Trail Master sheath with a TH knot

I added a 16L3B Turk's Head knot to this Cold Steel Trail Master sheath.

I started with a 50 foot length of paracord and could have added a fifth pass to use up most of that, but stopped at four passes. That used right at 38 feet of cord.

It's just a different way to carry some extra cordage. If I needed to use some of that cord, I could unwork part or all of the knot. It comes apart a lot faster than it took to make it.

I took the remaining 12 feet, doubled it up, then tied it into a hangman's noose/coil knot on the leg strap part of the sheath.  This can also be worn around the wrist as a paracord bracelet if you size it right.  You just have to make sure the coils are tight so they don't get snagged and pulled loose...

A Turk's Head knot video tutorial 16L3B

I made a video of the 16 lead 3 bight Turk's Head knot. It's just the first pass of the knot and takes about 10 minutes to watch(which is also the limit for a single YouTube video and I didn't want to do a multi-part set of videos on it). A completed project can take more than an hour, so I've just shown enough to get started.

Here's the over/under sequence separately in text:

Make 3 turns and follow this sequence: u-o-u-o-u, then around to the right of the standing end, o-u-o-u-o, then back o-uu-oo-uu-oo-u, then to the right of the standing end u-oo-uu-oo-uu, and from there you do an under and over working your way all the way back to the standing end.

From there you straighten everything out, then double/triple or however many passes you want to make(the 20 feet of 550 paracord I used would be enough for 3 passes on a 2C Maglite).

I used the PVC pipe as a base to tie the knot, since it's easier to use something like that for making the knot first and then sliding it off the pipe and onto the object where you want to finish it. For example, it's easier to tie the knot onto a short section of PVC pipe and slide it off, than to work it on a 5 foot long walking stick. But, you may have to tie the knot directly onto an object if there's no way to slide it on, like on a lamp post.

After making three passes for the knot on the PVC pipe, I slid the knot off and onto my wrecking bar, for use as a grip. Then gradually tightened the knot, working the slack out from the start(standing end) all the way thru to the end. It's important to do this gradually, working a little slack thru the knot at least a couple of times. This helps keep everything straight, neat, and getting the twist, that can develop when tying, out of the line as you go. The finished amount of paracord I used after tightening was about 12 feet.

Making a project like the previous post of the Maglite Grip can easily take a couple of hours, from start to finish. But, the more of these knots that you make, the easier they get, and you can cut that work time down.

As shown in the video, I learned this knot from 'The Complete Book of Decorative Knots' by Geoffrey Budworth.

If this one seems too complicated, you might visit the Knot Heads World Wide website and look thru the tutorials and videos there for something to try. Or maybe even ask a knotty question in the forums and get an answer from some good folks that know a lot more about knots than I do.

Another Maglite grip...

I tried another 16 lead 3 bight Turk's Head knot with black 550 paracord and 1/8" Cool Glow Stuff cord on this 2C Maglite LED flashlight. I tightened it over the knurled section of the light so it won't move around.

Learning reference: The Complete Book of Decorative Knots by Geoffrey Budworth

16 lead 3 bight Turk's Head knot

I followed the instructions from Geoffrey Budworth's 'The Complete Book of Decorative Knots' for my first couple of attempts at the long 16 lead 3 bight Turk's Head knot.

Done with about 16 feet of green 550 paracord on a walking stick and with 1.4mm braided nylon cord on one of the stylus's that I use to work and tighten the knots with.

And this one done on a 2AAA Mini Maglite with a TerraLUX LED upgrade.

Key chain carabiners

I added some 'Long 3 bight turks head' knots to these key chain carabiners.

If you're looking for some smaller diameter cord like I've used here(got mine off ebay), try contacting R&W Rope Warehouse((800) 260-8599), call and tell 'em what you're looking for since they're not set up to sell online. The 'Handy Hundred' cord looks like a good candidate for knot work, though I've not tried it myself.

And with some 1/16" glow-in-the-dark cord from CoolGlowStuff.com.