and harder to get on/off than using a side release buckle, it's just a personal preference to use them or not.

[enemysniperspotted]

Thank you for those wonderful instructions, made my first bracelet with them. ^^

[lazydave54]

I was really lucky in that my size estimations and knot tightness produced a perfect fit the first time! I doubt I'll be able to pull that off again, as I plan to use this great tutorial to produce more watch bands and bracelets. Do you know of a source for medic alert tags that can be purchased without having to buy whatever bracelet they come on? Thanks again for posting this!

[Stormdrane]

I just did a quick google search for 'medic alert tag' for one example that sells the tag alone, there are certainly others. ;)

[Grnguy1]

This is great kid friendlly project. All sorts of items come to mind, watch bands, ID bracelets, pet collars etc. thanks for sharing

Grnguy1

[Kevin J. Stoll]

Do you take orders if I send you my watch ? Hand eye cordination isn't what it use to be.

[Stormdrane]

I rarely take orders to keep from getting burned out on my hobby. I recommend folks tie their own paracord bracelets and watchbands, to make sure they get the perfect fit that they want, since they can easily untie/retie the work until it's just right, before finishing a project.

For those that want to pay someone, there are knot tyers that do custom work by requests on sites like ebay, etsy, artfire, and in some of the buy/sell/trade sections of various online forums. So, if you search around you should be able to find someone to help you out. But, there's always the risk of having it not fit as you'd like, the color not being what you expected, quality of materials used, being too loose or tight, having the added expense of mailing it back and forth, etc...

[jamesjames1]

wanted to say thanks for this, i spend alot of time away from everything, and this is the first instuctable i ran across and i have to say you nailed it,

its well done and very easy to understand i made one for my step father he loved it
so thanks

[waykno]

A cloth measuring tape.

[JohannDB]

I like the idea of ths instructable. I would like to make it out of two different colors. Does anybody have any suggestions?

[Stormdrane]

Sew, melt, or glue two colors together and follow the instructions from there. For example, if you use 10 ft of cord for a one color bracelet, you would use two 5 ft lengths attached for the two color version.

[Lou_45]

What type of measurements to take for different sizes?

[Stormdrane]

The measurements for two colors are done the same way as for a single color, just attach the two colors and then treat the length of cord just like you would a single color strand.

[JohannDB]

Thank you for the tip. I'll give it a shot tonight while watching Monday Night Football.

[#OccupyInstruct]

is it possible to make is 2 colors? and by the way nice instruct

[Molly_smiles]

This was awesome! I wanted to get my boyfriend a paracord watch for Christmas and hated all the ones I ordered... after I made this, I can say that he will (hopefully!) LOVE his Christmas present! It looks great! Thanks for the great instructions! Took less than an hour on the "real one"... made a mini version as a prototype with only took 1/2 hour or so! :)

[tbcross]

Here's my take on it. I found my future hubby's old dog tag out in the garage on a lawn mower keyring. So I thought I'd make something a little nicer for it to hang out on.

[chrisbonheur]

Great handmade holiday gift idea for returning military, from their loved-ones.

[JQ2470]

Hello tbcross,
Thats a awesome looking dog tag paracord braclet, what type of weave did you use? and how do you get the dog tag on?
Im going to attempt to make one using the cobra weave! I just hope it turns out the way your's did, I just can't figure out how to weave the tag onto the braclet.

Hope to hear from you,
JQ2470

[TubaJ446]

Wired, that's the length of my wrist. I'll try this,I have a lot of old watches,

[~•SMART•~]

do you have a way of knowing how much paracord you need depending on how big your wrists are. I dont like waisting paracord, and i have 6 inch wrists and i like 6 and a half to seven inch bracelets.

[Stormdrane]

How much cord is used can depend on many variables including what size buckle is being use, how tight or loose you make the hitches, etc... For this bracelet with the alternate half hitch, I used about 1.25 inches of cord per inch of finished bracelet length the way I've shown it made. So for a 7 inch finished bracelet size, you'd use approximately 8.75 feet of paracord.

You may end up using more or less, but it's always better to over estimate what you need, because it's easier to trim off excess than it is to continue tying when you run out of cord...

[~•SMART•~]

Thank you, I just finished mine, and 8.75 feet was perfect for my wrist!

[hossweightlifter]

They should have a like/dislike bar like youtube

[nail face]

the star rating system is more accurate