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I'm coming along- wouldn't consider myself a newbie but far from a master. I've been punching size 207 and 277 pretty consistently through my Cobra C4 machine with good luck thus far. I am getting ready to put in an order with Weaver and want to make sure I get everything I need in order to take advantage of their best buy pricing and free shipping... it pays to put in those big quarterly orders. I have been purchasing Nylon thread by the pound from Weaver My question is... has anyone had luck with Tiger thread through 22/24/26 size needles? I don't currently use Tiger thread but have heard that it is really high quality. Can anyone attest to this? My concern is the "Lightly waxed" bit... will this gum up my rollers/ thread guides/ needle bar? What do I need to know- if anything- about this whole "Braided Polyester" business? Does is sew differently than Nylon? Would the size 207 nylon be size .5mm tiger? 277? Primarily, I am interested in the large availability of colors. I guess I should add- I make mainly tack so heavy/ thick stuff generally doulbled up HO Harness or Latigo but I have been making a lot of belts/ chaps etc and have been looking to invest in another machine more capable of handling the thinner/ softer oil tan/ chap sides. Any suggestions? I am weighing pros and cons of the Cobra C26 and Cobra C20. Thanks in advance.

I have a newbie question. I recently purchased an Adler 205-374 that I am refurbishing. I am new to machine sewing leather having only hand stitched up to this point. I recently purchased five one pound spools of 277 bonded nylon thread at a good price. For my holster sewing I purchased some 346 bonded polyester. Here is the question: can I use the 277 nylon for the bobbin and the 346 polyester for the top stitch? Or should I only use nylon top and bottom or polyester top and bottom? Follow-up question: does bonded nylon thread have a shelf life? This stuff is about five years old.