Handle Wraps?

D

dovergroup

Joined
Jan 4, 2007
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3
Planning to wrap the handle of a project Kukri(sp?) knife and see that on this site para cord is popular. For comfort and minimum blisters in field use--what works best? The choices seem to be para cord, bike handle wrap from Wal-mart and tape. The parachute cord is snappy looking but since this is a working field blade, utility is valued over style.

Thanks,
Leo in Florida
 
I wrapped the handle on my CRKT Cobuck, and I'm thinking about doing the same for my Becker Necker. I used 550 (paracord). It's a comfortable grip material, and makes having some on hand even easier. It's good stuff. I would with that before I went with bike or bat/club grip tape. I would think that the grip tape would wear faster than the paracord. Who here uses grip tape for their bike or ball bats and doesn't need to periodically replace them?
 
I've never wrapped scales on a knife but I've used it this way for other purposes and read about doing it this way for knives. Pull your inner strands out of the paracord sheath so it will wrap flatter. It won;t roll and will stay put much longer this way. I've thought about getting a neck carry that has a bare tang and I thought if I wrapped it, I'd do it this way and I'd also put a small dab of hot glue at various places....like maybe a drop here and there under every other or every third wrapping. I wouldn;t use epoxy or super-glue, just hot (animal hide) glue so I could take it off if it didn;t work out just right.

Good luck
 
I got some black leather used for shoe laces. I used it on my Becker necker. It's square so you wrap it really tight and keep everything in line and it works perfectly. It's also not as thick as paracord and has alittle more grip. When it is lined up and tight it looks like the factory did it. People see them and say wow thats a neat handle. I say I did it with a leather shoelace and they say wow. It worked really awesome on my Cold steel Spike knives. It feels almost like an old camillus Marine combat knife handle. They are really cheap, you can find them in most shoe stores. Use them as lanyards too.
 
Welcome to Bladeforums!

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killerskill said:
I got some black leather used for shoe laces. I used it on my Becker necker. It's square so you wrap it really tight and keep everything in line and it works perfectly. It's also not as thick as paracord and has alittle more grip. When it is lined up and tight it looks like the factory did it. People see them and say wow thats a neat handle. I say I did it with a leather shoelace and they say wow. It worked really awesome on my Cold steel Spike knives. It feels almost like an old camillus Marine combat knife handle. They are really cheap, you can find them in most shoe stores. Use them as lanyards too.
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I should've mentioned that I too found some leather at a crafts store to try for lanyards. I found some dark brown round leather (2mm) that made a more classy lanyard for my RAT-3. I also picked up some flat leather, about 1/16" thick by 3/16" wide, and maybe I would try to use that for wrapping a handle too....like you did.

After reading your post it occured to me that it would work even better than paracord, especially if the leather was soaked before wrapping (maybe soaked in warm water, wrung out, and allowed to air dry to the point that the outside was dry and inside still wet. Then it might shrink even tighter than you wrapped it.
 
Ive wrapped a tops tracker with paracord using strider's pattern, it worked for me much better than the micarta grips that came on the tracker, ymmv.
 
Now Strider, he recommends taking the strands out first, right? I thought it was on his website that I read that....maybe not....maybe confusing him with another.
 
I wrapped my Buck Intepid, could only do the flat boring wrap though, the back and forth style on the Strider's wouldn't fit in the Kydex. I like it more then the original grips, and it wasn't too hard to do. Just a pain getting it super tight.

Oh and I soaked the 550 in water for 20 minutes before wrapping it. Helps tighten in when it dries.
 
In my experience, paracord has some serious deficiencies for cord-wrapping a knife handle:
- It flattens (low bulk).
- It stretches/loosens with use.
- It's a bit slippery - poor grip security.

For field carry or hard use, I much prefer a solid-core braided nylon cord (such as 'starter cord'). It excels in retaining bulk, doesn't stretch and provides excellent grip. Using the simple 'whipping knot', it's easy to wrap a secure handle in just a few minutes.

Paracord is better for fancier cross-wrapped patterns (since it does flatten) and cross-wrapped patterns improve grip just a bit - looks fancier, but provides a less secure grip.

Hope this helps!
 
a couple of weeks ago I wrapped my BK7 to get a better grip. My hands sweat a lot. This is what I came up with.

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I did this with some cord I got from REI. It is sold in 50ft bundles. I believe it is paracord, but just a smaller gauge than the standard stuff. This cord has 3 strands in the core, I believe the standard has 7. I recently ordered some of the regular stuff to compare.

First, I did a whipping style wrap. On top of that I started at one end with the cord doubled over and worked to the other end twisting the 2 cords on each side. I looked some but didn't find the sites that I used for this. If anyone wants further explanation, just let me know

Also, gud4u is this the cross-wrap pattern that you refer too? I don't see how this is in any way insecure. The wrap is totally unmovable. I think that as long as you wrap it very tight, it should be fine.

I've been debating whether I should leave a loop on the end like it is, or make a short lanyard or just remove it. Any suggestions?
 
Nice-looking wrap! The cord you used appears to hold it's round cross-section - similar to the solid-core cord I use. If so, it should provide good grip and hold up well.

I see no sign of flattened-cord, which is typical of the 'paracord' I've used.

If the cord does stretch, you'll have problems with the outer wrap slipping over the butt of the handle/tang. That can easily be cured with a few drops of super glue.

I'm kind of a function-over-looks guy, so I would have used a simple one-layer wrap, secured with a whipping knot. If the bulk proved insufficient, I'd have just used larger-diameter cord.

The only circumstance where I'd use a lanyard on a fixed blade knife would be in a marine environment, concerned about losing the knife over the side.

I have used a lanyard with a monkey-fist knot on folders, for quick retrieval of a folder when carried deep-pocket in the woods.

Nice knife!
 
Egro, nice job man that looks great.

I did not pull out the inner strands when i did mine, and they didnt flatten out. plenty grippy and plenty shock absorbent.
 
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