Thanks for the step by step. This is my first foray into paracord projects, and a very useful one! Question about the end though: how do you make it look at nice and neat at you have it in your pictures? As you can see, after burning the ends, it looks kinda ugly on mine. Any tips?

Also just generally regarding melting paracords. Do you just burn and press it with your fingers? It won't burn/stick on skin?

Paracord ( or 550 cord - spoken as Five-Fifty cord) *will* stick and burn your fingers if you are not careful. If your using a lighter, then melt the tip, place on hard surface (that you don't mind getting a little messed up) and use plastic body of lighter to mash down in melted portion. Not burn and mushed appropriately.

It helps to melt the ends with a lighter then wet your fingers and quickly pinch them.

Paracord will give you trouble if you leave the ends too long when trying to singe them. I have found it best to leave about 1/8 in to burn. When I singe the ends I just take my lighter and use the smooth spot on the bottom of a zippo to press against the melted paracord. It makes it look better and you wont get any blisters. The metal also absorbs the heat so it hardens almost instantly.

I managed to get the pattern after a few online video tutorials. I am curious how you managed as tight a weave as you did. Still, it's nice seeing the green cable come through, and I'm happy with it. Thanks for the instructable!

Looks good. I am sorry if I wasn't really clear on how to do the weave. I was able to make it as tight as I did because I gutted the paracord. This made it much thinner and so I was able to push it very close together. You won't be able to do this if you are using accessory cord, 350 cord or something else that is solid core, but it really doesn't effect the finished product.

Many Thanks, very helpfull. Done with Shoelace in absence of Paracord.

Way back when I first studied electronics in high school sometime in third quarter of the last century we always made our own cables. Would do the stain relief with electrical tape and rubber cement. When I worked in the TV satellite industry a few years later we used self vulcanizing tape on the outside connections.

First off great idea. Second the paracord you use is 550 lb type or just some craft type paracord? I am curious before I run out and get the wrong thing

What I used is 550 lb cord, but I don't think it matters. It would most likely not effect the integrity of the reinforcement too much if it wasn't real 550 cord. Plus I gutted it and the otter sheath is only rated at something like 70 lbs.

Nice instructible. Fixed up my cords today, but used accessory cord so it wouldn't be so bulky.

Looks good!

Remember to vote if you like it.

very nice! will try it today! :D

Don't know how much support the paracord is giving, but it is adding a degree of extra support surely? Given that there is likely to be a chunk of expensive electronics at one end, any help is welcome. Nice weaving, by the way. The problem with many cables is that the strain relief section is often too rigid to allow a smoothly curved bend, and often only allows the cable exiting that section to bend at right angles thus enabling breaking at that point. I check cables to see how the strain relief section is working, and if too rigid I use a sharp blade to cut Vs into some or all of the plastic sections that join the peaks of the concentric rings. This increases the flexibility of the strain relief section. I also like the biro springs and Sugru ideas.

To ensure cord doesn’t slip, use a drop of cyanoacrylate (CA) glue. Same for the ends of the cord - instead of burning them shut, a drop of CA glue will do you.

thanks Gunny, was just contemplating what I would do to keep it from slipping and saw your post.

Glad it was helpful. Semper Fi!!

That would definitely work very well. Just a drop of crazy glue and that paracord is never coming off.

Good try, and it looks neat, but this isn't actually going to do anything. The only reinforcement is the tiny section of cord between the first loop and the second.

As a matter of fact, it may actually make things worse. The rest of the weave is going to make that length of cable more stiff (as intended), however, since the weakest point is still barely reinforced, it's even more unstable. When the weakest part bends, that bend can't be translated (distributed) along the cable anymore.

I think the best way to reinforce a cable would be to just give it some hot melt glue. Then you can add your paracord to dress it up.

I think this WOULD work well, if (combining others' suggestions with a new one): in addition to affixing the woven cord to the cable with cyanoacrylate, also stiffen the woven paracord up with lots more CA glue. That'll give you a rather inflexible reinforcement.

That's a bitchin' idea.
And hell.
Cover it with Sugru sculpture and your favorite things.

This is great.

I have attempted to reinforce wires like this with Sugru. But found they simply aren't strong enough. So as I added the Sugru last time, I used something that happened to be on my desk: an Italian 500 lira coin.

I think it is a great idea but how does that stop the cord from breaking at that point?

It makes it less flexible. I have found that it is usually bending that weakens these cables and causes them to break

Thank you!

It's a great way to use up those scraps rather than just tossing them. We've done similar with embroidery floss on iPod cords (they always break at the usb base), and on earbuds. Keeps them from breaking and helps keep them from tangling also! A super 'ible!!

I have only had it on there for about two weeks and so far it hasn't. I think if you snug it down good it shouldn't move.

This is great. I've previously reinforced the factory reinforcement with a bit of Sugru. It occurs to me that if you put a small amount of that down as a base layer, the paracord weave will bond with texture, and won't be going anywhere. Can't wait to combine the two and fortify all my cables.

Snugging down the first few knots at the very beginning of the weave where you are over the factory reinforcement (make them good and tight) should keep it in place well.

Gonna try this on my guitar cords, better than plain heatshrink, and I can add it to ones that are already made.

Great idea. I have lots of scraps that would be perfect for this usage. Thanks

Great idea! My cords always fail right at these points, too.

A tiny dab of 100% silicone caulking spread around the beginning should lock it in place to prevent slipping.

Should work for any power cord where elderly people with arthritis and have grip problems can unplug everything from toaster to hair driers.

Excellent Idea.