What Needles To Use?

[gregintenn]

As I remember, I couldn't keep the ends from fraying long enough to thread them through the needle eye. Bent over double, it was too large to fit. I have great luck with the small rolls of waxed linen thread at Tandy. I wish they sold it in large spools like the nylon thread.

Edited January 7, 2011 by gregintenn

[emr454]

So any waxed cotton thread would suffice? I can get ahold of 6 strand cotton thread and wax it myself as I have a brick of beeswax at my disposal...

Eric

[Fredo]

So any waxed cotton thread would suffice? I can get ahold of 6 strand cotton thread and wax it myself as I have a brick of beeswax at my disposal...

Eric

I might be wrong but I'm saying yes, it should work...of course there is only one way to find out.

[TigerPal]

Re threading your needle: whenever I use that thick waxed thread, I lay the end of it on my granite block, then use the butt of my knife or handle of scissors to flatten and fan out the last quarter inch or so of the thread. This makes it MUCH easier to get it started thru the eye of the needle so you can grasp it then pull on thru as far as you need. The paper bag trick does remove some of the wax.

[ramrod]

I've been using these.

http://www.tandyleat...ature=Product_2

i used to use those needles, but i've snapped so many of them at the eye that i won't buy them anymore. i use the size 0 needles.

they have a much smaller hole but the needle is very tough. here's how i thread this needle. i use tandy's machine poly thread to sew. i'll take the end of the thread that i want to put through the needle and melt it slightly it with a lighter. as it melts, i pull it with my finger to make a long, thin thread that will now thread through almost any small hole. after threading, i cut the melted part.