Tex Thread Question

[ouchmyfinger]

a buddy of mine uses tex 90 thread for his upholstery work...should i be using tex thread for belts, guitar straps, etc, things that will be used a lot and outdoors. what things will i need to know about this thread also?

thanks

[dscheidt]

<br />a buddy of mine uses tex 90 thread for his upholstery work...should i be using tex thread for belts, guitar straps, etc, things that will be used a lot and outdoors.  what things will i need to know about this thread also?<br /><br />thanks<br />

<br /><br /><br />

Tex is a measure of thread size; not of quality, composition or anything else. It's nominally the number of grams that 1,000 meters of thread weigh. So, a kilometer of thread that is Tex 90 weighs 90 grams. (There's a range of allowed weights, and it's before dying and other processing, but it doesn't matter much.) The thickness of thread depends on what it's made of, but since almost all thread sizing systems are based on weight, it's possible to convert from one to the other most of the time.

The same thread may have labels in more than one system (a tex size, a commercial size, a cotton count, a metric ticket number, or a US gov't size) depending on who it's sold to.

T-70 thread is #69 thread in the commercial thread sizes (which are, roughly, 1/10 of their denier, where the denier number is the weight of 9,000 meters of thread, so their 9/10 the Tex numer. Roughly, because they measure differently.)

t-90 is #92. The same thread may have labels in more than one system (a tex size, a commercial size, a cotton count, a metric ticket number, or a US gov't size) depending on who it's sold to.

[ouchmyfinger]

Thanks. When I googled it I read that it was fire resistant and good for outdoor use. Maybe it was coincidence.

[Wizcrafts]

I use #138, Tex 135 on rifle slings and guitar straps sewn for wholesale production, that have suede linings. This is what I consider mid-light weight thread.

I relegate #T90 to wallets.

T90 is about halfway between $69 and #138. It is too light for 1/4 inch straps, but okay for wallets. I use #69/ T70 for Naugahyde and garment leather.

If you are sewing with a Patcher, T90 goes a lot farther than T135!

[Northmount]

There are tons of info on thread sizes, types and application here. Do a search or two.

Take a look at the pdf from this thread Info

Also this chart Toledo posted previously by Wiz.

CTG

Thanks. When I googled it I read that it was fire resistant and good for outdoor use. Maybe it was coincidence.

The T had nothing to do with fire or outdoor use. You were reading a description of the particular suppliers thread that just happened to have a T size listed.

[Anne Bonnys Locker]

All of the following are the same thing:

#69

TEX70

40 Ticket (European)

210d/3 (Asian)

40/3 (Combination Euro/Asian)

etc.

etc.

etc.

Confused yet? Well I am!

Recently I ordered a couple of thousand rolls of High Tenacity Polyester from my Chinese supplier and the delivery confirmation came back as 40/3 which in the usual Asian system would be three core spider web but when questioned they advised that they are now using a "Europeanised" system!!!!!

[Wizcrafts]

All of the following are the same thing:

#69

TEX70

40 Ticket (European)

210d/3 (Asian)

40/3 (Combination Euro/Asian)

etc.

etc.

etc.

Confused yet? Well I am!

Recently I ordered a couple of thousand rolls of High Tenacity Polyester from my Chinese supplier and the delivery confirmation came back as 40/3 which in the usual Asian system would be three core spider web but when questioned they advised that they are now using a "Europeanised" system!!!!!

This is what I call "organized confusion!"

[Anne Bonnys Locker]

It has kept me awake a couple of times worrying whether what I get and what wanted are going to be the same thing!

This is what I call "organized confusion!"

[Trox]

The tread sizes are a pain in the ….. for us Europeans to understand, we are using tkt numbers. When you are discussing Tex sizes, we have to translate it in to tkt. The threads I am using for my leather work is made by Amman and Coats. Serafil by Amman is a polyester thread, Gral is equal to Serafil and made by Coats. The sizes in polyester goes like this;

tex 450/ 6 tkt

tex 400/ 7 tkt

tex 350/8 tkt

And so on

tex 135/20 tkt

tex 60/40 tkt

With Nylon bond, it is a bit different;

tex 500/6 tkt

tex 400/8 tkt

And so on

tex 70/40 tkt……………..

I find the Serafil type of polyester thread much better for my big Adler’s than nylon bond. I have tried nylon bond, but my machines will not have it in the thickest thread classes. The polyester is much softer and work better. My patchers (Adler 30 and Sing. 29K) do not mind to use the nylon bond, it work just fine with them. Serafil polyester is made by German Amman group, comes in WR (water rest.) and normal. Lots of colors and a thread well suited for leatherwork. It is the most commonly used thread for leather here.

I am satisfied with the threads I am using. Other reasons for not changing and try American threads are the size system. I wonder when we will all take to our senses and use the same measurements all over the world. I do not care if it metric or imperial, Chinese or Greek, it should all be the same. We will always find other things to argue about. Maybe it is a job for the UN, find the best scales and standardize them. :brainbleach:

Trox

[Anne Bonnys Locker]

I import my own High Tenacity Polyester out of China. It is the same composition as Serafil which is a lovely thread.

I did ask why nobody else uses Serafil on another thread (no pun intended!) so I am glad the somebody agrees with me.

While not as strong as a bonded thread it feels lovely and has excellent UV properties.

As somebody said on another forum: the best thing about standards is that there are so many to choose from!