Waxing thread.

[Ard Righ Art]

On 12/5/2022 at 1:26 PM, Sheilajeanne said:

LOL!  I've been sewing a lot with artificial sinew lately, and the stuff is a total PITA with the way it tends to split apart. My solution was to buy the cheapest possible beeswax candle at a local craft show the other day! Buying bulk beeswax was just too expensive, as it was always in the quantities you'd need for making candles, not waxing a couple of feet of thread!  I find just running the candle along the length of the thread is good enough for waxing it.

 

Came here to find out whether other people had the same problem or it was just me.

Once upon a time, Tandy's artificial sinew was wonderful stuff. (Think 90s). I finally ran out, or low enough to want more, and got some a couple of years ago. The color is different. The stickiness is non-existent. I can't seem to stitch long before it starts falling apart. Trying to roll it back together, no matter how clean I wash my hands makes it dingy. If I manage to get something stitched without all these problems, it turns dingy or black just from exposure to the elements at shows in no time. (Yet it doesn't take a consistent dye to cover this).

I have a little of the good stuff left for special projects. It's just one more thing they have managed to completely ruin over the last decade or so, as far as I can tell.

Does anyone have any success stories, tips, or recommendation for a new supplier?

I couldn't find my beeswax today, so tried paraffin. It marginally helped with the unraveling, did nothing for discoloration.

Thanks, @Sheilajeanne for reminding me I could get just one candle at a show.

Thanks in advance to anyone with recommendations.

Edited July 19, 2023 by Ard Righ Art
Typo

[TomE]

1 hour ago, Ard Righ Art said:

Does anyone have any success stories, tips, or recommendation for a new supplier?

Not sure of a proper definition of artificial sinew, but Maine Thread Co sells twisted, waxed polyester cords that I believe they refer to as artificial sinew.  I use these heavy cords for some saddle repairs.

[Sheilajeanne]

2 hours ago, Ard Righ Art said:

Does anyone have any success stories, tips, or recommendation for a new supplier?

I couldn't find my beeswax today, so tried paraffin. It marginally helped with the unraveling, did nothing for discoloration.

Thanks, @Sheilajeanne for reminding me I could get just one candle at a show.

Thanks in advance to anyone with recommendations.

Ard Righ, if I ever run out of the large-ish roll of sinew I bought from Tandy, I'm going to give Tribal Spirit a try: https://tribalspiritmusic.com/artists/supplies/needles-and-sinew/  Since native people were the first North Americans to sew with sinew, I'm hoping they know where to find the good stuff now that it's made out of polyester! Most shops only sell large spools of sinew, but Tribal Spirit has the natural colour available in a 65 ft. roll, so I won't feel bad about getting rid of it if it doesn't work as well as I think it should!

Edited July 19, 2023 by Sheilajeanne

[chuck123wapati]

8 hours ago, Sheilajeanne said:

Ard Righ, if I ever run out of the large-ish roll of sinew I bought from Tandy, I'm going to give Tribal Spirit a try: https://tribalspiritmusic.com/artists/supplies/needles-and-sinew/  Since native people were the first North Americans to sew with sinew, I'm hoping they know where to find the good stuff now that it's made out of polyester! Most shops only sell large spools of sinew, but Tribal Spirit has the natural colour available in a 65 ft. roll, so I won't feel bad about getting rid of it if it doesn't work as well as I think it should!

it looks the same to me but.... All races have sewn with sinew just at different times in history and i doubt 21st century native Americans have the experience their ancestors did or a secret place they buy the stuff for resale lol but i get what your saying.

[Sheilajeanne]

Tribal Spirit offers a discount to people with native status, and I'm sure native craftspeople use a lot more artificial sinew than your average leatherworker. They obviously won't want to disappoint their customers, so will stock good stuff, not crap.

I have a few other reasons for using them - they're Canadian, so no cross-border shipping. Also, I've dealt with them to buy moose and deer hides, and they've been fantastic - both the speed of shipping and the quality of the leather. So, I'm hoping I'll have the same experience with the artificial sinew. 

