Introduction: Paracord Bracelet With Integrated Fish Bone Gear Tie

By I make stuff!

When I got my prize pack from the Great Outdoors Contest I was extremely excited. Two things instantly caught my eye; paracord and Fish Bone gear ties. I immediately got to work on a paracord bracelet, but halfway through I got an idea; "Why not add a Fish Bone to the bracelet?". I undid my bracelet, played around for a little while, and finally came up with a nice looking, practical design.

Note: I highly recommend looking at all the pictures, it will really help.

Step 1: What You Need:

- About 8-10 feet of paracord
- An Original Fish Bone gear tie
- Scissors
- A lighter
- A buckle, preferably a contoured buckle (I didn't use a contoured buckle, but it would look nicer and feel more comfortable with one)
- A tape measure or ruler

Step 2: Prepping the Cord

- First you need to figure out how much paracord you need. You will need about a foot of paracord for each inch of the bracelet; you can figure out the size of the bracelet by measuring your wrist and adding an inch to that measurement. My wrist is about 7.5", so I wear an 8.5" bracelet; this means I need about 8.5 feet of paracord to make my bracelet.
- Cut the correct length of paracord.
- The frayed ends of cut paracord are awkward to work with, so melt with the lighter, wait a second, and pinch them flat. This can hurt a little, so you may want to use pliers.

Step 3: Sizing the Bracelet

- Fold the paracord in half so that the ends are next to each other.
- Thread the center of the cord through the slit on one of the buckle halves, then thread the ends through it and pull them tight.
- Thread one cord of paracord through the "eye" of the Fish Bone from below. Then thread the other cord through from above. (Images four and five)
- Slide the Fish Bone down the cords to about an inch from the buckle.
- Thread the ends of the cord through slit on the other half of the buckle.
- Measure the length of the bracelet you want from the base of the prongs on the male half of the buckle to the end of the female half.
- Center the Fish Bone. Then loop the left cord over and under the prongs of the Fish Bone. Repeat for the right cord.
- Make sure the bracelet is still the right length.

Step 4: Knotting

- Position the cords like in the first image.

Step 1:
- Thread the left cord under the center cords and over the right cord.
- Thread the right cord over the center cords and through the loop created with the left cord. Pull the cords tight.
Step 2:
- Thread the right cord under the center cords and over the left cord.
- Thread the left cord over the center cords and through the loop created with the right cord. Pull the cords tight.

- Continue alternating steps one and two until the knots reach the Fish Bone.
- Once the knots reach the Fish Bone push them down towards the buckle. You will have more room to continue the knots.
- Tie knots until they reach the Fish Bone again.

Step 5: Tidying Up the Cords

- Use the lighter to melt the second loop of paracord on the Fish Bone.
- Press the two cords onto the loop and wait for it to cool.
- Melt the last loop on the Fish Bone.
- Press the cords onto the loop and wait for it to cool.
- If the bonds aren't strong enough (if the cords come free of the loops on the Fish Bone)  melt one or two more loops and press the cords to them as well.

Step 6: Knotting Part 2

- This is just like Step 4.

Step 1:
- Thread the left cord under the center cords and over the right cord.
- Thread the right cord over the center cords and through the loop created with the left cord. Pull the cords tight.
Step 2:
- Thread the right cord under the center cords and over the left cord.
- Thread the left cord over the center cords and through the loop created with the right cord. Pull the cords tight.

- Continue alternating steps one and two until the knots reach the buckle.
- Once the knots reach the buckle push them down towards the Fish Bone. You will have more room to continue the knots.
- Tie knots until they reach the buckle again.

Step 7: Finishing Up

- Once the knotting is done cut off the excess of one cord near the knot.
- Melt the cut end of the cord and press it against the bracelet to secure it.
- Cut off the excess of the other cord and melt it to the bracelet as well.
- You're done!