Introduction: Mini Project #5: Paracord Pull Tab
Hello Instructables Community,
thanks for the feedback, favs and subscriptions in the past couple of days and weeks.
In case you have followed my previous Mini Projects this week you will notice that instead of Project 4 I'm publishing number 5 first. This is due to some organizational issues I have to solve first before I can finish the Instructable for MP4.
Anyways today's Mini Project is a Pull Tab made from paracord/550 Cord. I found that with a little bit of practice you will be able to make one in less than five minutes only requiring a pair of scissors and a lighter as tools.
I tried to explain the steps in a way so people with no experience in knots etc. should be able to follow them. At least that was my intention (Please bear with me since English is not my native language) l so if you have suggestion how I could rephrase certain section you can let me know via comment or PM.
You can use the pull tabs to replace broken tabs on your zippers, reduce rattling on your gear by replacing metal pull tabs, attach them to your knife or multi tool to improve handling and many other things.
If you like this Instructable please fav, share, subscribe & comment. You can also check my YouTube, Facebook and Twitter sites for current and upcoming projects.
Take care & stay safe
Cheers Alex
Step 1: What Do You Need?
You will need:
- A pair of scissors
- A lighter or preferably a small butane jet burner for increased accuracy
- A small metal file
- 50cm - 20 Inches of paracord (Choose a color that will match closest to the item you want to attach the pull tab to)
Step 2: Prepping the Cord
If the cord lies on your work surface in front of you the two end should be facing away from you. The left hand cord will be named A for the purpose of the Ible whilst the right one will be B. (Check the pics for the markers)
- You start by finding the middle of the cord by folding it in half.
- Next you decide how by your pull tab is going to be and use your finger to point it out on the cord. The distance between that point and the end of the loop is approximately the final size of your pull tab. I recommend you try something between 3-4 Inches.
Note that if you want to tie the cord directly to a zipper I recommend you remove the inner strands to make it easier to fit the cord through the zipper.
Step 3: Tying Your Start Point
- Form a loop with cord A with the cord going under itself and cord B facing right.
- Now cord B goes under cord A facing you.
- Cord B goes into the loop created by cord A in step one.
Step 4: Follow Up
The loop should now face away from you.
- Check if the length suits you and if yes tighten the knot.
- Cord A is now passed under the loop facing to the right creating a new loop on the left.
- Cord B is passed under A facing away from you and...
- then passed through the loop created in step 2.
Step 5: Repeat
Tighten the knot and repeat alternating the sides until you either run out of paracord or have created a knot of the size you want for your project. For most applications I repeat the process between 3-4 times.
Step 6: Finishing Up
- Use your scissors to cut the cord leaving approx 5mm (3/16 Inch).
- Use your lighter to melt the ends and
- Press down on the molten ends while their are still hot to permanently seal the knot.
- You are done if you want to see which methods you can use to attach the pull tab to zipper I recommend you watch the videos in the intro or in this step ;)