A big variation in paracord

[Roy Partin]

I finished this pink and black whip last night. Right from the start I didn't like the pink cord. It felt almost twice the size as the black and it had a completely different texture. I have plaited lots of two tones that had slight variations in size and texture, but nothing as bad as this. The worst part is after waxing, the pink cord seemed to have soaked up a lot more wax than the black. It gave the whip a lumpy feeling. The seam is super straight and the plait is really tight. The whip handles like a dream. It's loud and accurate, just cosmetically I'm not satisfied. Maybe y'all can see the variation in the pics. Anybody else experience this before?

[David Cross]

Ouch. I DO see it. Where did you get your supply? It could be that the distributor is getting their colors from various sources. It's sometimes difficult to get exact matches unless you buy directly from the source.

[Jonathan Lewis]

Yes indeed. I try to use only paracord from the same manufacturer for that reason. Besides brand though, colors seem to matter as well. I try to keep all the colors to to either "Acid" colors or the not Acid colors within a single whip. - Not always possible if you want specific color combos though.
There are also different shrinkage rates with different colors. There is thread here somewhere where we tested that out.
Occasionally, it's possible that pre-shrinking both colors will help even out the cord thicknesses too.

[Guest]

Civilian grade paracord can be a bit surprising. One supplier might sell cord from several manufacturers, and there seems to be variations between different colors even if the manufacturer is the same. Some cords stretch and shrink more than others, some are considerably softer and "fluffier" than others.

I've never waxed my whips, but I've heard that some of the wax flakes off with use. Could that even the lumpiness on your whip?


- Pokkis

[Terry Shaw]

Roy,

I'm in the same boat right now and had it with my previous whip as well. One color feels stiffer and less flexible than the other. Reading what the others posted it seems that we need to take more care with out suppliers going forward.

I intend to conduct more thorough 'feel' tests before I buy as I tend to be able to purchase my cord locally.

~T.

[Roy Partin]

This is supposedly from the same manufacturer. I usually order from Ubraidit but this came from the local hardware store that carries a huge selection. I've never had this bad of a problem with Ubraidits cord. I guess I will switch back to them. That pink cord definitely had a more fluffy feel to it. I will definitely be more catious from now on. Thanks for responding fellas

[Roy Partin]

Also, I have never posted a video before. Can I just post it off of photobucket like a pic or do I have to YouTube it? I might try to video myself cracking with this iPhone.

[Bobbi Holyoak]

I find the polyester and poly blend paracord behaves the way you described the pink.

[Caleb Krug]

The first whip I made I used some paracord that I (along with Gideon) bought from amazon that was possibly a bit on the cheap side. But the black was fine however the blue paracord I used was like plaiting with cloth.

[Robby Amper]

Also, I have never posted a video before. Can I just post it off of photobucket like a pic or do I have to YouTube it? I might try to video myself cracking with this iPhone.

I'd recommend to put it on youtube. It's quite simple to do. When I say "simple", I mean it took me only two days, a lot of frustration and the advice of two friends… But when you know how it works, it is really simple. Just hold your iPhone horizontally when you shoot. Otherwise you'll have a very high and veeeery narrow video.

Usually it works like this: You upload your video to your pc. Best would be to place it right onto your desktop. Start youtube and choose "Upload Video". The next window says something like "Drag video here". Now you just grab the video from your desktop and move it over into that youtube window. Done. The upload starts automatically. And when it's done, you have the URL - the internet address - where to find it. Copy that address and post it into the forum under Clips and videos.

That way it should work just perfect.

Robby

[Roy Partin]

Thanks Robby, it sounds way too complicated for me, but my wife is computer literate so I will get her to do it.

[David Cross]

Now that I think about it, this problem sounds a lot like the problem I had with Vermont Barre Army/Navy's cord. The 10-footer with steel cable core I made in Burgundy and Gold was ruined by a variance in cord quality. It got wet one time and twisted up like a corkscrew.

It was a crying shame. It was the most intricate and interesting pattern I had ever done on a whip. I'm still sad about it.

[Guest]

Sorry to hear about your whip, David. That must have been like a bad dream.

I've heard more than one horror story like that, and that's why I pre-shrink my paracord now. Cut, gut, soak in hot water, soak in cold water, dry, stretch and plait. Sounds like a chore, but it really isn't that big a trouble. Not if you compare it to the spirit crushing agony of finding out the hard way.


- Pokkis

[Devin Bauer]

Ouch, the difference in the pink is quite visible, terrible thing to happen after all the work in plaiting the whip, and it does indeed look bigger, have you measured it?
I still don't understand the shrinkage business myself, if the paracord is in fact Nylon, there should be no shrinkage in the cordage, and that is certainly true for the "real" Mil-Spec paracord. I have noticed that when wet the cordage will sort of swell and appear tighter, but it stretches back to normal when dried. Must be something screwy with the Commercial paracord.

[Guest]

Actually, nylon shrinks in water. This is thanks to something called hydrogen bonds. And here's an explanation of it by my understanding.

This might go a bit sciencey, but bear with me. Nylon is not a name of any certain chemical, but a whole group of chemicals called aliphatic polyamides. Those are essentially long chains of carbon atoms attached end to end, and all the "free spots" on that structure are filled with hydrogen atoms and amide groups. The amide groups form hydrogen bonds between each other, which basically means a form of attraction. Those bonds tie the long molecular chains together, forming the fiber itself.

As nylon is woven into form, the hydrogen bonds get pulled apart slightly. That means a new, unused nylon cord is actually under some tension, which is trying to pull the molecule chains together. Things like heat and water (and basically anything that can make your new clothes shrink, same principle) can agitate the fibers enough to release the tension and tighten the nylon weave.

In short: Anything that can make your new jeans shrink, can also shrink your paracord.


- Pokkis

EDIT: typos

[Carl Feairs]

Hi Roy:
I have experienced the poor quality controll when it comes to paracord. I used 650 coreless all from the same supplier. black and electric blue. The blue felt thicker than the black. The blue stretched noticeable more than the black during plaiting and the proof was that I had, on the overlay of a 10 bullwhip 2' more blue than black left over on the long strands which were all cut the same length.
I have had no complaint from the owner so I do not know what happened after the whip was used.
I may see it during the spring and will know better then.

[Rhett Kelley]

Eeesh.. I hate the variations myself. Haven't had cord that vastly different in a while though.