Anyone Tried Dyneema?

[Skald]

I got some large roll of Dyneema thread, it's like 0,8 mm's thick (or maybe it was 1 mm), actually about 1 kilometer of thread. It's like really strong, and can hold more weight than steel I heard (often used in bullet proof vests etc., as you may know). So, my question is - has anyone tried using it for hand stitching leather? Are there any downsides of doing it, that you know of? I know that Kevlar doesn't really feel comfortable in sunlight, it becomes brittle an eventually breaks down by UV-light and so on. But for Dyneema, have you tried it? Heard about anyone who has? Or do you know why I should not be doing it?

[Skald]

I don't know why I mixed up the thread thickness, the thread I got is 0,5 mm, nothing else. I tried stitching up two pieces of leather with it, and it seems to work pretty well. The only downside I can think of, that it's a quite stiff kind of thread (it doesn't flex), and thus it's a bit "slippery", i.e. you can't make an ordinary knot on it for example. And that might be a problem. One other thing, is that it's not very heat resistant, it's a little more sensitive than nylon thread, but I don't know if that matters all too much.

The positive aspects are:

- It does not absorb any water, and it can't rot.

- High UV-resistance

- Exceptional strength

- High abrasion resistance

- Very low cost, compared to most other threads.

What worries most is that it almost doesn't flex at all, and therefore might "run out" of the stitches, even though I didn't see any such tendencies when I tried it today.

If anyone has any opinions or theories about this, I'd be glad to hear from you. In any case, I think I'll need to make some prototype gear and simply try it out.

[Art]

They use it here for Joint replacement (solid form) and it is interwoven into specialty ropes where they want stretch limited (yachting and parachuting come to mind). It will definitely replace PTFE in some uses as the cost of the UHMWPE is only about a third or less of PTFE. Only thing I would worry about is the heat factor, it comes apart at 300F but I wouldn't trust it over 200F. You probably won't test those in leatherwork except maybe welding gloves.

Art

I don't know why I mixed up the thread thickness, the thread I got is 0,5 mm, nothing else. I tried stitching up two pieces of leather with it, and it seems to work pretty well. The only downside I can think of, that it's a quite stiff kind of thread (it doesn't flex), and thus it's a bit "slippery", i.e. you can't make an ordinary knot on it for example. And that might be a problem. One other thing, is that it's not very heat resistant, it's a little more sensitive than nylon thread, but I don't know if that matters all too much.

The positive aspects are:

- It does not absorb any water, and it can't rot.

- High UV-resistance

- Exceptional strength

- High abrasion resistance

- Very low cost, compared to most other threads.

What worries most is that it almost doesn't flex at all, and therefore might "run out" of the stitches, even though I didn't see any such tendencies when I tried it today.

If anyone has any opinions or theories about this, I'd be glad to hear from you. In any case, I think I'll need to make some prototype gear and simply try it out.

[8thsinner]

I know people who use it for whip crackers, braided in to the fall too.

Never heard of it used as thread but the specs you give make it seem worth while.

Perhaps there is a way to soften it, maybe under steam or something.

I reckon it would be fine for a sheath or similar item that generally stays rigid in form...

[Skald]

I know people who use it for whip crackers, braided in to the fall too.

Never heard of it used as thread but the specs you give make it seem worth while.

Perhaps there is a way to soften it, maybe under steam or something.

I reckon it would be fine for a sheath or similar item that generally stays rigid in form...

I tried making some centimeters of stitches, and it doesn't seem to "run" if you try to tear it apart (and believe me, I tried pretty hard!), at least if you make some backstitches, and/or use some brains when you use it for sewing. So, the only downside I can think of at the moment, is the heat factor, as was pointed out by Art too. I am not making firefighter equipment or welding gloves, so I think it's quite okay anyway (most people are careful of putting leather near heat anyway). As I have understood, it's only slightly more sensitive to heat than nylon thread, and even less (it seems, after some not so scientific tests I have done) sensitive than for example dental floss, a kind of thread often used here in Sweden when sewing leather (my father have made horse gear for years, and used it quite a lot).

I'll try make some prototypes and test them without mercy, and I'll be sure to let you know if I find any problems using it. Some people at eBay sell pretty decent Dyneema fishing lines (but beware, many sell pure crap too!), and it's really cheap too, compared to many or even most other kinds of threads I have seen and used over the years. So we might be on to something here.

[TwinOaks]

The only downside the it being really strong is that under extreme conditions, it may tend to cut the leather at the stitch holes instead of breaking.

[ramrod]

i realize this is an old thread, but as i read this it sounds like "spectra" thread that i'm familiar with. extremely strong with no stretch at all. nfortunately, it doesn['t seem to hold a knot, either. i'm not sure how to terminate it when backstitching. maybe a dot of superglue on the underside of the project. i've been wanting to use it for stitching, too, but i think it will cut into the leather as someone else mentioned.