# Wrapping a handle



## Blackstaff

Hello everyone.

I'm receiving a homemade cane soon and planning to wrap the handle with something for grip and insulation. I was considering paracord, but I wondered if anyone had any ideas that they might prefer or instructions on how to do it. The cane will have a crook handle, but I am unsure how to make appropriate measurements for wrapping materials, the best way to wrap it etc. I watched a video on a simple paracord wrap for a flashlight, and just a 6-inch wrap required over 20 feet of the stuff, at least for the type of wrap they were doing there.

I know some members here make their own and have probably done wraps or otherwise added to the handles. I'm not sure if I can purchase an empty foam overlay that I can just slide over the handle. I'd be grateful if you could share your ideas. I'll try to give more details if necessary, but there are some things I might not know till I see the cane. Thanks everyone.


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## Walker

Have you considered leather instead of cord? Check out Rodney's post in the cane forum. I have used leather shoe laces with good results.


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## Rodney

Wait until you have the cane and can see for yourself what needs to be done. Padding adds bulk quickly and may not be needed. There is a learning curve with leather. I'm a long way from mastery.

What I've found so far is you want a soft supple and stretchy leather. At least that's what has been working best for me. My favorite so far is kidskin.

You can also wet mold vegetable tanned leather but I haven't tried it yet.

You can get by with a *SHARP* utility knife to cut the leather. My first leather awl was a sharpened nail in the end of a dowel. A round awl works well for that kind of seam.

Cechaflo has good videos on Youtube showing different stitches you can use and how to wrap different items.

Springfield Leather https://www.springfieldleather.com/ is a good source for leather and supplies. They sell smaller pieces so you don't have to buy a whole cow hide. Some kidskins they cut, others they don't. I use waxed Ritza 25 thread. 1 mm is a good size. Other threads use different measuring systems and can be confusing.

http://leatherworker.net/forum/ is a leatherworking forum I joined. There's not a lot about doing leather wraps but plenty of other good info there. Careful. Leather can be addictive.

If you choose paracord there are a lot of Youtube videos out there showing how to use it.


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## CAS14

I like the many artistic paracord options, aesthetically, but I don’t find them comfortable. I glue a sheet of suede leather, leaving about a 1/8” gap. Then I wrap similar suede leather lace, using the Boy Scout technique from my 1950’s experience, waxing the 1/8” gap so the lace doesn’t break when pulling down to secure the wrap. When I return home, I’ll try to find a description of this old, but simple method. I’ve posted a number of examples here.


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## dww2

Maybe something like a foam bike handle pad. Like this:

https://www.amazon.com/EZcross-Bicycle-Foam-Grip-Black/dp/B06XB1WS4G?hvadid=78683853000203&hvbmt=bb&hvdev=c&hvqmt=b&keywords=foam+bike+handles&qid=1539174830&sr=8-16-spons&tag=mh0b-20&ref=sr_1_16_sspa&psc=1


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## Blackstaff

Thank you everyone for your replies, I will review all these suggestions. Sorry for the rather late response; I thought I would get an email notification for replies, but I guess I am not "following" this thread.


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## Blackstaff

I'll try to post some info about the cane once I receive it, as well. My uncle is making it but there is no set timetable. I had no idea you could just use leather shoelaces. I had considered a sheet of leather as well. I used a steering wheel cover for some projects when I was little, but I was unskilled and it didn't turn out well. It probably wasn't the best leather, either.


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## KenVA

If pricing of paracord is a concern there is a website that sells it in bulk and most of the time has free shipping. Check out paracordplanet.com


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## Blackstaff

KenVA said:


> If pricing of paracord is a concern there is a website that sells it in bulk and most of the time has free shipping. Check out paracordplanet.com


Thank you Ken for your suggestion. I was just surprised by how much paracord some tutorials were using for wraps, I didn't know one would need that much.


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