Show us your lanyards!

[ghostrider]

Ghostrider/Stormdrane (and everybody else who has posted their work):

Thank you for taking the time to share it with all of us. It inspired me to go out there and give it a shot. I spent most of today struggling to get the monkey fist right.

I used a 1" wooden ball at the center, but had portions of it showing. Would one of you mind sharing with me any secrets to getting this knot right?

Thanks!

Welcome to the forum HT.

You might try starting out with something a little smaller untill you get your sea legs under you. I do 1" BB often and they are more involved than something that only requires about 3 turns. If you need a source for balls in that size you could try sling shot ammunition (works great be it glass or steel).

Best thing to do is tighten it gradually, one loop at a time. Big thing is learning what I call "the anatomy of the knot". It is possible that you didn't do enough turns for the size ball you are using. It gets tricker when you get bigger because more turns make it more complex. It's also good to peek in between the turns to make sure the strands underneath are uniform.

Hope this helps. If you have any more questions, just ask.

And don't forget: "Show Us Your Lanyards".

[HoustonTactical]

Welcome to the forum HT.

You might try starting out with something a little smaller untill you get your sea legs under you. I do 1" BB often and they are more involved than something that only requires about 3 turns. If you need a source for balls in that size you could try sling shot ammunition (works great be it glass or steel).

Best thing to do is tighten it gradually, one loop at a time. Big thing is learning what I call "the anatomy of the knot". It is possible that you didn't do enough turns for the size ball you are using. It gets tricker when you get bigger because more turns make it more complex. It's also good to peek in between the turns to make sure the strands underneath are uniform.

Hope this helps. If you have any more questions, just ask.

And don't forget: "Show Us Your Lanyards".

Thank you sir! I appreciate the additional insight that you provided. Do you have any other knots that I should practice (beginner style)?

[jaislandboy]

Here’s another variation of the royal blue and silver one I made earlier.

This is a Round Sennit with two Cobra Twists done over it.


Took about 11 feet of cord to make (strand less of course).

Wow David! I like this one a lot! ...that Ronin photo is Spyderlicious!
I might have to get another order in with you in the dead of winter.... .....but looks fantastic!
Out of curiosity...what did you use for the Fist parts of my lanyards?

[jaislandboy]

This one floats! It's a bit large, I used a ping pong ball for the center with Coleman utility cord which also floats.

Hey Stormdrane...that's one big lanyard...looks really cool !....might be suitable for one of the new Hossum Foresters....? btw You've got some mad lanyard-making skills too! Maybe you and Ghostrider could start the Ultimate Internet Lanyard Shop on the Planet!

specs:

FB16P - Jerry Hossom Forester PlainEdge - $374.95
Length - 15 9/16" / 395mm
Blade Length - 9 1/8" / 232mm
Weight - 16.8oz. / 456g
Steel - N690Co
Handle - Green Micarta
ETA - December

[ghostrider]

Thank you sir! I appreciate the additional insight that you provided. Do you have any other knots that I should practice (beginner style)?

You could try the Knife Lanyard Knot. Google folsom knots and find it there. They also have a very basic Turks Head that will make good exercise.

Wow David! I like this one a lot! ...that Ronin photo is Spyderlicious!
I might have to get another order in with you in the dead of winter.... .....but looks fantastic!
Out of curiosity...what did you use for the Fist parts of my lanyards?

Nothing. You wanted them lite, so I didn’t use anything. I normally don’t put something inside the MF unless someone requests it, or if I’m feeling frisky.

[HoustonTactical]

You could try the Knife Lanyard Knot. Google folsom knots and find it there. They also have a very basic Turks Head that will make good exercise.

Nothing. You wanted them lite, so I didn’t use anything. I normally don’t put something inside the MF unless someone requests it, or if I’m feeling frisky.

Thank you again for the resource.

That is interesting that you don't use anything in the center of the MF. Who long does it take you to create a MF?

