Paracord core for crackers?

[fenris]

I was thinking of turning the paracord cores I had extracted into crackers.

Any pros and cons using crackers made from paracord cores?

[Canuck Digger]

Try it and tell us.

[tomek9210]

I've used it in the past, but I didn't like it as much as I like polypro crackers. Paracord core ones aren't stiff and I like them to be stiff and wear out faster.
My friend used to use that for sewing, it's very strong thread.

[riku1914]

I used it for a while when i first started making whips. It's too loose, even for nylon. Compared to the nylon I use for crackers now, paracord core for crackers is like a wet noodle vs. a tight whip.

You can use , just expect tangles. More so than normal nylon crackers.

[fenris]

But what about the sound? How does it sound?

[riku1914]

If I remember right, like any other cracker.

[fenris]

Tested it out on one of my shorter whips a while ago. There isn't much stiffness to the paracord core and yeah, it does tangle easily. But the sound is almost the same as other crackers I've made.

I do like my crackers to be a little stiffer, but I guess in a pinch, this'll work. I'm gonna make a couple of 'em as spares.

[winrichwhips]

I've been using paracord core string poppers on some of my whips for a while. Aside from tangling slightly easier than poly crackers I've found it works really well and lasts longer than poly string. I didn't find that they tangled any more than other nylon crackers that I've used. I used to use nylon mason's twine and that tangles worse than paracord core thread.

The most use I've gotten out of paracord core crackers is on a chainmail whip that I use in my shows for cutting cans in half. I used to use artificial sinew for that cracker but the paracord core cracker lasts way longer.

As far as looseness goes, I think that depends more on how tightly you twist the cracker than the thread itself.

One of the things I like about the paracord core stuff, aside from having heaps of it after making a nylon whip, is that it's pretty easy to experiment with different weights of crackers. I was recently trying to see how many candles I could put out in a minute with a whip, thinking that a heavier cracker would move more air, making it easier. For myself it worked best to use one length of paracord core thread twisted together, i.e. the cracker ended up two threads wide. It cracked sharper and maybe was going faster.

If you're looking to experiment with crackers that cut cleaner, you can try diabolo string. I think that's what they put on the end of the Karaka whips and I found it to cut paper and cans really well, as long your my aim is on

-Adam

[fenris]

If you're looking to experiment with crackers that cut cleaner, you can try diabolo string. I think that's what they put on the end of the Karaka whips and I found it to cut paper and cans really well, as long your my aim is on

-Adam

I think I'd be a little afraid to use a cracker that can easily cut a can... If I make a mistake, I might cut myself open! Hahaha!

I've made a dozen paracord core crackers as my back-up crackers when the crackers I got from Tomek all wear out.

I even devised a way so I could make the crackers faster.


I got a tube (this one is a cone from my old e-cigarette) and inserted the cracker core in it.


I then secured the other end somewhere (actually, I'm just stepping on the other end). I inserted a small screwdriver into the closed end and spin away while using my other hand to hold the tube. I makes twisting easier and faster.

Something I noticed is when I over-spin, the cracker becomes thicker. This never happened when I used nylon thread.

[riku1914]

I use a drill to twist my crackers when making them ( depending on the cracker. Some I have to hand twist just because I either have to, for that specific cracker, or for some it actually ends up faster hand twisting. For what you're using, using a drill would probably end up quicker than anything else i could think of ).