Help With Lanyards

[Dearrings]

Hi all! Sorry I haven't been around much but I have been missing you. (This forum has really grown!!!!)

Just a question about lanyards. I'm making some wrapped loop ones and I'm wondering how well they will hold up to daily use. Has anyone made any? Are they strong enough for this purpose? (BTW I'm using the kind of craft wire you can get at Michael's...its a copper core, 24 g, and coloured silver or gold)

Alternatively, what are other good stringing materials for lanyards?

Advice is much appreciated!

[Tela]

What are you using them for? We have to thinking about different things because I can't imagine using wire. I only think of things like this stormdraneslanyard.blogspot.com/ I've done them with paracord and I like working with it. You can get it all colors now. Hopefully that was helpful.

[Dearrings]

They are for hospital ID badges.....so they need to withstand a bit of wear.

I tried to make a strung lanyard using fishing line as the stringing material but the funniest thing happens in cold weather....the lanyard snaps. Spontaneously :/

Then I was told to try dental floss. Seriously. It stretched and finally broke too.

So what can I use that is both cost effective and STRONG?

[Tela]

Real paracord is made with very thin and strong fibers bound in a nylon sheath. It is real easy to pull those strings from the sheath and use it the way you want for a VERY strong and small lanyard.

Paracord is just that- It's used for parachutes and it's strong, it has to be. Here's the wiki. I use it for lots of stuff and it's great to take camping. secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Parachute_cord The stuff they sell at the big box is usually not the real stuff, but you can get it pretty cheap online. A little goes a long way if you are using the cords inside the sheath, they are very thin.

[Renate]

Fishing line snaps??! And I thought it was supposed to be one of the strongest materials ever.

I don't have a lot of experience, but I cannot imagine that copper wire will stand the test of permanent use, because of the work hardening.
Not very helpful, sorry.

Maybe there is a reason why paracord is a favourite.
This is a good opportunity to slip in the link to an interesting site, Tyingitalltogether. Who knew that knots could be so elegant.
www.youtube.com/user/TyingItAllTogether#p/u/4/PTldzerpjps




modified:
when I wrote this I hadn't seen Tela's post yet! LOL!

[laura]

Nov 10, 2011 0:54:16 GMT -5 Dearrings said:

I tried to make a strung lanyard using fishing line as the stringing material but the funniest thing happens in cold weather....the lanyard snaps. Spontaneously :/

Did you use monofilament line? It's supposed to snap sooner or later as it has a very limited lifespan.

Try using Fireline or any other brand (Power Pro, Spiderwire) of braided line. It's very durable and resistant, and super strong (trying to break it with bare hands may result in needing medical care - it'll sooner cut your fingers than break).

[Dearrings]

So I was doing some research about paracord online....apparently it shrinks if it gets wet??? Have you had this happen Tela?

Thats not a good thing if the lanyard is beaded...

Secondly, are those cords inside the sheath thin enough to fit throuh 8/0 seed beads, bugle beads, bicones ect?

Renate, the fishing line actually snapped. First the ends turned a weird dark blue bubbly kind of look trapped in the clear case of the filament( think like a lava lamp).

After a while, it snapped. I have no idea if it was braided or monofilamant.

I picked up some waxed jewelry cord but it only JUST fits through the beads I want...so I am taking forever to jimmy beads onto a cord. No way I can use that to make enough lanyards before Dec.

Any thoughts on Tigertail(probably not) or Softflex or something like that?

[Tela]

I've never heard that it shrinks. I've never had it happen. I made a mesh bag for soap/shower using that to sew up the drawstring for camping, it didn't shrink. I'm not saying it won't, just that I haven't seen it happen.

I think Laura was onto something, though. If you go the the big box fishing section and get heavyweight fireline, I bet it would work a charm. And, that stuff ain't breakin'! Don't get the smoke color though- the color comes off.

You know what? I just remembered that I made heavy lanyards with beads for our nalgene bottles, so we could tell whose was whose- again for camping. These go on our water bottles and I'm sure they've been wet, but they haven't shrunken.

The inside threads are very thin. I can't say for sure, but I'm thinking like a 20 or 18g wire, maybe. They are only white, though.

My money is on fireline. That was a great idea. It's expensive, though.

[laura]

Nov 10, 2011 11:45:01 GMT -5 Dearrings said:

After a while, it snapped. I have no idea if it was braided or monofilamant.

Mono is usually transparent and is more plastic like. It knots and tangles, has "memory" (if you take it off the spool it "remembers" the.. hmm.. winding? right word? anyway- it wants to stay in the shape it was on the spool), it stretches, and when heated it melts and balls (just like burning plastic), with time and exposure to elements it yellows, becomes stiffer and breaks easily.

Fireline feels more like thread, and very thin one can be mistaken for hair too If you lay it straight on the table, it stays straight without any protest (mono will try to return to coils). It doesn't have memory, doesn't stretch, is super thin and insanely strong, should last "forever" and take a decent amount of abuse.

And yes, the price difference is about 1:100

[Dearrings]

Ok. So what I used was probabaly monofilament.

I will try Fireline...I was looking online and it said the price for Fireline or ProPower was like $24 a reel ( something like for 150 ft). Does that sound right?

[Tela]

I think I paid 20.00 at K-Mart for some 12 lb line. The heavier line was more expensive.