DIY Para Cord Key Fob

After my last attempt creating something with parachute cord, I decided to try making a key fob using a snake knot and two different colors of para cord.

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My current fob was just a piece of cord tied together, nothing really fancy.

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End cuts of black and white para cord were lying around so they would be the materials of choice. The first, and what turned out to be the hardest, part of the project was joining the two pieces.

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Here I am heating and melting the end of the white cord.

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Then quickly heating the black. If we weren’t trying to take pictures doing both at the same time would make this much easier.

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Then stick the two melted ends together (while they are still melted) and push them together. You can wet your fingers and squeeze the joint to get it a bit smaller but be careful, the molten material will be hot! Now that the hardest part of the project has been completed, we can start making snake knots.

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Put the cord through the slot on the key.

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Notice how the black cord is on the left. When you start each knot, the cords will be in the same locations, black on left, white on right. Take the black cord and go over and around the white cord, then back under the black.

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Now take the white cord and go under the black, then over and through the hole created by the black cord. Tighten everything up and one knot has been completed.

One thing I learned is to keep the tension on the knots as you tighten them consistent. That will keep everything looking nice and even when you finish.

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Keep up the same routine. Black cord: over then under. White cord: under then over.

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Quickly you will see your fob taking shape. This is really a simple knot and using two colors of para cord makes it even easier.

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I just used my hot knife to seal the ends of the cord so everything would not come undone.

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Which gave me a key fob that looks like this. You can see that I was not really great at keeping the tension on the knots consistent, next time I will do a better job.

DIY Para Cord Camera Strap

I wanted a wrist strap for my camera and in looking around the internet I found that it would be easy to make one out of parachute cord. The only problem was the best description I could find was a video produced by a German photographer, Bo Ismono (link to his video) and I found that I was always having to start and stop it to figure out what to do. Also missing were lengths so I had to make a couple before getting it right.

My version of this strap used 12 feet of parachute cord and a 1″ split ring. I decided to forgo a carabiner to keep the assembly simpler and quietier. The cobra knot is what we will be tying.

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First you need to find the center point of the para cord.

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Then measure about 14″ from the center point

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Like Bo, I secured the center of the cord to something I could pull on to make it easier to tighten up the knots.

The first pair of knots are the hardest. Below is the first of the pair-

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Now the second of the pair-

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Once you have figured out how to tie a pair of these knots you are on your way to quickly finish up the project. Below you can see how I am progressing-

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Now all I need to do is cut the extra cord and melt it so it won’t unravel.

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Here is a melted end-

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All that needs to be done now is attach it to the camera and go take pictures!

Cam buckle straps

Cam buckle straps with heavyweight nylon webbing are just the ticket for securing luggage on your roof rack. Each summer we take a bicycling trip with a group of friends and usually our luggage carrier is overloaded. We have tried getting the group to pack less but that has had minimal success. It has been easier to pile the extra luggage on the roof and secure it with cam buckle straps.

IMG_1134Actually these are the same straps that I use when repairing chairs, heavy weight nylon webbing and metal buckles.

We sell these straps with several choices of webbing colors. They are all made to order so we can set them up to meet your needs. Just give us a call at (253) 883-5800 and we will work with you to get them just right.

If you need something stronger we have ratchet buckles although they are not as easy to adjust.

I am in favor of using more straps rather than one or two super strong models. The last thing I want to do is damage the roof rack.

Gear Wranglers

Looking for something a bit lighter than a strap, check out our Gear Wranglers. They are perfect for securing your light gear, attaching a plant to a stake or even keeping the bag of potato chips closed.

Gear Wranglers are made using 1/8″ elastic cord and a cord lock to adjust their length. The come in 12″, 24″ and 36″ lengths and are packaged 6 to a bag. Like our Rod Wranglers the elastic cord ends are secured using a zipper pull.

Order your Gear Wranglers now, if you order 3 packs (you choose the size) and put the code ROLLIE-PAYS in the comment section of our check out, Rollie will pay the shipping by US Mail. This offer ends November 30, 2016. Our shopping cart is not smart enough to pick up on this offer but be assured we will take care of it prior to your credit card being charged.

If you don’t need that many Gear Wranglers, but want a great way to keep your fishing rods corralled, check out our Rod Wranglers, you can even use them to make up the 3 packs for free shipping.

Rod Wrangler
Rod Wrangler

Reflective webbing

We now carry 1″ black polyester webbing with a 9/16″ reflective strip down the center. This material is thinner than the standard webbing we sell which makes it easy to sew on to bags, packs or even a coat. It is still sturdy enough to use for the adjustment straps on a backpack or with a buckle to fasten something to your bike rack.

Polyester webbing is great for many uses since it has minimal stretch and doesn’t want to adsorb water. It is also quite abrasion resistant although the reflective strip will get worn off due to abrasion. We sell this material by the foot and you can order it online or come by our shop to check it out.

