Summary

Lost in the wilderness? A few feet of paracord for making a bow drill fire set or for a thread to fish with might save you. This bracelet gives you 7 feet of paracord right on your wrist. Both styles of buckle are remixes of designs used for nylon webbing. The paracord is available in many colors from Home Depot for about $2 for 50 feet. The total cost to make a survival bracelet is less than $1 per bracelet. Whether you are new or old to 3D printing, this is a fun and useful project which you can complete in less than an hour.

Update: I've included a design for a side latch buckle. Now there are two styles of buckle to choose from. Be sure to use supports for side latch buckle female prints.

Once you print the male and female buckles, space them at about 7.5 - 8 inches apart at the openings and follow the photos for weaving the paracord. IMPORTANT: Be sure that each successive knot alternates which side goes under the two main cords. You must alternate back and forth otherwise the bracelet will have a twist in it. When you finish the final knot, trim the cords and lightly melt the ends with a lighter to keep them in place.

ALSO IMPORTANT: For the side latch buckle, print the female part with internal supports otherwise the print will fail. After printing, knock out the supports with a small screwdriver and cleanup excess plastic with an Xacto knife.

Print Settings

Printer Brand: RepRap

Printer: Prusa i3

Rafts: No

Supports: Yes

Resolution: 0.1mm

Infill: 100%

Notes:

Be sure to use 100% infill to make the buckle sturdy. I used PLA but ABS would last longer. I didn't have to do any post processing to get the buckle to operate. All clearances seem to be good. Extruder 200C Bed 60C on Kapton IMPORTANT: For the side latch buckle, print the female part with internal supports otherwise it won't print well. After printing, knock out the supports with a small screwdriver and cleanup excess plastic with an Xacto knife.