Choosing durable dog collar thread... linen, Nylex etc...?

[LakeOtter]

Hello and thanks in advance.

I have more tooling practice, by far, than sewing, and so I'm studying two handed saddle stitching, got a pony, etc.

I just want to chose a saddle stitching thread that is practical for durable use on H. Oak veg tan butt dog collars I'll be concentrating on, and trying to eventually get a few into the local tack shop with tooled designs. And I'd like to get used to what I'll continue to use, up front, and not start all over, soon, with how something behaves.

I have been looking at saddle stitch info... Al Stohlman was back in the day and, even today, Jo H. is purposefully traditional.

These sources recommend non-waxed linen thread, because they recommend not waxing the ends so that better ends can be made

But what about my modern options like the awesome sticky thread mentioning Nylex in passing? Synthetics sound durable, and I've seen a burner tool... maybe that helps with "proper ends" in this manner?

I just want a reliable product; I don't thing my customers will care if it's synthetic. The main feature is some hand-tooled designs and custom lettering.

Thank you for your thoughts (or links) on pros and/or cons of threads, pre-waxed or otherwise.

Jeff, Silver Springs FL, Ocala Forest

 

 

 

 

 

Edited 19 hours ago by LakeOtter
adding to

[DieselTech]

I myself would use a UV treated polyester thread in 277 or 346 size. 

I think you can even get it in waxed version. 

[chuck123wapati]

Ritza tiger thread is good stuff it works great on outdoor gear as well as indoor. Any thread will wear and fail if you don't set it into a groove; that's the key for dog collars and such especially.

[TomE]

14 hours ago, LakeOtter said:

These sources recommend non-waxed linen thread, because they recommend not waxing the ends so that better ends can be made

Tapering the end of the thread works for heavy linen thread, but not for synthetics.  For linen I wax the thread, ends and all, after making the tapered ends.  The wax will help keep the thread from slipping through the eye of the needle.  However, most of my hand sewing is done with bonded nylon thread from my sewing machine.  For hand sewing I wax the nylon thread and rub the wax with heavy wrapping paper to smooth it out.  I use waxed polyester thread (0.04" = 1 mm) from the Maine Thread Co for some heavier jobs like sewing billets on a saddle.  For that task I double the thread, tie a knot in the end, and use a single needle backstitch instead of a saddle stitch.

[Tove09Tilda]

Hey, I only do dog collars at the moment and use polyester thread. The reason behind that - at least in my book - is that dog collars are not much cared for per usual, so a natural threat is not necessarily the best option. I would also as @TomE already did recommend waxing the threat. Also keep in mind your stitch length, leather thickness and the size of your needle, when deciding for a thread. For beginners in Handsawing cable thread is often recommended, but I find flat woven thread a bit nicer. That is basically a lot of trial and error to find your favourite. 

I work mostly with a picking iron with 7SPI on 3.5 to 4mm thick leather and a number 1 needle of 1.1 mm thickness, sometimes I also use a Number 3 with 0.9 mm. Depends on what I'm sewing. For that I use 0.7 mm in German "Forellenfaden" or 1 mm cable thread as that is what I can most comfortably buy here in Germany as hobbyist. If I would have the option I would rather obt for 0.69mm, but 0.7 is fine. That 0.01mm doesn't make the cake fatter, as we germans say. xD 

Personally, I would not groove the stitch, but that is something even old saddlers still fight over. The most logic argument I ever heard from a german saddler was, that if you groove the leather, you weaken the grain side, which is also the side, that is holding the strength of your leather. So if you have things that have to withstand a lot of pressure you don't groove, but rather invest into a good therad like Riza Tigerthread (I just know the old name, it's now owned by a danish company and had a slight rebrand and name change). Another saddler said to that, that he only grooves when the stitches are threatened to break by for example buckles rubbing over them. His logic was that stitches within a groove last longer as they don't get any rubbing force to them. So everyone seems to have a different opinion. I just personally run with what I know from all the English bridles I took apart so far and restitched/repaired and there no stitch groove was made, unless the stitches needed to be hidden. But that might be european/english rider (leatherworker) bias. My dog collars do great without a stitch groove and no matter what rubbish my rather wild young fellas are pulling off, they do their job, hold quality and that's basically all I'm asking for. Do with that information whatever you want, just wanted to add that, as someone wrote above that he would recommend you to groove. (That actually got me thinking, when the last time was, that I used a stitch groove). 

Best
Tove 

Edited 1 hour ago by Tove09Tilda

[fredk]

I only use waxed polyester thread for hand sewing. Even though it is waxed I constantly re-wax whilst sewing. I use it in 1mm, 0.8mm and 0.6mm. Its a 'flat' thread. And it comes in different colours so I can choose a colour to suit a project