How to tie (and use) a wrist thong

It was in the early 1980's. I was set up at a gun & knife show in downtown Orlando...and I mean "downtown". The Orlando "Centraplex", as it was called was located downtown. There was an Omni hotel, the Bob Carr theatre for the performing arts, amongst other stuff. The Orlando Magic were just getting underway. All of this in a 4 block area. Quite a contraption, this mess-n-maze of buildings was!
I was selling guns-n-Randalls and showing somebody a Model #10-7" at the time. I was trying to explain how I looped the wrist thong around my wrist a couple of times and how it helped me to use the knife "on the water" and not have to worry about losing it.
All of a sudden, I was approached by this thin old man, forcing his way into the conversation and politely (but intensly) telling me I didn't know what the hell I was talking about. It was Bo Randall, who used to frequent the shows back in the day. Bo proceeded to show "us" (meaning everyone who would look) just exactly how "his" wrist thong should be used.
I never forgot that lesson. Bo was right on the money and I'm going to try and pass it on to you good folks...If you like?? I probably will not word myself properly and ya'll might have a time figuring out my photos and explanation...but I'll try.
I didn't want this thread to get lost in and with the other very good thread on the subject, which is going on at present, so I started a seperate one. Hope this is OK with everyone...OK: Here goes.


FIRST: Loop the paracord through the handle hole provided or the hilt hole provided (#18's) and lay the open ends side by side and pointing "away" from each other. At "every" stage of this knot these "tag ends" will be pointed away from one another.

Second:
Begin the knot by tying a half hitch around the other half (side) of the paracord. (Notice how the tags ends are facing apart?

Third:
Tighten this half hitch up fairly tight with at least one inch exposed. (See how the tag ends are facing away from each other?)

4 & 5: Reverse the knot, tying another half hitch on the opposite end of the paracord...and tighten exactly as the first hitch. (Notice how the tag ends are facing away from one another?)

6 & 7:
If you have tied these knots correctly you should be able to pull as hard as you can and the knots will slip tight against one another, while never...I repeat "never" coming loose!
Afterward, with no effort at all, you'll be able to pull the 2 tag ends, forming the "loop" you will use next!

9,10,11 & 12:
Open this newly found "loop" as wide as need be. Slip your entire hand through the loop. Position the knife and cinch the loop tightly around your wrist. I have large hands, wrists and arms and the wrist thong that comes directly from the Randall shop is plenty long enough for me to achieve this method and grip/hold. If, for some reason it doesn't work for you, get a longer piece of paracord and start over. (But make sure the tag ends are pointed away from each other during each and every stage of this knot!)

13,14 & 15:
You can clearly see that this knife...Ain't going anywhere! Not only that: Somebody would have a hell of a time taking it away from you. If you're in rough seas, that prized Randall ain't goin' overboard. (Just make sure that the tag ends of the knot are facing away from each other).

16,17 & 18:
You simply reverse the procedure to remove the wrist thong when your chores are done. At each stage you will notice that "The tag ends are pointed away from one another"!

Thanks Capt. !!!

Here endeth the lesson class. I usually leave my wrist thongs attached after I have finished with the knife. If it's full of blood-n-guts I remove it, launder it and re-install it, being careful to make sure that....(you guessed it)...The tags ends are pointed away from each other at all stages of tying this knot...
Best, Capt. Chris
PS: Thanks to Elizabeth for helping with the photos...CCS

Yep, that's the way I seen it on one of your Pictures a year ago. It's the old Fishermans Knot. Thanks Capt. For doing this for us. You ought to make this a "sticky". oldguy

Cap, Great explanation and photos!!!

P.S. Give Elizabeth a big hug for me and thank her for the help
on the camera end.

Ken Lambert
RKS #3610
NRA Benefactor
FOP

WOW!
Thanks Cap. This totally new to me and really great. I can't wait to try it out.
Tony

Very interesting Capt. Chris, I had never seen that before.
I hope I am not up all night retying all of my wrist thongs.

Peter

Very creative!

Nice photos and text to go along with it. I shall try this sometime soon!

Thanks Cap,that'e the way Ken showed me and trhe way mine
are tied.Have you thought about letting Elizabeth do photos
for the web sight?She is great!!!!



