Guys, I have a question about my call lanyard. It is made out of para-cord. I've had it a long time. The call loop knots, which used to slide in order to attach and remove calls, are all tight and stuck. Time, mud, moisture...how are these things so tight? So instead of me trying to pull these knots apart with pliers (I confess, I have already tried) are there any tricks to getting these loops to loosen up?
Paracord can be a pain if it gets wet and dries in position or a knot stays around your call for a long time. You can try taking your pliers and squeezing the knot in different spots and the cord above it to loosen it back up. once you get your call out, to work the knot up and down the line until it slides freely and doesn't snag. Worst case, cut that one, go to Walmart, get some Mustad swivels size 5 and tie another double loop using a simple noose on each end. I think they sell some basic colors of paracord as well. Dark green should be easy to come by and not very expensive.
Also, what seems to keep me going is not leaving my calls on the lanyard after a hunt. Acrylic or wood, mine come off and apart. I've got a few calls that rotate depending on my mood though so it's just easier to start with a bare lanyard before I step off again.
If memory serves, a tip to use fabric softener on the knots the loops slide through was the ticket that freed mine up over a decade ago. After that another tip to coat the part of the loops going through the knots with bow string wax has kept them from ever seizing again. And more recently I've marked the stationary end of the loops with tiny zip ties, so I don't find myself pulling the wrong one. Those things done, when my calls come off at season's end, it's just a matter of holding the knot with one hand, grasping the call with my thumb on the sliding end of its loop and rolling it away from the knot to loosen the loop. Once the call is out of the loop, I'll work the loop back and forth to determine if another application of bow string wax is merited. No tools or great strain needed.
Try running water over the knot for a short period of time. That has help me in the past break the knot free.
I have used a fabric softener soak to loosen, and then chapstick on the string to keep it slick. There is probably a better long term solution than chapstick, but it will work in a pinch.