Paracord Grenade

This project will walk you through the process of creating a paracord "survival" grenade like the one seen above. This build consists primarily of two common knots: The Cobra Knot and The Monkey's Fist Knot. If you do not fully understand how to tie these knots, there are plenty of online resources documenting them. I will assume that you are familiar with constructing these knots, however, if you are not familiar with them, I recommend reading the Monster Monkey Fist Using Pool Ball by stephhicks and the Cobra Weave Paracord Bracelet by jseely23. If you prefer a video representation of these knots instead, I recommend visiting the following YouTube videos by The Weavers of Eternity Paracord: Cobra Knot and Mega Monkey's Fist.

As those of you who are familiar with the monkey's fist knot know, you need a core for this build to hold its shape. A metal ball bearing is the most common core, but as the monkey fist gets larger, so does the price of the ball bearing. As a result, it is common to see large monkey's fist knots use billiard balls as their cores. They are a solid option, however, I must make it clear that they can be dangerous if handled recklessly. Because of this, I have chosen to use a lacrosse ball for my core as it is a safer alternative. You are able to use whatever you want as your core, but keep in mind that it should keep its shape and be spherical.

If you want to use this build to hold some survival supplies, you can use a plastic ball toy capsule like the ones you get at gum ball machines or toy machines. Do note, that if you want to access your supplies, you will have to take the grenade apart. Once you take it apart, there is no easy way to put it back together. You will have to restart the entire process over again. Also, due to the wide variability of cores that people may use, I will not be able to provide exact lengths for the pieces of paracord used, however, you shouldn't need more paracord than is listed in the supplies section (Unless you use a bowling ball as your core).

• 50 feet of 550lb paracord - camo green
• 25 feet of 550lb paracord - black
• 1 key ring
• 1 mini ferro rod
• 1 core (up to your discretion)

(You can use whatever color you want for the paracord. For these instructions: Green is for the monkey's fist and black is for the cobra knot. I build the green one, but did not document it so now I am doing it again with all black. I apologize for any confusion this may cause)

Unless otherwise stated, the following tools are necessary:

• Lighter: Use this to seal the ends of the paracord.
• Scissors: Use this to cut the paracord as necessary.
• Monkey's Fist Jig: Although helpful, you do not need to purchase one. You can make one out of wood, or like I did, you can use a cardboard box with sticks shoved into them. It will be finicky, but it will work.
• Paracord fid: I highly recommend using a paracord fid. You don't have to use it, but it will make your life easier. If you choose not to, I recommend this YouTube video explaining an alternate method.

As I previously stated, I will assume that you know how to make a monkey's fist. If you need a refresher then I recommend stephhicks instructable. Follow along to his tutorial until you have your monkey fist looking as above. (If you are using a box with sticks jig, try to use rubber bands to keep the sticks from splaying apart).

Some general tips:

• The Monkey's Fist is not a difficult knot, but it can be quite repetitive. Just be patient, take your time, and it should turn out just fine.
• You should aim for an equal amount of loops on each side of the Monkey's fist, but it is okay if you miscount. You do not have to start over. Just make sure you have enough loops to cover the body.

For this part you will follow the tutorial by jseely23 but with one major variation. Rather than weaving around a bent cord, you will weave around a straight cord. The motion will be exactly the same. You will continue wrapping the cobra knot while periodically checking its size with your monkey's fist knot. Once you are happy with its size, you can cut off the two ends you have been weaving and seal them with a lighter. Do not cut the wrong ends. Cut the ends that I have marked in red.

Important Tip When Using The Lighter:

• When using the lighter, try not to get to close to the knot. The heat can easily melt the surrounding cord if you are not careful.

This part is pretty straightforward. You will use the extra cord from the Monkey's Fist Knot to secure the cobra knot on top. Use the paracord fid to lead the cord through the cobra knot and keep securing it until you are happy with it. You can weave under the Monkey's Fist to reach the other side of the Cobra Knot. Once the Cobra Knot is secured, use the remaining cord on the Monkey fist to tie a simple knot in the center of the ball. You can then cut off the excess and seal it with a lighter.

Now you should have two remaining strings of paracord protruding from your build. It is with these two strings that you will attach the ferro rod. This step should be simple, but depending on the thickness of your cord, it may be difficult. For my case, my cord proved to be slightly too large for the rod I had. If you encounter the same problem, I will share the process that I used. If not, move on to the next step.

• Use the lighter to melt the end of each cord
• While the cord is still malleable, flatten each end by rolling the fid on it. (You can use a pencil instead)
• The cord will be HOT. Be careful during this step.
• After the end has hardened, cut the cord into an arrow. You are essentially making a flat fid out of paracord.
• Lead each end through the ferro rod. Use tweezers if it doesn't reach the other end.
• If the end becomes loose, restart this process.
• Just be patient. Eventually, your results should like like above.

You are almost done with the build. Now all you have to do is weave another cobra knot around the two remaining strings. Just to be clear, use a new string of paracord to do this. This will be the color of your handle. The process is the same as for the previous Cobra Knot. Once you get your handle to a length that you are happy with, you can cut off the 2 strings attached to Monkey's Fist. If you want to make your handle thicker, you can circle back and do a double Cobra Knot. After that, cut of your extra cord and seal the ends.

As for the key ring, there is no secret. Put it on the first Cobra Knot wherever you feel that it looks best. I found the act of attaching the key ring quite annoying, but it eventually got on there. Just be patient, you don't want to mess up now. After it's attached. Flip the handle onto the ball and call it a day.

Congratulations, you just completed the build! I hope that you are happy with how yours turned out, I would love to see how it looks. If you are unsure of any of the steps or need help, then please ask in the comments. I will do my best to help you out. Otherwise, have a nice day.