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I have not been happy with the leashes that I have found for sale. The ones using shock cord are too heavy and the cord exerts too much pressure when stretched. The ones that work well are kind of expensive. In today's class, I will show you how to make one at home for almost nothing.

Like most people, I have a bunch of old cell phone car chargers hanging around. Every new phone I get seems to require a different plug and therefore a new car charger. For this project we will be putting the curly cables from those old charges to a new use.

Start by cutting both ends off an old cable. If you don't have one, you can use a phone handset cable, ($5 at Home Depot).
Cut.jpg

Plastic snap clips that are easy to use are hard to find. I found something usable at REI, ($2 for a pair of clips). These clips have to be modified a bit. Spread the clip apart and pull the strap attach point out.

Slide a 3/4" piece of shrink wrap over the cord and then thread the cord through the hole in the snap clip.

Slide a large crimp sleeve over the end of the cord and pull the end of the cord as far through the sleeve as you can. You may have to trim some of the cord material in order to get it to fit into the sleeve. Trim the cord so it is flush with the end of the sleeve
Sleave.jpg

Take a sheet metal screw and screw it into the open end of the sleeve leaving about 1/16" gap between the screw head and the sleeve. Crimp the sleeve over the screw threads.
End.jpg

Spread the clip again and pull the cord so that the sleeve slides into the clip body and the screw head seats itself in place.
Assembly.jpg

Crimp the bottom of the sleeve around the cord. Slide the shrink wrap as far as you can up toward the screw and heat to shrink the material.

The final result will look like this.
Finished-Leash.jpg


I like this leash better than any I have seen in stores. It stretches to over seven feet and recoils out of the way. Perfect for rods. You could make shorter ones for things like gaffs, pliers or Hobie Mirage drives that are used in more confined areas.

Bob