Pro-Style Jump Rope
At my gym they had professional jump ropes made from coated steel cable and I decided to try and make my own using PVC and coated steel cable purchased at Home Depot.
Materials
1. Thin coated steel cable 3m (10') long (I'm 5'8, if you're taller you may need a longer cable)
2. Two 1" diameter PVC pipes 15cm (6") long
3. Two PVC caps 1"
4. Two plastic anchors
5. PVC adhesive
6. Krazy Glue
2. Two 1" diameter PVC pipes 15cm (6") long
3. Two PVC caps 1"
4. Two plastic anchors
5. PVC adhesive
6. Krazy Glue
Cut PVC Handles
Cut PVC handles to about 15cm (6") long using a pipe cutter or hacksaw.
Smooth Edges
Smooth out edges and taper one of the ends of each handle.
Drill Caps
Drill a hole in the middle of each cap just large enough for the cable to go through and have some play for it to spin.
Glue Caps to Handles
Using PCV adhesive, apply a small amount to the inside of the caps and to the non-tapered ends of the handles and quickly insert caps all the way in slightly spinning them.
Drill Anchors
Drill through each anchor just wide enough for the cable to fit inside snuggly but still slide.
Attach Handles
Insert one end of cable through the cap end of handle. Insert anchor through end of cable far enough so that when you pull the cable back (lightly) from the cap end until the anchor touches the inside of the cap, you can see the end of the cable inside the handle near the rim of the handle but not enough that it sticks out. We want to have this excess in case we need to adjust the length of the jump rope in the future.
Next, carefully push the cable back out of the handle so that we can "krazy glue" the anchor in place. Using a marker, make a mark next to the anchor then slide the anchor a bit towards the end of the cable, apply a little "krazy glue" then slide the anchor back to it's position next to the mark, spin the anchor a bit to distribute glue and let it set a few minutes.
Finally, repeat the process on the other end but first, be sure to size the length of the jump rope to your specific needs. This video shows how: How to measure for your Rx Jump Rope: http://youtu.be/d4d6ZrPLqAo .
Once you've measured you can cut the excess using cable cutters or a vise-grip.
Next, carefully push the cable back out of the handle so that we can "krazy glue" the anchor in place. Using a marker, make a mark next to the anchor then slide the anchor a bit towards the end of the cable, apply a little "krazy glue" then slide the anchor back to it's position next to the mark, spin the anchor a bit to distribute glue and let it set a few minutes.
Finally, repeat the process on the other end but first, be sure to size the length of the jump rope to your specific needs. This video shows how: How to measure for your Rx Jump Rope: http://youtu.be/d4d6ZrPLqAo .
Once you've measured you can cut the excess using cable cutters or a vise-grip.
Finishing Touches
Add final touches by sanding with fine sandpaper and/or painting if desired.