Paracord Bracelet Milk Crate Jig

Intro: Paracord Bracelet Milk Crate Jig

I've been using several different ways to make 550 Paracord bracelets, but the fastest and easiest way that I have found is to use a jig of some sorts.  I've tried making them out of wood using springs, nails, bolts etc, tied the 550 paracord to my big toe, various pieces of furniture, door knobs and the like, but the one I'm currently using is a very simple one and it seems to work quite well.  A milk crate with tarp bungee balls through the handles.

Milk crates can be purchased from your local dairy or grocery store for a few bucks.  I've even seen them at the larger big box home centers.  They are sturdy, can withstand the tension of the work at hand and make it all nice and convenient when you want to transport your hobby from home to the beach or park.  I've set up the milk crate with two bungee balls through each handle, with a male and a female bracelet clip attached through the bungee.  When I'm ready to make a bracelet, I attach the new clips that will be a part of the bracelet to the bungee clips, affix the 550 paracord to one end, thread the 550 paracord through the other and pull it tight until I have the desired length.  I use a ruler to measure the space between the clips, then use the hemostats to keep it from slipping until I can tie the first knot.

As far at the rest of the jig goes... I use plastic containers with screw lids to hold the many different colors of 550 paracord.  This way, I can grab different colors from the shelf, and load the milk crate with the colors that I will be using.  I used brass grommets in the lids to pull the 550 paracord out from and riveted the brass clips from Lion Coffee bags to the lid so that the 550 paracord won't fall back in after dispensed.  I'm sure you can use twist ties on the ends of the 550 paracord to keep it from falling back inside.  I just happen to have like a bajillion of these in a drawer.  I love plastic containers.  I've save all of my used peanut butter containers for years, and have a few hundred or so in my work shed to hold all the different nuts, bolts and washers that I've also collected over the years.  They are see through, won't break if you accidentally drop them and the lids won't rust out, which is especially important living here in Hawaii.

I made a lighter, scissor and hemostat holder out of PVC pipe.  I drilled a couple of holes in them and attached them to the inside of the milk crate with zip ties.

I hope that this helps someone.

Aloha!

Comments

[rickental]

Out there are tons of Paracord-Jig ideas, so here we have the final,the ultimate, the perfect one! Simplicity will always rule ;). U are offering not only a jig or a bunch of good ideas but the definitive paracord-workstation! Thanks for this!! Just thinking about an old wooden crate instead of the milkcontainer, lets see, I will post the results. And BTW, I hope U stayed save in Hawai in these dark days.....

[Blue Hawaii]

Thank you. I'm glad you found it.

[MerrickF1]

Just ran across this. Nice idea. How big or how many ounces is the container? How much paracord can one of those containers hold?

[Blue Hawaii]

Thank you for the kind words. The containers held 40 oz (2.5 lbs) of mixed nuts or other items. They all came from Costco. I have 100' in each of mine, and that makes them about half full. I unravel the paracord and lay it out on the ground, take the lid off the container, and feed the paracord in. It doesn't knot up that way. I tried to tie 2 - 100' hanks together, but it made it a little over stuffed.

You can use just about anything, like a milk jug.

I hope this helps.

[Crafts101]

You sir are pure genius. Thank you a million!!!

[davemmanc]

You sir are a genius.

[Blue Hawaii]

Thank you for the comment, but actually, I'm just an ordinary guy.

[queenmayhem]

How did you get the grommets in the lids?

[Blue Hawaii]

I use a 9/16" drill bit to poke a hole in the lid first, then I use the die and punch that fits the 1/2" brass grommets. It can be purchased as a kit (minus the drill bit) that includes the base die, the roller punch, a 1/2" diameter tube with a sharpened end, a small block of wood and a few grommets.

[jtay45]

what size bungee balls did you use?

[Blue Hawaii]

The ball itself is about 1-1/4" and the total length of the bungee with the ball is around 11". The key is to find the bungee cord that is on the smaller size so that it fits through the plastic buckles that you are using for the bracelets. You can find these at most hardware stores. I use them for canopy tarps for outdoor luaus.

[lcdc59]

SWEEEEET!!!!! That's what I've been looking for, you've givin me some great ideas!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Marcaine Art]

Very cool. The pictures are good, Maybe reformat it into more of an instructable by breaking up the text with the pictures of step by step. This does give a good reference for starting.

[Blue Hawaii]

Thank you. I didn't think that I needed to make a step by step of this since it is pretty self explanatory and rather quite simple to construct. If I see more comments that request me to do so, then I will.

[Cantra]

Terrific. I especially like how you store your paracord. I'll have to scrounge some plastic jars now. Sourcing similar clips around here will require some investigation. I'll check the local stationary store, maybe they have small paper clamps.
Thanks for the idea.

[Blue Hawaii]

Thanks! The clips don't have to be attached to the lid like I have them. You can use the small black binder clips that are found in an office supply store, and just attach them to the end of the paracord to keep the cord from falling back into the jar.