Is There A Thread Similar To Tiger Thread?

[retiredff]

Has anyone tried Main Thread's cotton braided cord? It's not waxed but that can be easily fixed.

http://www.mainethread.com/Polished_Braided_Cotton_Cord.html

I sent for a sample of colors and sizes. I removed 1 of the 1mm cords and put it between 2 pliers and tried to break it, it held up fine.

I don't know how this would do for hand stitching leather goods. They are limited on the in between sizes I thought.

Edited December 16, 2014 by retiredff

[ramrod]

a couple of things here....

retiredff...the only problem with the thread you're describing is that it's cotton. i always thought that cotton would be a very nice and inexpensive thread to start using in my leatherworking, but it's not really the case. it picks up dirt readily and it just doesn't hold up well. it's subject to rot, also.

i wholeheartedly agree with michelle - tiger thread is really the gold standard when it comes to thread. i absolutely love everything about it - except for the price. although, i must say that it is worth every penny. it sews as close to perfect as you can get. it's consistent and it lays very nice. that being said, i would really like to find even a close 2nd place so i can afford to buy more of it rather than 25 yds. at a time.

billybopp....is that chinese thread polyester? and is it braided? the ebay info doesn't say what it is. i would be interested in getting hold of some of this stuff. i'd really like .6 mm though.

[retiredff]

ramrod - I agree, I also am looking to replace tiger thread for cheap. Maybe that doesn't exist. I did contact SLC and inquire if they could look into handling tiger thread. The response I got was they would look into it.

[ramrod]

that is a spark of hope. competition is a good thing.

[retiredff]

yes it is...

[billybopp]

The Chinese threaded is braided polyester. It sews very nicely, but because it is not so heavily waxed as Tiger, it is slightly more easily pierced so you have to watch out for that ... But if your technique is good that should not be a problem. I've used it extensively for this years Christmas preparations and love it. Do look carefully at the colors before you order .. Most are solid colors, but a couple of them are variegated.

Bill

[ramrod]

that is encouraging. i think i'm gonna look into getting some. i'm probably gonna stick with the black / white / cream colors for this buy.

[johnv474]

Coats/Barbour's makes a braided flat thread called Corus, but it is only in black or white , I believe. I am not yet convinced that braided is the ultimate. Unraveling occurs much more with linen than with nylon or polyester (as in Nyltex or Maine Thread). One disadvantage of braided is that it cannot be tapered, which means that using a slightly larger needle than twisted cord (especially linen). We did a little side-by-side on a scrap between Tiger thread and Maine Thread in a fine gauge. The results were similar. Tiger thread is nice to use, don't get me wrong, but if a spool of .030 Maine Thread costs $4.50 in any of the colors and is available readily, then I am not sure the extra money for Tiger thread makes a proportionate difference. (Note: I don't remember the length of thread on the spool for that price, but it's maybe 40 yards or so?) Maine Thread looks chunky on the spool but pulls down nicely. EDIT: it's 70 yards per spool.

Edited December 21, 2014 by johnv474

[cem]

I use Tiger thread because that's what is used in the stuff I get in for repair but there are a lot of other threads that are just as good and are easier to get for a lot of people. When I first joined here not many people outside of the UK and Australia had heard of Tiger and I remember one thread where one member was completely off the mark as to what it was. The popularity has mainly come about due to the youtube videos as that is what those leatherworkers who are based in the UK are using.

Tiger thread is really only economical if you can buy it in the rolls 1000, 500 or 250 metre (dependant on the mm thickness) with business pricing. If I had to pay retail prices I don't think I would be buying it, it's mind boggling what some people are charging for it.

[Jaymack]

I have been using the braided thread from Ebay. I'm very happy with it. I've heard it's not as strong as tiger thread, but I'm not making saddles or horse tack. I've used tiger thread and I really don't see much difference except for the price.