How to make a paracord sword wrap

Another take on the paracord sword wrap, this wrap can fit many handles of swords and knives.

As you might have noticed from my paracord knife wrap tutorial and the instructions on the paracord axe wrap, I have been exploring the wonderful world of paracord handle wraps. There are a few techniques out there still to discover still, but this sword wrap I had to share with you!

It is a wrap that consists of two turks head knots, with the middle simply formed with a series of X shapes. It is easy to do, the only challenging part may be the turks head, which is not hard to learn. The challenge comes in the form of tightening the wrap, because those turks heads really become tight at the end. I had to use a pair of nose pliers to open up the knots. Naturally a marlin spike would do the job better, but I was afraid of it slipping (it is quite sharp!).
Now for some images and the tutorial.

The paracord sword wrap, top view.

Another look at the wrap.

Supplies I used

To make this paracord sword handle wrap I used the following:

a length of gutted paracord 550 (paracord with the inner strands removed). This makes the wrap flatter
a lighter
scissors
a lacing needle to work with the turk head knots. These got really tight!
something to open up a knot with. A marlin spike will do nicely, just mind the tip.

Paracord sword wrap tutorial

The sword wrap started by gutting the cord (removing the inner strands to make it flat). I folded the cord in half and made the first turks head knot. I then made a series of X shaped wraps. These are really easy to make. The trick for the wrap to work is to tighten these X shaped cords very tightly and to line them up one next to each other at the sides.

When you reach a desired wrap length, use some melted cord or even glue to hold the last X in place. At this point simply make another turks head knot and snip the ends. Melt them and you are done.

At this point the wrap should be tight. If you still think it could be tighter, you can shrink the wrap a bit by placing it in boiling water for about 10-15 seconds (you can read more about shrinking paracord here).

Finally, you may want to wax the grip. Not everyone does that and it is a personal preference. It does improve the friction and protects the wrap from wear and sweat though. Both is preferable for a sword, especially if you plan to practice with it.