cloth-wrapped USB Cables

My dear and fellow compatriots, I ask you for your aid! Recently I was attempting to create several more aesthetically pleasing usb cables, as suggested by a certain set of instructables. Now the problem I have come across: I have purchased several sets of laces at this point, however, each one of them have been incompatible with the video, either not having a removable core, not being hollow or being woven and thus being unraveling when cut.

Does anyone have an online source where I could purchase suitable laces? I will continue to search the net... but I fear ordering further unsuitable laces and wasting further the resources at my disposal.

Thank you! -_Q

Scorch the end lightly with a match when you cut it. It takes a little practice - and it won't work with natural fibers! - but that will keep it from unraveling.

Best of luck!


Chas.

A few (hopefully helpful) points:

• Based on my experience boot laces and trainer laces seem to be more likely to have the removeable cores than shoe laces.
  
  
• If they are synthetic fibres then scorching the end will work, if they are natural fibres a little super-glue works.
  
  
• Alternatively clocth covered USB cables are available in Poundland, I usually buy these cut the connector off and solder them into the device in place of the current cable.
  
  
• Another alternative (which I have used as it works for various sizes of cable and even bundles of cables) is to wrap tapestry wool around the cable securing the ends with super-glue.
  

I'm not sure that you'd be able to control the heat from a naked flame to fuse the fibres of the lace without damaging the insulation around the USB cable. If you have a controllable heat gun, you could test the melting point of the insulation and the fusion point of the fibre.

Thermal shrink insulation should work well.

Superglue would work, as LordPentecost suggested. If the result is not neat enough, you can hide it by doing a simple (common) whipping over the top, using sewing or embroidery thread.

Paracord might work well. It's available in a variety colours, the most readily available stuff is about 4mm in diameter (called 550 cord, after the nominal breaking strain of 550lbs). It is available in bigger diameters, but you need to check that it is not the coreless kind.