Input please, what you would consider ideal diameter is for what you are covering when plaiting with paracord.
Personally I find that 8 plait seems to ideally fit around 1/4" diameter core, and 4 plait seems best around 1/16" or less but will acceptably cover 1/8". Curious if this scales in any pattern.
Input is appreciated!
Plaiting Diameter
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David Cross
I do find that paracord has a bit of play to it, so your mileage may vary on what will cover what. What I have found, though, is that -as diameter increases- larger surfaces will require more strands-per-measure than smaller diameters. How to explain...
I'll take your 1/8" 4-plait for example. You can move up to 1/4 (2/8") and increase the plait count by 4 (8 plait). This can happen again for 12 and again for 16. However, I have noticed that, although 16-plait is fine for this diameter, it does have more potential for gaps than the smaller diameters.
I believe there is a point at which the "add four" plait count formula breaks, and one has to add six instead. Just my opinion.
I'll take your 1/8" 4-plait for example. You can move up to 1/4 (2/8") and increase the plait count by 4 (8 plait). This can happen again for 12 and again for 16. However, I have noticed that, although 16-plait is fine for this diameter, it does have more potential for gaps than the smaller diameters.
I believe there is a point at which the "add four" plait count formula breaks, and one has to add six instead. Just my opinion.
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Devin Bauer
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Carl Feairs
I will be keeping an eye on this as I have only completed one whip. I was shooting ofr 8,12, and 16 plait but ended up having to go 10, 14,and 20 plait. As fare as advice on your question, I do not qualify! I just ended up starting to plait and if it gapped I took it appart, added strands and started again.
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Carl Feairs
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Jeremy McEachern
Don't bother with that formula for paracord. There's no point in it because they're fixed strands, while the formula is to figure out what width to actually cut strands.
The nylon whips I've made started with a 1/4" spring steel handle foundation. 8 plait over that, 12 plait over that, 16 plait over that. No problems. Based on his it plaited I believe I could have started with a 3/8" handle foundation and still done 8-12-16. However I will say - I've observed this over a lot of time and it isn't true for everyone - that it seems leather whip makers become more adept at plaiting at different angles ( especially extreme angles ), compensating for different strand widths. That is for no other reason than we have to deal with more variables when plaiting so we are forced to learn it quickly or end up with terrible whips. I've plaited 16 nylon strands around a 17mm diameter with my problems, and be also plaited 16 nylon strands of the same size ( I have seems nylon vary from spool to spool ) around a 24 mm diameter without a second glance, no gaps. I've also had to plait 16 around a 1/2" diameter ( about 12.5 mm ) because the paracord was so small.
Btw, if you feel the need to add 6 instead of 4, just add 8. Those extra two, if you actually do NEED more than 4, will not cause the plaiting to crowd if you're plaiting properly. It is better to plait with multiples of 4. It's so important. You can't help differ from this when dropping strands but where you CAN control it, you need to do it in 4's. it's helps in so many way you may not be able to see immediately, but as you make more whips and crack more whips you'll see. It helps!
The nylon whips I've made started with a 1/4" spring steel handle foundation. 8 plait over that, 12 plait over that, 16 plait over that. No problems. Based on his it plaited I believe I could have started with a 3/8" handle foundation and still done 8-12-16. However I will say - I've observed this over a lot of time and it isn't true for everyone - that it seems leather whip makers become more adept at plaiting at different angles ( especially extreme angles ), compensating for different strand widths. That is for no other reason than we have to deal with more variables when plaiting so we are forced to learn it quickly or end up with terrible whips. I've plaited 16 nylon strands around a 17mm diameter with my problems, and be also plaited 16 nylon strands of the same size ( I have seems nylon vary from spool to spool ) around a 24 mm diameter without a second glance, no gaps. I've also had to plait 16 around a 1/2" diameter ( about 12.5 mm ) because the paracord was so small.
Btw, if you feel the need to add 6 instead of 4, just add 8. Those extra two, if you actually do NEED more than 4, will not cause the plaiting to crowd if you're plaiting properly. It is better to plait with multiples of 4. It's so important. You can't help differ from this when dropping strands but where you CAN control it, you need to do it in 4's. it's helps in so many way you may not be able to see immediately, but as you make more whips and crack more whips you'll see. It helps!
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Jonathan Lewis
Just a small extension to the point about "always start with a multiple of 4" for nylon whips. If you want to start with 18 or some such, you can do it with no problem at all if you intend to just do checkerboard pattern until after the first two drops. This way, instead of starting the whip itself with with a multiple of 4 you are starting your pattern work that way.
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Jonathan Lewis
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Chris Porter
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Carl Feairs