Billy Poyner
RKO RKS#5030
NRA Endowment
MM

I appreciated you showing this knot to me when I picked up the diver and model 5 at the Orlando show. Great pictures and description here for the record, and I particularly enjoyed the description of Bo showing you the knot.

Thanks Capt!

Thank's Cap. I have seen this knot before but not how to do them :-)

Thanks Capt. Chris for solving this mystery. Can't wait to try it.
And it's a cool story, too

Thanks Capt. Works great.e-z,p-z Bob

Thank you Capt. Very informative. I assume you could use a leather cord with the same results.

Next time you take the pics and let Elizabeth be in the photos. She is a lot more photogenic than you!!

Great post, Captain! I know this knot well, but never thought to use it like this. Can't wait to try it out.

This is great, Captain. I thought I'd try to reduce everything to a one-page size so that it would be easy for people to copy and paste as a "reminder" sheet on how to do it, after following your full size photos. [if you don't mind, and if I'm not stepping on Elisabeth by cropping and reducing all her photos. If you DO mind, please have my post removed.]
People should be able to right-click on the picture and save it to their computer, then paste it onto a Word document and print--remembering that it needs to stay at 100% size in order not to become distorted.)
Captain emphasizes:
MAKE SURE THOSE TAG ENDS ARE POINTED AWAY FROM EACH OTHER AT EVERY STAGE OF KNOT TYING

Know what else they need to remember? Those "TAGS" ends? They need to be pointed away from each other at "EVERY" stage of the knot tying process.
Best, Capt. Chris

I edited my post and added that warning in large red letters, Captain.

........well done Steve......well done...
Capt. Chris

Thanks Steve, that's a very useful format.

Slick CC, thanks for sharing!

- Rob

Thanks Cap for a very informative lesson...and a BIG thanks to Steve for "diluting" the Captain out of the pictures!!-- --

---DW---

Wrist thongs look good, and are obviously functional. But I've never been interested in having one for 2 reasons:

1. It would be difficult to keep clean from blood.

2. It would snag on branches as you walk through thick brush.

"2. It would snag on branches as you walk through thick brush."

Keith,
No they don't. When sheathed all that is required is to pull the loose wrist thong (from the rear) through the bottom portion of the sheath opening, between your belt and the sheath's belt loop. You can go one step more and pull it through to the front. You'll never lose a Randall knife this way. You can give the wrist thong a quick tug and it's free for you to unsheath the knife.
Best, Capt. Chris

My old #5 and #7 have had no-telling how many times the nylon thongs have been totally blood soaked. When I get back to the kitchen, I just run the cord through hot water a few times and then squeeze in paper towels. Still look good after 30 years of use. Never had an issue with the thong getting caught in the brush; had the keeper snap come un-snapped many times, that's why I prefer a pouch type sheath.

Pap

Yeah, well, I'm just telling my experience with them in the past. I've tried the tuck method you described and it still snagged eventually, although it was much more secure that way.

I've had my nylon boot laces come untied several times after double-knotting them and tucking the loose ends into my boots. When you have briars pulling and ripping at your clothes, there is not much you can do.

Nevermind, my reading comprehension is weak today !!!

You're not supposed to wear your walking shorts!! Wear a pair of Filson briar proof bird hunting pants or from Stafford's in Thomasville, GA. All kidding aside, nylon boot laces are strong and long lasting but latigo is the best, IMHO, but you have to watch it when they get worn or they will break when you least want them to.

Pap

Thought that I would add another bit of Info to Mr Randall's knot.

I was reading an old "Outdoors Book" that had a section on Knots and Knot Tying.

Mr Randall's "Lanyard Knot" is a knot used to join two different sizes of lines together and is called a "Water Knot". Mr Randall, being a Florida Fisherman, would know this knot.

The book says that "the knot is very strong and once tied is very difficult to untie". But Mr Randall apparently saw that he could adapt the knot to allow a very secure method of knife lanyard retention to the wrist and still remove the lanyard when required.

You pull on the "tag" ends and the loop opens up.

"Oldguy" said that the knot was an old fisherman's knot which has a lot of truth. This specific book called the knot a "water Knot"

Tom Vaught

This thread needs more pics.

Thanks Tom! That's exactly what's been missing!!

great thread, Captain!! the only thing I didn't understand is.... Where the hell have to point those tag ends???? lol

Great tutorial! I used it on a few of my Randalls! Thank you!

THANK YOU.

Awesome tutorial! Thanks Captain!