Boresnake Holder Project

I got tired of the bristles on my boresnake getting caught on the rest of the cloth/material when I would wrap it in a few loops, and then use the cord to wrap those loops together (like a whip stitch). This is the solution I came up with one day; I made a sleeve for the bristles using a section of 1/2" pvc pipe and drilled it a little bit for a more secure fit/finish.

***Obligatory safety disclaimer here*** The methods I use involve power tools and sharp objects; I'm not going to go through and highlight each painstaking safety protocol I took with each step so if you proceed, do so with safe workshop practices & PPE (personal protective (or, protection) equipment.

Aside from my boresnake(s), the only material I used in this project is a 1/2" pvc pipe....I chose a 3.25" long segment for mine, ymmv.

Tools:

• Safety Glasses
• Miter Box & Hacksaw (or your own chosen method for cutting the pvc to size; I was unable to locate my ratcheting pvc pipe cutter for this project)
• Drill Press
  • 1/2" bit
  • 1/4" bit
  • V-Block (meant for holding round objects, similar to this)
  • Clamps (not shown)
• Dremel with conical grinding bit (to round of sharp edges, as needed)
• PVC inner/outer reamer (like this)
  
  • Alternatives:
    
    • razor
    • rasp
    • sandpaper
    • etc.
• Boresnake (any size)

Because there are so many options for cutting pvc, I'm going to gloss over this step and simply state that I cut mine to 3.25" using a cheap miter box (like this one) & a hacksaw.

At this point, I would recommend using your chosen "deburring" device (reamer in my case) to clean up both ends of the pipe, as it becomes more difficult once your have drilled into it (esp. for sandpaper).

If you have access to a drill press, I highly recommend using it for this part, I can't imagine having much fun trying to wrangle this and getting a clean cut with a drill, free-hand....

Make sure to clamp everything down securely (I also had a clamp on the pipe section that I was drilling).

*both holes drilled should be centered on the pvc's short side as much as possible*

Using the 1/2" bit first, place the center of the bit as close to one end of the piece and drill into only one side of the pipe.

Now, using the 1/4" drill bit, turn the piece 90 degrees line up the bit such that the bottom of the two holes line up howrizontally (if the piece were to stand up on one end) and drill all the way through.

Once all sharp edges are cleaned up to your satisfaction, you can wrap your boresnake for storage.

• Start by feeding the weighted end/cord down the pipe, starting at the drilled end.
• Once the bristles are completely buried/hidden inside the pipe, bring the tail end (cloth/material portion) down into the groove created by the 1/2" drilled hole and begin to wrap it around the pipe toward.
• Once you get to the end of the pipe (should be around the same time as you get to the end of the tail), feed the cord-end through the loop at the end of the tail and pull it tight.
• Continue to wrap the cord in the same direction (rotation) as the tail, back toward the drilled end.
• Finish by tucking the metal end through the 1/4" hole.

The End....and feedback is appreciated. This is just a concept, and your application/methods are very likely to vary. For instance. the 1/2" notch is useful in preventing the snake from spinning freely as you wrap the tail around the outside of the pipe. This isn't entirely necessary, but it was a feature I added to my first iteration of this.