Members lightningad Posted March 27, 2012 Members Report Posted March 27, 2012 after reading on the forum many times that people wax their own thread using Beeswax, i decided to give it a try. So often i have read " pass the thread through a block of beeswax" - sounds simple enough. Trouble is my beeswax is solid as a rock! How on earth does anyone pass a needle and thread through this stuff? I tried melting a small amount in a pot and dipping the thread in it but that just becomes a congealed and tangled lump...by the time i had untangled it, most of the beeswax had dropped off. Please can someone tell me how this is done? adam Quote "You is what you am, a cow don't make ham!" Frank Zappa - Musical Visionary Barking Rooster Leather Goods Pinterest Page
Members UnionCraft Posted March 27, 2012 Members Report Posted March 27, 2012 These are two of my favorite videos and they both demonstrate waxing thread hand. Quote
Members lightningad Posted March 27, 2012 Author Members Report Posted March 27, 2012 oh! as simple as that! i'll be damned. great videos - can beat seeing real craftsmen plying their skills. Thanks for the links. And speaking as a video editor the editing on the Dunhill video was superb as well. Quote "You is what you am, a cow don't make ham!" Frank Zappa - Musical Visionary Barking Rooster Leather Goods Pinterest Page
Members McJeep Posted March 27, 2012 Members Report Posted March 27, 2012 Great dunhill video Question: How are the corners on the gussets formed - it looks like the gusset is one piece that wraps around the whole case but there also seem to be seams at the corners?? Quote "I gotta have more cowbell!" Cristopher Walken - SNL
Members Sylvia Posted March 27, 2012 Members Report Posted March 27, 2012 after reading on the forum many times that people wax their own thread using Beeswax, i decided to give it a try. So often i have read " pass the thread through a block of beeswax" - sounds simple enough. Trouble is my beeswax is solid as a rock! Please can someone tell me how this is done? adam Sooo sorry Adam! That is one of our American wordings that can be confusing. What is meant by "pass thread through a block of beeswax" is "drag the thread over the surface of the beeswax." Eventually if you drag it over the same spot over and over a groove will form. Take your thread and lay it over your block of wax. Hold the thread down with the thumb of one hand and pull the thread slowly with the other hand. Do this a couple times and you'll have a nicely waxed piece of thread. Quote A teacher pointed at me with a ruler and said "At the end of this ruler is an idiot." I got detention when I asked "Which end?"
Members Sylvia Posted March 27, 2012 Members Report Posted March 27, 2012 Great dunhill video Question: How are the corners on the gussets formed - it looks like the gusset is one piece that wraps around the whole case but there also seem to be seams at the corners?? Hi: size the video up to full screen and go to 1:49 in the video where he sets the case on the bench. You can barely see it but it appears that the gusset is 3 pieces. Look at the bottom corners you can see the seam line run to the edges. Sylvia Quote A teacher pointed at me with a ruler and said "At the end of this ruler is an idiot." I got detention when I asked "Which end?"
Members McJeep Posted March 27, 2012 Members Report Posted March 27, 2012 nice catch - I see the two downward seams now - thanks Quote "I gotta have more cowbell!" Cristopher Walken - SNL
Members Chavez Posted March 27, 2012 Members Report Posted March 27, 2012 I followed someones advice here and mixed beeswax with rosin 70-30. Waxing the thread bacame easier. I usually pull the thread through the wax, then warm it up with a hairdryer to let the wax sink into the thread and then pull it through the wax again. Quite happy with the results, though I'm not sure if heating the thread up makes a big difference... Quote
Members UnionCraft Posted March 28, 2012 Members Report Posted March 28, 2012 It sounds like that method makes a really waxy leather, but wouldn't it be easier to just buy pre waxed thread? Quote
Members lightningad Posted March 28, 2012 Author Members Report Posted March 28, 2012 (edited) Ahh - thanks Sylvia...language - the root cause of most of the worlds troubles! i tried the method as shown on the videos and am very happy with the results. If its good enough for Dunhill and Hermes to drag it across a couple of times then thats good enough for me! I can see what you're getting at with the hair drier, Chavez- i just cant be that bothered! As for buying waxed thread, Unioncraft - well if you can nip out to a local shop when you need it thats great, but where i live i need to buy it online if i want waxed, and that costs extra postage and takes ages to arrive. I can easily buy unwaxed linen thread in many more colours than the waxed ones. Now they can be waxed too. adam Edited March 28, 2012 by lightningad Quote "You is what you am, a cow don't make ham!" Frank Zappa - Musical Visionary Barking Rooster Leather Goods Pinterest Page
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