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Runner’s “Keychain” (Read 1649 times)
NooneOfConsequence
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Runner’s “Keychain”
Jun 12th, 2018 at 9:07pm
 
This little guy is a solution to a very specific problem:

Several years ago, I was running with my dog, and three strays started harassing her and nipping at her heels. I was helpless to do much except run faster and attempt a kick once in a while to keep the stray dogs from landing a good chomp on her back legs.
I decided I needed a better way to keep the strays at bay if it ever happened again, and after a very unpleasant attempt at running with a steel baton,  followed by several prototypes and iterations of the monkey fist, I settled on this design as a solution for protecting Jules while jogging.
It weighs 111g, so it’s not too heavy to jog with. 80g of that is in the monkeys fist with a 1” steel ball inside. 
The whole thing wraps comfortably around the hand and holds my house key on the key ring while I run. I usually jog at night, and my other hand carries a flashlight that weighs ~90g, so I stay pretty well balanced.

It’s only half a meter or so long, but looks are deceiving. Pull the hitch pin that’s attached to the key ring and the paracord monkey chain unravels to reveal a 80g ball swinging at the end of about 1.5m of cord. Add my arm’s reach to that, and I can reach out further than my foot ever could without losing balance. Plus, it deploys really fast. Fortunately it’s never been necessary as anything but a key ring and a counterbalance to my flashlight.

It takes  some practice to control it. Very similar to a chain rope or perhaps a very short meteor hammer.

It needs a good name. 
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“My final hour is at hand. We face an enemy more numerous and cunning than the world has yet seen. Remember your training, and do not fear the hordes of Judas. I, without sin, shall cast the first stone. That will be your sign to attack! But you shall not fight this unholy enemy with stones. No! RAZOR GLANDES!  Aim for the eyes! May the Lord have mercy, for we shall show none!“  -Jesus the Noodler
 
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Mersa
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Druid

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Re: Runner’s “Keychain”
Reply #1 - Jun 21st, 2018 at 5:02am
 
Monkeys fist with steel ball sounds like a good ammo for rabbits . Might need to learn that knot
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Razor glandes, Aim for the eyes!!!
 
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NooneOfConsequence
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Re: Runner’s “Keychain”
Reply #2 - Jun 22nd, 2018 at 10:34am
 
It’ a great knot to learn, but it’s a lot of work for rabbit ammo. Why not just a steel ball? Are you wanting to avoid the bounciness of raw ball bearings?
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“My final hour is at hand. We face an enemy more numerous and cunning than the world has yet seen. Remember your training, and do not fear the hordes of Judas. I, without sin, shall cast the first stone. That will be your sign to attack! But you shall not fight this unholy enemy with stones. No! RAZOR GLANDES!  Aim for the eyes! May the Lord have mercy, for we shall show none!“  -Jesus the Noodler
 
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Kick
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Re: Runner’s “Keychain”
Reply #3 - Jun 22nd, 2018 at 1:23pm
 
Having done a few monkey fists and never really being able to do one as perfectly as I would like, I would also say just use the bearings as is.
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You are a great guy Kick but also slightly scary at times. - Morphy
"Nothing matters, but it’s perhaps more comfortable to keep calm and not interfere with other people." - H.P. Lovecraft, in a letter to Frank Belknap Long, 7 October, 1923
 
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NooneOfConsequence
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Re: Runner’s “Keychain”
Reply #4 - Jun 22nd, 2018 at 2:27pm
 
Mine take well over an hour to put together on a good day. Once the basic knot is done, I work all the slack into an extra loop in the middle and hide the loose ends under the surface. It looks great, and I’ve even sold these keychain lanyards for about $20 each, but I stopped doing that because they take too much time to get them perfect. You can buy a monkeys fist online for way less than the price where I value my time, so now I only make these for friends once in a while.
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“My final hour is at hand. We face an enemy more numerous and cunning than the world has yet seen. Remember your training, and do not fear the hordes of Judas. I, without sin, shall cast the first stone. That will be your sign to attack! But you shall not fight this unholy enemy with stones. No! RAZOR GLANDES!  Aim for the eyes! May the Lord have mercy, for we shall show none!“  -Jesus the Noodler
 
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Druid

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Re: Runner’s “Keychain”
Reply #5 - Jun 23rd, 2018 at 6:47pm
 
I just might find it if there is a little cord tail
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Razor glandes, Aim for the eyes!!!
 
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NooneOfConsequence
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Re: Runner’s “Keychain”
Reply #6 - Jun 25th, 2018 at 1:51pm
 
The tail is about 4 feet long when you pull the pin!  I guess you could try slinging it at a rabbit  Huh
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“My final hour is at hand. We face an enemy more numerous and cunning than the world has yet seen. Remember your training, and do not fear the hordes of Judas. I, without sin, shall cast the first stone. That will be your sign to attack! But you shall not fight this unholy enemy with stones. No! RAZOR GLANDES!  Aim for the eyes! May the Lord have mercy, for we shall show none!“  -Jesus the Noodler
 
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