Waxing Your Thread

[tonyc1]

You can get small rosin blocks at music stores, Its what violin users use to 'rosin up the bow'. The clearer the rosin the purer and more expensive.

My main problem seems to be the ratio of rosin to bees wax.

It needs a certain amount of pitch as well. Jim Beaton posted a recipe for black wax some months ago. If you look up posts from "Jimsaddler" you may find the recipe that Jim posted.

Tony.

[radar67]

Pine gum would be brutal to work with around leather, I get it on my climbing ropes and gear on pine removals and it's a mess.

Even if it's just on the thread, by the time you're done I'm sure it would be everywhere.

Kevin

A little of subject, is this the same Kevin from FF?

[Tree Reaper]

Yes it is, you got me going again!

A little of subject, is this the same Kevin from FF?

[radar67]

Yes it is, you got me going again!

That's a good thing. Found a lot of good info here.

[RobDude30]

Here's a place to get brewer's pitch. A lot of folks use that mixed with beeswax for hand waxing thread.

[ChuckBurrows]

Pine gum would be brutal to work with around leather, I get it on my climbing ropes and gear on pine removals and it's a mess.

Even if it's just on the thread, by the time you're done I'm sure it would be everywhere.

Kevin

Not really - coad aka hand/hard wax comes in a variety of mixes and is a very old traditional wax used especially in shoe/boot making. Black wax is just one mix and IIRC uses asphaltum in the mix for the black color??

check here for more info on the various mixes and how to make it see http://www.thehcc.org/cgi-bin/discus/discus.cgi

When it got hard to find I started making my own - I regularly use a mix of the brewer's pitch or collect my own and beeswax - usually about 40/60 mix of rosin/pitch and wax.......when coad is compared to beeswax it locks the thread (linen or hemp) in place much better and also adds mildew/fungus/rot protection that beeswax alone does not

[TomE]

A friend gave me a cake of 50:50 beeswax and pine tar, and it works really well for waxing thread.  Slightly more tacky than pure beeswax to improve grip on the needles and slightly softer so it is easy to spread/burnish into the thread.  She thinks it lasts longer than plain beeswax to preserve linen thread.  Here I am using heavy polyester thread to replace the billets on a jumping saddle.  I begin and end each stitch line by passing the needle with doubled up thread through a hole 3 times (single needle backstitch) and the thread is nicely lubricated.  My new favorite wax.

To address some of the concerns raised in this thread:  The beeswax/pine tar mixture is only slightly darker than pure beeswax.  It is not at all messy to work with and easier to get a thin even coating on the thread than the pure beeswax I have used.  I found Bickmore's pine tar at my local feed store with the leather care products (it is also used as an antimicrobial for treating hoof wounds and infections) so I will be making a batch of my own.  I think she molded the wax in a muffin tin.

 

[Steelart999]

There are lots of listing for pine rosin on eBay.

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2499334.m570.l1313&_nkw=pine+(resin%2C+rosin%2C+sap)&_sacat=67659

 

[Littlef]

Looks like this thread was resurrected from a decade ago.  If looking for pine tar,  if you search under boat restoration or rifle stock restoration you’ll get hits.  I have pine tar I used to when restoring an old Finnish rifle.  I Bought it years ago and I don’t remember where I ordered it from. 
https://www.pinetarworld.com/product-category/pine-tar/

 

[Aven]

Sorrell Notions has summer and winter coad.  The winter coad is soft and the summer coad is hard so it doesn't melt when using.   It's used for sewing uppers to soles.

It's also called hand wax.

Edited December 9, 2023 by Aven