Schmuckatelli Co sent me several of their new Gemini Twins skull beads a couple of weeks ago, in pewter, hematite, and antique copper finishes, to try out with some knotting projects.The first one I used was an antique copper version for a wrist lanyard with a two-strand stopper knot(ABoK #778) on the SOG Tactical Tomahawk, that I bought myself for my birthday last month.
I couldn't stop with just a wrist strap, so also added some more knot work down the length of the handle, but first wrapped it with some Extreme Tape to give the tightened paracord work a better grip on the handle.I started with a 60 ft length of green paracord, which turned out to be way too much, but I wasn't sure if I was going to double/triple the Turk's head knot or leave it open, so I over-estimated to be on the safe side, hoping it would be long enough for a few different knots and hand grip wrapping.
A three pass Gaucho knot was tied first, at the top of the handle, then I continued on with a single pass of a long 4 bight Turk's head knot(41 lead 4 bight), left in an open lattice pattern, tied another Gaucho knot, coil wrapped the hand grip section, and then another Gaucho knot to just above the handle's lanyard hole.
Before tightening up the hand grip and last Gaucho, I went back with a strand of gutted black paracord to add some stair step stitching, down one side, through the lanyard hole, and back up the other side, then tightened up the Gauchos and grip work to finish.
I ended up using about 35 feet of the green paracord, and since it's in a single strand, it could be untied and re-purposed if needed. Tomahawk shown attached to my XL Sat-Com Bag(bug-out bag), with a few other odds and ends on the outside, and snacks, water, toilet paper, clean underwear & socks on the inside, cause those might come in handy should a zombie apocalypse scenario erupt in the near future...
A blog reader had asked about continuing the knot work after tying the long Turk's head knot, wondering about how the working end finishes the knot at the standing end, and what I do is run the strand down the center length of the handle underneath the crossings of the TH knot before tightening, so I can continue with more knot work on the handle using the same strand of paracord. As seen in the added photo of the backside of the tomahawk handle wrap, even with an open lattice pattern, the underlying strand is barely noticeable.I uploaded a short video to YouTube showing how to tie a two-strand stopper knot, which is knot #778 in 'The Ashley Book of Knots', that I used for the tomahawk's wrist lanyard.
Whoa, whats that Punisher/Atwood looking thing on your keychain?
ReplyDeleteTotally dig it!
@Adrian, It's a 'titanium pocket tool', and they can be found on ebay from seller 'tiremet' or Fenix Outfitters stateside.
ReplyDeleteFrist off I just gotta thank you for all the time you spend helping everyone , it's awesome! I too was tripping on the titanium pocket tool, and the cable key chain, where did you find it?
ReplyDeleteThanks and God bless, John
@John, Do an ebay search for 'titanium pocket tool' and 'cable key ring' and they should show up, available from different sellers.
ReplyDeleteThe cable key rings can also be found on County Comm.
Howdy Stormdrane,Really like what you have done with the Tomahawk and the way you have your bug-out bag.As with everything you do it looks very well thought out.I have heard you talk about the extreme tape before,I was wondering how hard it is to tighten and adjust your cord?I was also wanting to know how hard it is to remove if it run pass a wrap?One last thing,any word on if KHWW site is going to come back up? Well Stormdrane thank you and have a good one Scot
ReplyDelete@Scot, The extreme tape has a grippy not quite sticky feel to it, so the cord tends to want to stay in place compared to sliding around on a slick surface when working with it.
ReplyDeleteThe tape doesn't have any adhesive on it, when applied you stretch/pull it out as you wrap an object and it grips/fuses to itself when securing it. Removing it is just a matter of peeling it off.
I do not know the current status of KHWW.net being put back up. It's been a couple of weeks since there was last mention of getting things straightened out with it on the KHWW Facebook group.
WOW Stormdrane, I'm very impressed with your BLOG. Very interesting, very informative and very professional. Thank you so much for sharing.
ReplyDeleteNow, I have a question, where did you get the name Stormdrane? Like a lot of us bikers, I have my own 0 Dinky Dau, but I don't understand the Stormdrane handle!
Take care and have a great week.
@Jim, I chose the name since friends in years past said I had my 'mind in the gutter', with having a somewhat dark sense of humor, so I thought that it made a good fit.
ReplyDeleteI started using 'Stormdrane' as an online screen name back in the mid 1990's on AOL. Someone else had already used 'Stormdrain', so I just altered the spelling for mine and have used it ever since. :)
HaHa glad to finally hear the name story- always was curious but I figured you get asked a billion times a day… bad ass work on the Tomahawk -on the bug out bag, is that a roll of paracord at the top? What's the story with it?
ReplyDelete@sharkbait, That's a Drop-Line Rapid Line Deployment System that County Comm produced after seeing my 'paracord carabiner spool' projects from my blog. And my blog post links for making your own.
ReplyDeleteI was practicing this wrap on a piece of pvc pip and found that when I finish the long turks head knot my lead end would be back up at the top of the wrap and I needed to run it down thru the turkshead to start the next gaucho knot below. Is that what you did or am I missing a trick. The pictures dont show this but maybe on the backside of the tomohawk. Very cool wrap and I am enjoying working with it.
