Introduction: Adjustable Paracord Water Bottle Handle

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About: I am an Assistant Scout Master. We decided during our second year of Summer Camp that we would make something for the scouts who attended summer camp each year. So far my instructables are documenting some o…

We make our scouts a different craft item each year for the boys who go to Summer Camp (or Jamborees). This was the item for 2017, done in our troop colors.

These are the instructions, modified from the Instructable done by welchjr. Follow these instructions until you get to the link, follow until you get to the point of finishing off, then switch back to these..

Materials:

  • 550 paracord
    • 48" black (core)
    • 48" black
    • 48" red
  • plastic double cord stop (
    • i.e http://www.joann.com/dritz-double-cord-stops-for-1...

Tools:

  • knife or scissors
  • lighter
  • tape measure
  • paracord fid or bulky yarn needle or locking forceps
  • clipboard (optional)
    • useful for working against if you don't have a table to work on

Step 1: Prepare Cords

  1. Cut cords to proper lengths
  2. fuse ends of cords with lighter, makes them easier to work with.

Step 2: Intial Setup

  • Fold core in half, lay on flat surface

  • Bend red cord at mid point, lay midpoint over 2 core strands about 4" from bend in core

Step 3: Tie Over-hand Knot

  • Tie over-hand knot around core with red strand so knot is behind, taught, but not tight (core needs to slide through knot)
  • Make sure both ends of red strand are equal

Step 4: Repeat for Black Strand

  • Repeat steps 2+3 with black strand

  • make sure knots are against each other

Step 5: Setup Cords for Braid

  • Set core cords straight down, red cords out to sides and slightly up, black cords out to sides and slightly down. So they look like the image for step 5 on this page:

Step 6: Start Weave

(These are the newly inserted instructions, with change of colors to show contrast a little better)

With the starting point of the two strands with overhead knots, take the top left strand, loop it under the core, then over the bottom right strand and over the core. Will look like the second picture

Step 7: Tighten First Strand of Braid

pull taught so it is against the lower strand, hold in place.

Step 8: Repeat With Right Top Strand

take right top strand, loop it behind the core, over the left bottom strand and back over the core. Tighten.

Step 9: Repeat Till You Get the Desired Length.

Repeat taking first the top left, looping it behind the core, over the bottom right, and back over the core. Then the top right, looping it behind the core, over the bottom left, and back over the core.

Do this until the two side strands only have 3-4" left.

Mine is about 2 inches longer than the length of my fist from the pointer to the pinky.

NOTE: don't tighten up wraps too much, will make it hard to adjust to the bottle size.

NOTE 2: I tighten the previous color pair, not the latest as I go.

Step 10: Follow Steps of Other Instructable

  • Start following from step 6 - 10, until the black and red strands only have 3-4" left.
    • NOTE: don't tighten up wraps too much, will make it hard to adjust.
    • NOTE 2: I tighten the previous color pair, not the latest as I go. (black cords in picture)

Step 11: Finish Off Weave

  • Turn it over, fold a strand back on the weave and pick a loop in the weave to slide the end of the strand under. Use paracord fod or forceps to pull the strand through.
    • Note, I sometimes tie an overhand knot with the last color to hold the last weave in place.
  • Once all strands are pulled through, trim and fuse to the weave.

Step 12: Attach Cord Stopper

  • Take the ends of the core and push them through a cord stopper
  • Tie overhand not on each end of the core so it can't be pulled through the cinch button.

Step 13: Attach to Bottle

  • make core loop on end without cinch button big enough to go over bottle neck
  • slide handle to tighten loop around bottle neck
  • loop core with cinch button around bottom of bottle tighten, and you have your handle.