Update: Installing a breakaway connector

Yesterday the postman brought a small box from Lighthound, one of my sources for lanyard supplies, containing the breakaway connectors I'd ordered the other day. It took me all of three minutes to add one of these little 75-cent gadgets to my Little Creek necker rig.

After snipping the fused joint out of the middle of the paracord lanyard, I threaded the cut ends through the two halves of the breakaway connector. I then poked at the ends to fray them, followed by a shot with a torch-type butane lighter and another poke (this time with a wet fingertip to prevent a blister) to "mushroom" the ends.

I let the melted paracord cool and harden before pulling it back into the connector halves. The mushrooms keep the cord ends from popping out.

The last step was to join the connector and yank-test it a few times. It works.

Although my original fused joint served as a reliable breakaway, I present this (arguably less elegant) alternative for those who'd rather go with an off-the-shelf solution. Without a doubt, the plastic connector is a much better (and much safer) choice for kids who are just learning how to work with paracord.

Earlier posts
Re-sheathing the Little Creek
Update: Little Creek necker

Links
Lighthound
Bark River Little Creek (@KnifeForums)
Bark River Little Creek (@KSF)