The trend seems to be that all of our outerwear is getting darker and darker making it difficult for drivers to see us when we are walking or biking. Carrying a bag or pack with plenty of reflective surfaces will help you or your children stand out as our days become shorter and weather gets worse. This material is easy to sew so adding it to existing gear should not be a major issue for anyone with a sewing machine.

Here is a picture of our reflective webbing taken in a rather dark room without flash (there was a dim night-light to the left of the webbing)-

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And here is a picture of the same piece of webbing taken with the flash turned on-

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The webbing in these pictures was about 12″ long and the picture was taken using an iPhone from 15 feet away. It is pretty amazing stuff!

Hunting season is fast approaching

We have made it through the dog days of summer, back to school gear is in the stores so hunting season must be fast approaching.

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We have 1″ buckles and nylon webbing in Coyote Tan. Polypropylene webbing in brown, taupe (light brown) and a bit left in forest green if you are looking for earth tones.

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If you need to make a sling, this 2″ polypropylene webbing is perfect. It has two rubber strips, the lighter color in the image, which help keep it planted on your shoulder.

We sell components but will also sew whatever you can design. Our minimum order is 1 and if you are in the Tacoma area, stop in and we can discuss your project.

Battery box tie down kits

We have designed a battery box tie down kit that will work as a replacement on Boston Whaler’s™ along with any series 24 or 27 battery box. The webbing is polyester and and all hardware is stainless steel (although we do not supply the fasteners).

The combination of the over-center buckle and polyester webbing allows you to get the strap quite tight and it won’t come loose. Polyester is the most ultra-violet resistant webbing we sell so this assembly is perfect for use in open boats where the battery box is exposed to the elements. The sewing is done using A&E’s polyester SunStop thread which has advanced UV protection and is non-wicking to provide excellent service life.

Thanks to Eldon and his team at the Sea-Dog Line for the use of a battery box. The stainless steel footman’s loops come from Sea-Dog.

We have these in stock so you can order them for same day shipment.

Locking spa (hot tub) cover buckles

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Do the straps on your spa cover look like this? If so we have the solution. American Cord and Webbing’s SPA buckle is a great replacement for any old, broken spa cover buckles.

The SPA buckle is a locking, side release buckle designed for use with 1″ webbing (or other materials as shown). It is made from Acetal plastic to provide exceptional service life.

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The female portion of the buckle is attached to the covering sides of your hot tub (or the deck) using two screws.

If your state or municipality requires spa covers that lock to protect youngsters, ACW’s SPA buckle is the answer.

Quick release sail ties

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We will soon be producing quick release sail ties in a wide variety of colors. Unlike our other sail ties, these have a side release buckle, hence the “quick release”, grab loop and sewn tab so you can’t lose the male half of the buckle.

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They are made using polypropylene webbing which does not adsorb water or bleed pigment. All sewing is done using A&E’s SunStop polyester thread which has advanced UV protection which helps maintain the strength of the stitching over time.

Just click the buckle closed, grab on to the loop and tab and it is easy to cinch up the sail tie. These should be available online in July, if you want some sooner give us a call at (253) 883-5800.

Plastic buckles- what are they made out of?

Are all plastic buckles the same? No they are not.

There are three main plastics that buckles and other hardware for webbing are manufactured from:
1. Acetal
2. Nylon
3. Polypropylene

All have their strengths and weaknesses and many products are available in more than one plastic so you can choose what will work best in your application. Strength, resistance to heat or ultra-violet light and cost all factor in to what is best. So in alphabetical order lets dive in.

Acetal

Advantages:

  • Excellent resistance to immersion in water
  • Excellent resistance to chemicals and solvents
  • Fatigue resistant
  • Retains mechanical properties up to 250° F.

Disadvantages:

  • Poor resistance to acids
  • Subject to UV degradation

Nylon

Advantages:

  • Fatigue resistance
  • Good chemical resistance to oils and greases
  • Abrasion resistant
  • Tough and impact resistant
  • Heat stabilized versions are available which meet various NFPA standards (special order with minimum quantities)

Disadvantages:

  • High moisture pick-up with related dimensional instability
  • Attacked by oxidizing agents
  • Attacked by strong acids

Polypropylene

Advantages:

  • Excellent moisture resistance
  • Good impact strength

Disadvantages:

  • Degraded by UV
  • Attacked by chlorinated solvents and aromatics
  • Flammable

Putting the factors together Acetal provides the best performance of the three materials (other than for very specialized high temperature applications). So why do some vendors offer polypropylene buckles and hardware? Price. Polypropylene is around 15% less expensive and if price is the driving factor, it can’t be beat. You are trading off durability but in some applications that is not needed.

When you browse our selection of buckles and hardware we tell you what each piece is made from. That applies not only to plastic but also to metal products. In the case of stainless steel, we try to identify the class of material the piece is made out of so you can tell if it is type 316 which will not even stain or type 304 where you will see some rust stains over time.

If you have any questions give us a call, (253) 883-5800 and we will try to answer your questions.