Cording Techniques

There are many ways to add a joiner to your beads. Here are the most popular ways, some specifically aimed at fitting larger cord into a smaller hole. 

NOTE: Be careful when working with molten paracord. It can and will burn you. See the Straw technique below if you are not comfortable touching molten cord.


Cut and Burn

1. Cut the cord to the preferred length.
2. Melt both ends with a lighter/match/fire to prevent fraying.
3. Ideally, mold one or both melted end(s) into a sharp point to make it easier to thread through the bead hole.
4. If you only want to burn one end, pay attention to how you thread your beads on. One bead will need to be put on upside down (unless you are using symmetrical beads). One end should be knotted or burned flat to prevent the bead from sliding off.

Cut at an Angle and Burn

1. See Cut and Burn
   
2. When cutting, cut at a diagonal angle so that it is easier to form the tip into a sharp point.
3. Melt the tip into a sharp point.

Cut and Tape

Cut and Burn (Straw)

Gut, Cut, and Burn
This is applicable for paracord and some other cords.

1. Cut both sides of a piece of paracord. 
2. Remove some or all of the inner strands (number of strands depends on your grade of cord)
3. Burn the sheath to close the ends to prevent fraying.

275 Inside 550 "Hack"
Method discovered by @edonghumble on Instagram.

1. Gut a piece of 550 paracord completely.
2. Optionally, to make the process easier, tie one of the inners to a piece of 275 before removal.
3. If you tied an inner to the 275, just pull it through. Otherwise, thread the 275 through the 550 sheath.
4. Burn both ends to prevent fraying and keep the 275 from sliding out.
5. Optionally burn the 275 end into a sharp tip, then the 550 on top of that, if you are threading with that side.

Double Cord
This is the same as any other cording technique, but you use two strands (or one very long strand doubled over) as the joiner.