Here is another MAGLITE wrap, this time for my Opa. This particular model is an Incandescent 4-Cell MAGLITE. The wrap, a three bight Turk's Head, consists of nineteen leads with four passes, each of a different color. I measured, cut, and gutted roughly ten feet for each color of nylon 550 paracord. The colors from left to right are grey, pewter, burgundy, and black.
When I wrap a weave, oftentimes the first time is not the last time I will wrap the initial color. This especially pertains to when I am weaving around an object I have never wrapped before. Whenever the diameter of the object you are wrapping is different from what you might be used to, it is always helpful to experiment a little with the first pass before getting locked into a weave. Experiment with the spacing of the cord, the number of leads, even the number of bights in order to create a weave that is perfect for whatever it is you are wrapping. The bottom line is: don't feel bad if you find yourself wrapping and rewrapping the initial color. I've found that each project I get into always seems in some form or another, different from the last.
Adding a touch of style to a hand-me-down hammer, this weave is a two bight, fifteen lead Turk's Head Knot with four passes.
I considered leaving the 7 strands of nylon inside each cord for this wrap. I thought the added mass might be beneficial on a handle for a tool that is going to be swung around a lot. But the more I wove the un-gutted cord, the less I liked the wrap. It was just too much around the handle and gave me the feeling it might easily fly out of the hand when used. So I pulled off the weave and started over, this time utilizing my usual gutted cord method. I'm so glad I did; the grip on this weave is just perfect for a hammer.
Black, nylon 550 paracord bookends the weave for the first and fourth pass. The second pass was woven using desert tan nylon 550 paracord, and the third pass with foliage green nylon 550 paracord.
Here is part two of my papa's birthday gift to me. This LED 2-Cell MINI MAGLITE came in a flashlight pack with my other MAGLITE. I wrapped another three bight, thirteen lead Turk's Head Knot with two passes. The first pass was woven using gutted nylon, olive drab (O.D.) 550 paracord. The second pass was also woven with gutted nylon 550 paracord, this time in a chocolate brown dye.
This LED 2-Cell MAGLITE is another one of my dad's flashlights. This three bight, thirteen lead Turk's Head Knot contains four passes. Using my Perma-Lok lacing needle, I wove about eight and a half feet of each color around the flashlight handle.
I wanted to try a woodland camo color scheme for this wrap. So I cut and gutted four colors of nylon 550 paracord from Supply Captain: dark olive drab, dark brown, olive drab, and coyote brown. I believe I like the look of four passes the best on these MAGLITE wraps. I think four passes gives a sufficient weave given the diameter of these flashlights.
I wrapped this LED 3-Cell MAGLITE for my dad. Like the weave in my previous post, this wrap consists of three bights and nineteen leads. However instead of only containing three passes, this weave sports four.
As you can see, the added fourth color definitely beefs up the weave a bit more. On the wrap for my MAGLITE, there were spots in which the knurled grip was visible beneath the weave. That is not the case with this wrap. The extra cord of the fourth color added quite a bit of length to the overall weave of the knot as well. Even though this weave and the previous both contain only nineteen leads, the weave on this flashlight extends almost to the end of the handle. I spent several hours working on this wrap. I know it would have taken me a lot longer if it wasn't for my jumbo Perma-Lok lacing needle.
My dad was a fan of the urban camo wrap that I used on my MAGLITE. He probably wouldn't have minded one just like it, but in order for us to tell the two apart, we added the burgundy into the mix. I cut and gutted ten feet of cord of each color for the wrap. You need all ten feet to initially complete the weave, however once the knot is cinched down all the way, the excess length, approximately a foot and a half of each color, is trimmed off.
Although this was technically my second MAGLITE wrap, I feel it was the first of the more professional looking weaves that I've done. This three bight, nineteen lead Turk's Head Knot contains three passes each with a different color. I received this LED 3-Cell MAGLITE from my dad on my last birthday.
I use a long jumbo Perma-Lok lacing needle from the Tandy Leather Factory to help with the weaving process. If you're interested in making paracord wraps for projects like these flashlight weaves, you definitely need one of these lacing needles. It will save you much time and frustration. Just twist your paracord into the sharp threads just inside the end of the needle. The tension the threads provide is plenty to keep the paracord from coming loose.
I chose an urban camo color scheme for this weave using black, gray, and white 550 paracord. I used ten feet of each color and as usual gutted the core for a flatter weave. I purchase my paracord from Supply Captain. They offer a great selection of quality paracord at some of the most affordable prices on the web.
Here is a wrap on an Incandescent 2-Cell MAGLITE. This is the first of several MAGLITE wraps that I've woven. They are a great size for paracord wraps and are just outstanding flashlights. This particular flashlight is one of the older models. The incandescent bulb has since been rather trumped by the LED flashlights whose undying bulbs and lumen outputs are hard to match. Despite the milage seen by this flashlight over the years, it still works great and has taken up residence under the seat of the pick-up truck, ready for any roadside use and assistance.
The weave around the handle is a four bight, thirteen lead Turk's Head Knot with two passes. I used some left-over red polypropylene cord on this wrap. As per usual with my wraps, it is gutted cord for a flatter and tighter weave. Typically I would have made the weave a little longer adding more leads, but because it was left-over cord my length was limited. The truth is I will probably re-wrap this one with some 550 paracord. That is, after I've wrapped all the other flashlights laying around the house.
