Pinto Report post Posted Friday at 11:43 AM Hi FOlks, I have a couple of questions related to sewing leather. 1) Has nayone used Bonded Nylon N66 Thread? Id it better or worse then normal Bonded Nylon thread. 2) I read that if you want leather point needles you should use 135/6. My machine calls for 135/17. Are these the same needles? Are the interchangable? Thanks in advance. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Constabulary Report post Posted Friday at 02:34 PM (edited) Don´t know what N66 is but reg. needles - 135x17 and 135x16 have the same dimensions. 135x16 is a needle with a cutting tip for leather whereas 135x17 is for fabric but you can sew leather with it as well. The cutting tip depends on what stitch appearance you want to achieve. This brochure (direct download link) may give you more information reg. needle tips: https://www.groz-beckert.com/mm/media/en/web/pdf/Sewing_machine_needles_for_leather_and_technical_textiles.pdf Edited Friday at 02:34 PM by Constabulary Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kgg Report post Posted Friday at 02:59 PM 3 hours ago, Pinto said: 1) Has nayone used Bonded Nylon N66 Thread? Id it better or worse then normal Bonded Nylon thread. All the info I have seen tots N66 as being stronger but finding that difference is difficult to nail down. What I quickly found is from HighTex N66 Bonded Nylon Thread Technical Info Chart ( https://www.cowboysew.com/blog/heavy%20duty%20nylon%20sewing%20thread.pdf ) showing V138 thread to have a strength of 96.39 N which when converted is 21.7 lb. Basically 22 lbs. while your run of the mill V138 Bonded Nylon is rated as 22lbs. So do the other possible benefits of N66 justify any additional cost??? Now all bets are off with the cheap Chinese stuff. 3 hours ago, Pinto said: 2) I read that if you want leather point needles you should use 135/6. My machine calls for 135/17. Are these the same needles? Are the interchangable? The needle 135 x 16 and 135 x 17 are identical except for the tips, the sharp end are different. The needles for leather are 135 x 16 which have a tip shaped like a diamond or wedge made to slice/cut through the leather where as the 135 x 17 tips are more rounded to separate the fibers of the fabric as cutting the fibers would weaken the material. kgg Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pinto Report post Posted yesterday at 02:18 AM 11 hours ago, kgg said: All the info I have seen tots N66 as being stronger but finding that difference is difficult to nail down. What I quickly found is from HighTex N66 Bonded Nylon Thread Technical Info Chart ( https://www.cowboysew.com/blog/heavy%20duty%20nylon%20sewing%20thread.pdf ) showing V138 thread to have a strength of 96.39 N which when converted is 21.7 lb. Basically 22 lbs. while your run of the mill V138 Bonded Nylon is rated as 22lbs. So do the other possible benefits of N66 justify any additional cost??? Now all bets are off with the cheap Chinese stuff. The needle 135 x 16 and 135 x 17 are identical except for the tips, the sharp end are different. The needles for leather are 135 x 16 which have a tip shaped like a diamond or wedge made to slice/cut through the leather where as the 135 x 17 tips are more rounded to separate the fibers of the fabric as cutting the fibers would weaken the material. kgg Thanks KGG that is great info. I appreciate it. Pinto Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kgg Report post Posted 16 hours ago (edited) On 8/30/2024 at 11:43 AM, Pinto said: 1) Has nayone used Bonded Nylon N66 Thread? Id it better or worse then normal Bonded Nylon thread. I decided to go down further into this rabbit hole. I use A&E sewing thread which is made in Canada and the USA so I figured I could find some good info from a brand name manufacturer. 1. Nylon 66: Anefil Nylon® AB https://www.amefird.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/AE_Anefil_Nylon_AB_Product_Literature.pdf Constructed with 3 ply multifilament, bonded nylon 6.6 Tex 135 (V138) Strength: 23.8 lbs. Low-profile stitching 2. Bonded Nylon: Anefil Nylon® https://www.amefird.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/AE_Anefil_Nylon_Product_Literature.pdf Constructed with twisted multifilament, bonded nylon Tex 135 (V138) Strength: 23.8 lbs. Low-profile stitching According to A&E both threads have the same strength of 23.8 lbs. main difference other then construction appears to be in the threads application as Anefil Nylon® AB is used in the sewing of automobile air bags as an example. I wasn't able to get an accurate cost difference between the two. kgg Edited 15 hours ago by kgg Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites