Tip by John Heatherly, author of The Survival Template.
image by fdecomite
Many of us buy, store and use paracord/550 cord, and for good reason. With a tensile strength of 550 pounds, a paracord line kit can be used for just about anything, to include: securing loads on vehicles and rucksacks; building shelters; setting small-game snares; etc. The possibilities are endless.
Have you ever made use of the inner-core housed within the sheathing of 550 cord? A normal strand contains seven strands of string, each having a tensile strength of about fifty pounds. When paired with a large sail needle, inner-core can be used as high-strength thread. I have used inner-core to repair clothing, backpacks, and blankets with great success. It serves as the perfect thread when sewing heavy-duty canvas or nylon webbing for improvised bags or sheaths for cutting tools. I have also seen inner-core used as fishing line on multiple occasions, many times resulting in a brook trout meal being cooked over the fire!
Of course, if you have invested in 550 cord as part of your survival kit, you wouldn’t want to carelessly dissect large amounts of it for inner-core. Instead, use inner-core when it is needed and do not feel the need to immediately discard an excess section of paracord that has broken or cut as part of a project. The white strands sticking out of the broken end might just come in handy!
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Very interesting post. I'll bet I could come up with some medical uses for that.
Doc, you're always welcome to write up your thoughts and ideas and send them in as a guest post. Sometimes I wish I had taken the medical path when I started college, but I've always been a teacher/trainer at heart, so that was my life path.
Another related use is for sewing on buttons. Provided the holes are large enough for the large gauge needles. They seem to last longer with the inner core than they do with regular thread.
I sew buttons on things like coats with dental floss. Coat buttons are more prone to loosening and getting popped off, it seems. Just color the floss with a sharpie pen so it matches as closely as you can to the garment, and sew the button on. Floss never wears through, and you'll never have to sew that button on again.
Fishing line, bank line, and trotline, various spring snare configurations, attaching arrow heads /spear points to name a few more 🙂 RT’ed! @isurvivalskills
550 cord is great stuff. But if you're looking for something thinner and cheaper that offers the same (or better) strength as an inner strand of paracord then look for 80-90lb test fishing line at your local Walmart or sporting goods store.
If you use fishing line for sewing repairs, or equipment attachment exposed to sunlight, be sure it is UV protected.
After you’re finished sewing on your buttons, put a dab of clear nail polish over the top of the button on the thread. You’ll never have to sew that button on again. I also put it on all new clothes’ buttons before they come off.
I always save the inner core, I also save the nylon mini blind pull string when I have to replace my blinds. The nylon cords come in handy for any thing that needs strong string. I have an older backpack that didn’t have a chest strap and I sewed one on to my shoulder straps with it. The pack is about wore out but the strap is strong as ever.
Have any of you used the nano cord? I’m currently making extra pouches for my assault pack and it is amazing. It has 35 pound strength. Atwood rope mfg makes the kind I use. It is just as versitil as paracord only on a smaller scale. Give it a search, its cheap and amazing.