Third - it's hard to find a small roll of ANY type of thread!  

[Ard Righ Art]

Thank you all for chiming in.

I think I'll give Maine Thread a try since I didn't gather anyone had used the "sinew" products of anyone other than Tandy yet. They did come in big rolls that last a long time, if you aren't making dreamcatchers or the like I reckon.

I have a fair bit of waxed poly in black and brown, but they seem to have some colours that look like they would go well with some of my stains and dyes.  Plus I'm always looking to find new suppliers of quality stuff.

I am thinking too of getting some real sinew to play with, along with a little bit of the artificial from one of the Native companies I found after your @Sheilajeanne recommendation. I'm not sure about cross border shipping of genuine, so I'll have to figure in cost and customs headaches on that. 

It's not really a priority for anything I have planned just now, but there are times when it is just the look I want, however. Curiosity may make me try it next free moment when I have the room in the budget.

Isuppose I could try to harvest a critter myself. It's been a very long time. Last time I tried that my large canine couldn't resist that framed up hide. I just barely resisted stretching him out on it, as he actually about outweighed the buck...

If anyone does find a better artificial sinew than what is currently being offered by my favourite place to gripe about, please share. I'll do the same, and report back what I find on a new thread (I'll be here all week...) 

 

 

 

[chuck123wapati]

i did a short search yesterday and only found one manufacturer of artificial sinew. They are in the US, my guess is most re-sellers even the native Americans in Canada sell the same stuff made by the same company.

Artificial sinew is made to be pulled apart and used just as the real sinew was also pulled apart for different sizes of thread so getting sinew that doesn't have that property is going to be hard. 

Native American used real sinew for everything from  backing on bows, cordage, to sewing baby mocs as well so it was separated to the size as needed for the particular project. artificial sinew is also made so it can be separated. 

 

[Ard Righ Art]

I've wondered just how many sources there are for the artificial. If it's like most things these days a couple at best. I looked at the native suppliers not for the artificial, but to see cost of getting actual sinew, so I can compare or use it on special projects.

I get that sinew is supposed to separate. But it seems that the manufacturers have struck upon that sole property, forgetting others like sticking back to itself. 

I wish I had taken this picture earlier. When I pulled the end off the old roll, I wasn't even sure it would come. By the time I got it free it looked like it had been chewed up to a finely frayed fibrous pulp. Unfortunately, I rolled it back together, then refrayed it for this picture.

The new stock separates into three main strands, which further separate into smaller ones, but re-adhesion is non-existent. Needles shred it. With waxing and a long enough lead I can get away with short stitching runs, but I think it may be relegated to the give to kids for throwaway projects pile. It was a bit steep for that.

 

 

 

[chuck123wapati]

11 minutes ago, Ard Righ Art said:

I've wondered just how many sources there are for the artificial. If it's like most things these days a couple at best. I looked at the native suppliers not for the artificial, but to see cost of getting actual sinew, so I can compare or use it on special projects.

I get that sinew is supposed to separate. But it seems that the manufacturers have struck upon that sole property, forgetting others like sticking back to itself. 

I wish I had taken this picture earlier. When I pulled the end off the old roll, I wasn't even sure it would come. By the time I got it free it looked like it had been chewed up to a finely frayed fibrous pulp. Unfortunately, I rolled it back together, then refrayed it for this picture.

The new stock separates into three main strands, which further separate into smaller ones, but re-adhesion is non-existent. Needles shred it. With waxing and a long enough lead I can get away with short stitching runs, but I think it may be relegated to the give to kids for throwaway projects pile. It was a bit steep for that.

 

 

 

interesting! I'm going to have to check some of the new stuff out i guess. I don't use it much anymore.  I have some real stuff i collect during hunting season if i need it. 

[fredk]

Not much help, but I got some artificial sinew from Le Prevo. I've not used it yet and I don't know where it is made

Scroll down about 2/3 of the page

http://www.leprevo.co.uk/threads.htm