Why didn’t I wrap with paracord?
- I wasn’t interested in the “look.”
- I don’t intend to use a paracord handle as “emergency cordage.” The way I think of it, if I am smart enough to take my prybar, I am smart enough to take some cordage.
- My solution is easier to implement and more comfortable.
Oher ideas that relate
- Other tools needing extra grip or comfort
- Bicycle handlebars
Ingredients
Weather stripping is dirt cheap at Home Depot. This stuff is about 1-inch wide, and obviously has adhesive on one side. They'll sell you way more than you need.
The stripping's adhesive is not super sticky, and, anyway, I don't there’s no way to effectively use it by itself as a wrap. So you need self-fusing silicone tape (at least one company calls emergency tape). It also is 1-inch wide (an irrelevant coincidence). You can buy 10 feet from Amazon for $8.99.
Step One.
Stick on as many layers of weather stripping as you want. I decided to use 2 layers. Be as sloppy as you like; you’ll trim the ends in Step Two. Also, realize that when you wrap the handle with silicone tape under tension, there will be some compression of the underlying weather stripping.
Step Two.
Trim the ends. Once again, get it approximately neat; you’ll subsequent hide any slight “errors” with the silicone tape. Notice that I decided to leave the two pre-drilled holes exposed. I’ll add a paracord lanyard. Note also that there’s some rust at the end, but not elsewhere. That’s because I failed to spray paint the entire prybar to protect it (I should have).
Step Three.
Wrap with silicone tape and trim. I wrapped it twice, in both directions. BTW, black is the most frequently found color, but I’ve seen white, yellow, and brown.
Final comments
This bar is stock; neither the side nor the end has been sharpened. That means it can be kept in a pack “naked” without any concern for tearing what’s near it. If you’re not comfortable with prybar nudity, make a “good enough for government work” sheath out of cardboard.
Not enough people realize this prybar is great for batoning wood. If you want, you can make your initial groove in the wood with your super-sharp, expensive bushcrafting knife. Thereafter, put your fancy knife away and just wail on the wood with the prybar. Spare your main blade for other stuff!
