Double cord grip wrap

I have been making mujian and mudao for well over 10 years, and I have been doing grip wrapping for almost as long, but this is the first time that I have had the pleasure of doing a double cord wrap.

This wrapping is done in the same way as a standard grip wrap, but it uses a narrower cord, twice as long, and folded in half. The cord in this case, is traditional Chinese braided cotton. Twisted cords are also authentic for these wraps, and can be found on antique Chinese jian and dao.

1mm round cotton cord

As one might expect, this type of wrapping is much more fiddly and time consuming to do, than a standard wrap.  As the wrap proceeds, the cords tends to wind around each other, leading to unwanted tension and crossed cords. So it is very important to be methodical and to double check each loop before continuing on to the next one.

Double cord grip wrap

The finished grip wrap feels quite solid to the touch and less compressible than standard wraps. As the the cord diameter is only 1mm, the crossovers have a fairly low profile. As well as being rather attractive, the wrap seems very serviceable.

Next, I shall try doing this style with larger diameter cords to see how that changes the feel of the grip........and if I'm feeling adventurous, maybe using two different colours in the same wrap.

Lightweight Tai Chi jian with seven stars brass inlay, grip wrapping, and solid brass balance weights