America 250 Woggle

Celebrate the America 250 event with a red, white and blue paracord woggle you make yourself.

For Scouts: The Turks head knot (aka “woggle”) is a challenge to tie – especially the first time. Even adults feel challenged tying it. Feel free to undo it and start over. It gets better and may take a half dozen tries until you start to understand the unique weave pattern of a knot you haven’t tied before. Search on YouTube for tutorials on “Woggle” or “Turks Head Knot” to help you out. Seek out a leader’s help if you have trouble.

Downloadable PDF instructions available for printing

Supplies:

• Paracord 550 (each length is 16.5 inches / 42 cm) in Red, White, and Blue available from many vendors.

• Polyurethane glue (e.g. Gorilla Glue) and cotton tipped applicators

Helpful options:

• A heat source to fuse ropes (soldering iron, lighter, etc) or polyurethane glue

• “Third Hand Tool” to hold the heated cord to fuse together without burning your fingers or hold the cord until the glue sets for fusion.

Preparation

• Cut 3 equal lengths of each color.  The lengths noted above can be adjusted, keep each cord the same size.

  
  

• Paracord likes to frazzle on the ends so heat fuse or apply a dab of polyurethane glue (takes a few hours to set).

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= Injury warning= Heat from fused ends of each cord can cause skin burns during heating.  Avoid using so much heat that the cord ignites.

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A tool such as a “third hand tool” can hold both cords for heating.  This tool can prevent burns as the melted cord is hot enough to burn you as well as secure the weld until cooled.  A flame-free safe alternative is to join the ends with polyurethane glue.

Move the two cords together to fuse while the ends are still melted.  Let it cool down for 10 seconds or longer. 

White should be in the middle section of your fused paracord.  You can start the woggle with either the blue or the red end. 

• Follow the instructions in the PDF sheet (pages 3-4) for the knot typing  Source of help sheet is from other Scouters and Wood Badge courses
  

• During tying, the end of your color being tied should meet its origin. If it is too long or short, rework the knot to dress it into a shape that allows them to lie adjacent. The same advice applies for the next two wraps resulting in all three colors meeting in the same area. This trick can help hide the ends and fused areas, so they are below an overlying triple strand covering them.

Woggle at the beginning of the 3^rd wrap, blue cord on the left, blue/white fused ends next, followed by white/red fusion.

Completed woggle with ends that remain hidden underneath a wrap.

Paracord can be flimsy with use resulting in the color positions shifting with repeated use of the woggle. After fabrication, you can stiffen the inside of the woggle by applying polyurethane glue (e.g. Gorilla Glue) coating only the inside of the woggle. Hot glue is an alternative however I found it to show my messiness while the polyurethane bond was less visible if accidentally dabbed in an area than shows (top blue cord).

You can apply dabs of glue with a cotton-tipped applicator as illustrated. Coat only the inside of the woggle.

The polyurethane coating on the inside really firms up the woggle and prevents paracord slippage for repeated uses.

Optional single strand color – no cord fusing required

For a single line option that avoids the need for fusing 3 separate colors, consider the "Captain America" paracord (red, silver, blue) available from Paracord Planet (no financial interest)

PDF instructions for printing with the attached wood badge woggle training tying process on pages 3 - 4.

America 250 Woggle instructions.pdf

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