[yablanowitz]

I'm not ghostrider, but I can generally do a monkey fist in an hour, more or less. It depends on the cord size and fist size desired. I usually start with a figure 8 knot, and tuck it inside for a core on the next wrap, usually two loops per side, then do a third layer with three or four loops per side, and so on until I get the size I want (or run out of cord )

Don't expect to do one fast until you have done a bunch (I learned in the US Navy, 25 years ago. I have a bunch of practice, even if I don't take a lot of pictures )

[ghostrider]

Thank you again for the resource.

That is interesting that you don't use anything in the center of the MF. Who long does it take you to create a MF?

How long it takes depends upon the size, and I usually use a BB or marble for the bigger ones. I don't know if it could or couldn't be done without something in the center on the ones with more turns. A three turn MF will usually take between 30 minutes to an hour. That's a guesstimate.

[yablanowitz]

Okay, I'm no photographer, and it's dark here, and this is a quick picture, but the two monkey fists are cored as I said before, starting with a figure 8 knot.

[kcardwel]

Ghostrider how did you do the square part on this monkey fist one? Looks really different. On post #994
ken

eat your hearts out....

[Stormdrane]

Nice work yablonwitz. I've used sizes/types of ball bearings, wooden balls, marbles, and even ping pong balls for the centers of my monkeys fists.

[ghostrider]

Okay, I'm no photographer, and it's dark here, and this is a quick picture, but the two monkey fists are cored as I said before, starting with a figure 8 knot.

Nice work. Thanks for postiing it. I can get an idea of what going on it it looks sweet.

Ghostrider how did you do the square part on this monkey fist one? Looks really different. On post #994
ken

Hi kcardwel,
It isn’t a Square Sennit. It’s two Cobra Twists done offset 90*. It’s basically the same as the one you commented on at USN only with no sennit inside, and not twisted. If you look at the pic in post #991 on page 67 it’s the same as that only without the Square Sennit underneath.

[ghostrider]

Need to get these posted. These were for a newer member of our little, world-wide community.

[jaislandboy]

...

They all look great David! A skull just adds some more of that Cool Factor....I believe Jeff was onto something with his GID beads....a GID SKULL would be the Bomb for a lanyard...Navy and white makes me think UK-bound...
well what do you call these? looks like a big mushroom stalk leading to the fist... I like em all!

[ghostrider]

They all look great David! A skull just adds some more of that Cool Factor....I believe Jeff was onto something with his GID beads....a GID SKULL would be the Bomb for a lanyard...Navy and white makes me think UK-bound...
well what do you call these? looks like a big mushroom stalk leading to the fist... I like em all!

Those are the JFBF (Jumbo Fat Boy Fob), and they were designed by Gander_Man over at CPF. They the ones that weigh about 3.5oz.

Must be bad lighting, but the other ones are not navy and white, but are instead royal blue and silver. Not UK .

[ghostrider]

Here’s another one.

[J Smith]

I have been offering some of my skull lanyards with tritium eyes.
The trit tubes are hard to get so I just do a few every now and then.

[yablanowitz]

Ghostrider, here is a pic I shot tonight showing the prgression I use to do a string core monkey fist.



Left to right you see a figure eight knot, a two loop MF, a four loop MF, and finally a six loopMF. Using the Coleman utility cord shown, the six loop (four layer) is 1 1/4" diameter and about as soft as a baseball.

[ghostrider]

Ghostrider, here is a pic I shot tonight showing the prgression I use to do a string core monkey fist.


Left to right you see a figure eight knot, a two loop MF, a four loop MF, and finally a six loopMF. Using the Coleman utility cord shown, the six loop (four layer) is 1 1/4" diameter and about as soft as a baseball.

That is wild! Thanks for the pics and narrative.

Interesting how it doesn't look symetrical in the two-loop MF, but starts to straighten out by the time you finished the four-loop MF. Must take a lot of cord tying all those MF's.

[yablanowitz]

Yeah, the two loop is pretty ugly, not good for much but forming a core for the four loop. If you want to take it to 6 loop, start with at least 12' of cord, and more is easier to work. The one pictured started out 15' long. The first 3 took 30 minutes total, the last one took over an hour, but I was watching TV at my girlfriend's house at the time