lightningad Report post 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 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
UnionCraft Report post Posted March 27, 2012 These are two of my favorite videos and they both demonstrate waxing thread hand. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lightningad Report post 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 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
McJeep Report post 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 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sylvia Report post 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 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sylvia Report post 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 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
McJeep Report post Posted March 27, 2012 nice catch - I see the two downward seams now - thanks Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Chavez Report post 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 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
UnionCraft Report post 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 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lightningad Report post 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 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ChuckBurrows Report post Posted March 28, 2012 (edited) 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... That would be me prbably and it's a version of handwax aka coad, mostly used by shoemakers and cobblers. To warm it up - I just stick the chunk under my arm for a few minutes - et Voila nice and easy.. re: pre-waxed thread - all I have ever used IMO has been way overwaxed - doing it yourself let's you control the amount needed Edited March 28, 2012 by ChuckBurrows Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SooperJake Report post Posted July 2, 2012 Can someone explain the brushing of the hide he does? Thanks, Jake Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SooperJake Report post Posted July 4, 2012 It also looks like he is using a stitching punch and some kind of edge coating? Jake Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SooperJake Report post Posted July 4, 2012 Crickets chirping..... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
reddevil76 Report post Posted July 4, 2012 Love this dunhill video too. But it disturbs me that he doesn't bother to sand the edges even before edge dyeing them. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SooperJake Report post Posted July 4, 2012 Love this dunhill video too. But it disturbs me that he doesn't bother to sand the edges even before edge dyeing them. What I find interesting on this $3200 dollar document case, is not only the rough edge work and inking, but the use of the stitching punch ( huge holes which angle the stitch). I'm also wondering if the hide was cased prior to the brushing, which magically evened out the color or something else? The hide in the beginning is pretty mottled, then darker and more even, tonally, when he is brushing it. it also seems to have less sheen on it. Maybe these are ordinary things, or maybe they are tricks. But, since I am quite new to leather work, I am curious to learn them. Jake Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lightningad Report post Posted July 10, 2012 one of the first images you see is the edge being sanded!! Having shown it once, there is no reason to show it again. They are showing some of the processes involved - not the entire process. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
reddevil76 Report post Posted July 11, 2012 one of the first images you see is the edge being sanded!! Having shown it once, there is no reason to show it again. They are showing some of the processes involved - not the entire process. I'm not making that conclusion due a lack of display of the sanding process. I am making the conclusion due to several scenes where they show the edge being dyed, and visually, you can see the edges very much uneven and being dyed over. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lightningad Report post Posted July 11, 2012 i didn't mean to infer that. However, filming probably took a day, and rather have the film crew sit around and wait for each process to complete, they probably just examples of each technique. The finished case is probably made from correctly completed pieces, and behind the camera is probably a pile of pieces with a bit of edge dyeing, a few stitches, etc. Never trust what you see on screen - the camera ALWAYS lies. regards Adam Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