ReplyDelete@Dobes, Just run th working end straight down the handle, underneath the crossings on the long Turk's head knot, so you can continue using the same strand for more knot work.
ReplyDeleteIt will be barely noticeable unless you're looking for it. I'll see about adding a pic of the backside of my tomahawk.
@Scot, You can try typing 'www.khww.net' in your address bar to get to the KHWW page where you can register, or sign in/log in with Twitter/Facebook.
ReplyDeleteBlogger is not working correctly and giving errors when I try to edit/add/fix the links in my links list, which seems to be an ongoing problem lately with Blogger, wish someone there would fix it... :/
Hi Stordrane, just wondering, do you ever use the tomahawk? if so, what for?
ReplyDelete@Anonymous, I have not yet used the tomahawk, but should the need arise, I'd use it as the tool it is.
ReplyDeleteA tomahawk is a variation of a hatchet which can be used for cutting, chopping, hammering, poking, prodding, demolition, breaching, throwing(there are competitions for throwing them), or even for self-defense against the zombie hordes in the event of an apocalyptic scenario... ;)
Hey Stormdrane,ABOK #778 is a fine looking stopper for such a simple knot.I was wondering when Ashley is showing #780 threw 786 it looks as if he is seizing his cords and then making the knots?Have you ever tried that?Well I will be looking for a video on how you did and extended #782 LOL.Thanks Scot
ReplyDelete@Scot, I haven't used seizing before/after knots like in Ashley's diagrams. I have used whipping to secure a short end, securing a sliding knot/loop in place, like the end of a scaffold knot/loop on a monkey's fist key fob.
ReplyDeleteI know from some of the ABoK diagrams that the seizing was done along the length of twisted/braided rope/lanyard, where he had untwisted the rope to where he wanted to tie a knot, used seizing to to keep it from unraveling further, tied the knot, then the rope would be re-twisted back along the length, leaving the stopper/decorative knot in place. And someone seeing it for the first time would wonder how the heck did that knot get there, lol...
Stormdrane...I have been a fan of yours, always finding inspiration from your work since I started getting into tying knots almost from the start of your blog. I find myself checking back too often to see what's new because your work never ceases to amaze me! After seeing this tomahawk post I found the compact version at my local store and bought one for my next project. Thank you for all you've done and will do!
ReplyDeleteSir, the cross on the keyring affair has a type of lashing knot and I was wandering if you covered that somewhere. Thank you for your work, it inspires me often.
ReplyDelete@Anonymous, If you're referring to the lashings done on some of the horseshoe crosses, I did a variation of a 'diagonal lashing' around the center sections,starting and ending with constrictor knots.
ReplyDeleteIf it's something else, please be more specific(link) so I know better how to answer. ;)
Well sir the link is http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tEINA8tV0Gs/UnWIqPs6Y7I/AAAAAAAAR14/6AYw4A5veYA/s1600/CIMG7684+1024x.jpg
ReplyDeleteit is a picture at the end of this article on your blog.
@Anonymous, Ah, that's the 'Sailor's Cross Knot ', tutorial from knottool.com. I just tied and tightened it directly around the cross whistle.
ReplyDeletere:the work on the tomahawk. I would really like to do this on the grips of my motorcycle. 1.) can this be done with round leather lacing. 2.) since the clutch side grip can not be removed (just replaced it before finding your youtube videos, just my luck) and I don't want to tackle the throttle side on my own, how would you suggest I tackle this. open to any suggestions. thanks so much.
ReplyDelete@Anonymous, Sure, you could use round leather lacing, but just be aware of how thick it is as knot work will increase the diameter of the grip, and you wouldn't want it so thick that it might be uncomfortable.
ReplyDeleteHaving the hand grips off the bike to tie knot work in hand would certainly be the easiest way to work, but tying directly onto the bike is doable. It just may be a bit awkward/uncomfortable working like that.
Here's a photo of some Harley motorcycle handgrips from one of the folks on the Yahoo! Knottyers group.
What make/model is that carabiner digital watch you have on your Sat-Com Bag?
ReplyDelete@Devon, That's an older model Highgear Altitech that's no longer made.
ReplyDeleteIt's a watch, compass, barometer, thermometer in carabiner form. The compass on mine doesn't work for some reason. There are newer models out there, like this one on Amazon . :)
Do you have a complete tutorial for the handle wrap? I just got the same tomahawk a week or two ago, and got a bunch of paracord yesterday, and this is the best-looking single-colour paracord wrap I've seen so far. I was originally just going to use hockey tape, but paracord is much more useful, and looks a bit better
ReplyDelete@taj1994, There's not a start to finish tutorial on the the wrap. I tied the different knots mentioned/linked in the post and combined them to wrap the handle, using one long length of paracord, tying one after the other, and adding in the second color stitching in the grip.
ReplyDeleteLove your Blog, Stormdrane!
ReplyDeleteCan you tell me where you got the custom name tape and other patches on your Bug-out bag?
The name tape I bought from 1800nametape and the others from Gadsden & Culpeper.
ReplyDelete