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

[waykno]

A cloth measuring tape.

[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.

[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.

[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,

[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...

[Macky D]

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...

[Macky D]

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

[hossweightlifter]

They should have both

[nail face]

its good to keep it simple.

[acoleman3]

i would have to agree with you. the star system is good enough and actually is better since you have 5 options and not just a binary like/not like.

[ccrawford2]

can u do a post of the cobra weave to me it looks cooler

[Stormdrane]

The 'cobra' weave is also known as the Solomon bar/Portuguese sinnet/square knotting. If you look at my other instructables, you'll find it already posted.

[joey99]

can u also do a cobra weave

[Stormdrane]

Yes.

[julin-1]

Took a little over an hour because of trial and error on sizing and how to do the back of the watch. Great Instructable!

[Tizaro]

just made this
didnt have a connecter bit
so i used a key ring
turned out alright, little big though, but otherwise i wouldnt be able to get it on

[jdickinson1]

Used this tutorial in combination with youtube videos to create a dog collar :D

[Darthscout]

Where do you get you watch faces???

[Stormdrane]

You use an old watch that you already have or buy a new one and remove the band to add a paracord version. The particular model watch I used was purchased over 10 years ago, so it may not be available anymore, but you can always search around ebay, amazon, etc...

[tracyv]

Could you show us the bottom?

[Stormdrane]

The underside of the buckle is visible in the first photo of the instructable. The working ends of the paracord are simply pulled around the 5/8" buckle ends a second time, to fill up the space on the buckle, so that the cord doesn't slide around.

[lli]

Damn commenting system won't let me upload images >:-( But check out this variation:
1) Adjustable!
2) Looks pretty neat
3) Uses one of those slide locks (get them off a bag, or you can buy them at Eastern Mountain Sports type places)

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5310/5598578756_b49de6d63b.jpg http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5309/5598582350_57cc114c4e.jpg

It's a pretty simple variation, just start with a loop that you can put your hand through.