Tiger Thread: Is There Seriously Not A Comparable Braided Poly Thread In The United States?

[Hi Im Joe]

Thanks Joe,

I ordered a sample pack of all the colors they (the China stuff) offer and plan to do a side by side comparison. I don't make any horse tack, so that stretch shouldn't be an issue for me.

Although its nothing like Tiger thread, which I really like using, I've been considering just going exclusively with Mainethread's waxed poly, as its pretty good quality, easy to get, lots of sizes and colors and also that its made in USA.

I love Maine's polycord.

[Macca]

macca - thank you for posting the pictures! i appreciate it very much. i wonder if, after looking at these pictures, the 832 might be o.k. if smaller holes were used. maybe a smaller awl instad of a pricking iron. just thinking out loud.

this brings up another question......if tiger thread (or it's braided equivalent) is used, how do you attach the thread to the needle? surely you can't use the traditional method of piercing the needle and making the loop and then waxing it down, can you?

832 is very small for 10 SPI in all honesty

[JohnD]

I know this is an older thread, but I wanted to follow up on the chinese/tiger thread comparison.

Here's what I ordered http://www.ebay.com/itm/Leather-Sewing-Thread-Waxed-For-Leather-Hand-Stitching-120g-250M-DIY/161008161504?_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D24192%26meid%3D0ae5e7848204423cbeb7eec8c324f427%26pid%3D100005%26prg%3D10284%26rk%3D2%26rkt%3D6%26sd%3D151170709384&rt=nc

Here's what arrived

Here's the side by side comparison to Tiger thread(right)

These are both .08 thread, but the chinese thread(left) is flatter so appears wider. It also has less wax so the color is different and it is not as stiff as the Tiger thread. I think this made it a little less forgiving when pulling the stitches, I needed to pay more attention to the consistency of the thread tension, as they would slack a little when sewing the next stitch. The Braid seemed a little looser too. The first time I tried to stitch with it, it was pretty sloppy, because the loose braiding seemed to make it difficult to get a consistent tension.

Here's the two stitched

This is about 7spi, with John James 002 harness needles and John James awl (smallest I could find). I stitched the Chinese stuff first, then took the picture immediately after stitching the Tiger thread, so that may account for the holes appearing larger on the Tiger(right). The biggest difference in stitching was that I needed to use pliers with the Tiger thread a few times, maybe due to the wax keeping the loop at the eye from squishing through the hole easily.

My initial impression was that the Chinese stuff wasn't as uniform as the Tiger, because of the loose braid and floppiness of it took some getting used to as far as getting consistent stitches. After a few practice stitches it seems to be not so bad. It is pretty cheap and comes in lots of colors, although the shipping took a few weeks. I still think I prefer the Tiger thread, though, as I mentioned before, I think I'm going to start using Maine thread exclusively, even though their thread is not braided, it is still nice, they are close and have any color and size you can think of, plus it may give my own work the appearance of some consistency by using the same materials. Sorry to ramble, I wanted to give as much info as I could so anyone who was considering this as an alternative to Tiger thread would have some idea before spending any money.

[exoticleather]

Sorry to reactivate such an old thread, but I've recently come across a company in Ohio that sells 3, 4, 7 and 12 ply Irish waxed linen thread in 25+ colors, Royal Wood Ltd. (http://royalwoodltd.com) and I've just placed a test order.

Has anyone any experience using the threads from this company?

[Matt T]

Exoticleather, I have tried RoyalWood's thread during my search for a less expensive alternative to Sajou Lin Cable. Unfortunately, I wasn't entirely satisfied with the thread I received. It is not bad, don't get me wrong; but the dyeing job was not 100%, and the thickness of the thread had slight variations. If you have a different experience with it, please let us know.

[exoticleather]

Exoticleather, I have tried RoyalWood's thread during my search for a less expensive alternative to Sajou Lin Cable. Unfortunately, I wasn't entirely satisfied with the thread I received. It is not bad, don't get me wrong; but the dyeing job was not 100%, and the thickness of the thread had slight variations. If you have a different experience with it, please let us know.

A few days back, I ordered about 5 or 6 colors to try and they should be arriving soon. I'll definately update this once I have tried them.

[ramrod]

i posted a thread in "suppliers" about finding som every nice and inexpensive braided poly thread. it's from schall leather merchants on ebay. i emailed alex at the store. very helpful.

there isn't a variety of colors - just earth tones - but the price is VERY good.

[exoticleather]

Just wanted to add some snap shots of the Coats Threads braided polyester threads sample card for their Classic Brio line, specifically for leather working, available unwaxed, lightly or heavily waxed, in .8 mm, 1.0 mm, 1.2 mm and 1.4 mm sizes. They have a large assortment of colors and are available in the US.

Edited March 11, 2015 by exoticleather

[25b]

How would one order a sample board like that?

[dcobranding]

Coats makes a BRAIDED POLY as well, but FINDING it here in the States is next to impossible. I quite fancy Serabraid (by... name of parent company escapes me). Serabraid looks IDENTICAL to Ritza 25/Tiger thread. Again, CAN'T seem to find a way to purchase it, even though I've been in communication with the U.S. sales rep! VERY frustrating.

I too would like to know how to actually get in contact with a U.S. sales rep for Coats who can assist in purchasing.

Thanks for posting.