Dirty tiger thread

[jpless77]

 I'm having a problem with the white tiger thread getting dirty or grayish during stitching. Has anyone experienced this or possibly know how to prevent it? Thanks

[MADMAX22]

Be clean. Wash your hands before stitching. Depending on the wax they use could affect it also. The leather finish could also affect the results. Make sure you finish your leather before stitching because finish can pick up dye and deposit it on your thread. 

Thats all I got. 

[YinTx]

I have discovered pulling even Tiger thread through the beeswax helps prevent it from picking up material from the leather.  YMMV.

YinTx

[jpless77]

Thanks yall

[soccerdad]

When I stitched waxed yellow Ritza into struck-through black Hermann Oak, it picked up black specks and marks. I tried all sorts of things to clean the thread but never managed it. As a result, I have a terrific black briefcase with yellow thread and solid bronze lock, but I can't sell it. The case looks fine from a few feet away, but bad on any close examination. Rrrrr. The thread vendor said this staining (or whatever the term) sometimes happens when pulling light-colored thread through dark leather and knew no remedy. Around that time, I tested the yellow on a different manufacturer's black veg tan and had no problems. So, I'm sorry to say that I have no solutions for you, but I am careful about such things now and run tests before embarking on such work. Best of luck. 

[johnv474]

I, too, have experienced discoloration of thread from pulling through dark leather. However I think it's just pigment getting into the wax, not dyeing the thread. I understand that dyeing polyester (or nylon) is not very easy and requires almost boiling the thread in the dye.

The best (imperfect) solution I've found is to use a dry brush (like a suede brush) and brush it, followed by something like Lexol cleaner or saddle soap and another brushing.

Please test on a scrap before attempting on your final project. YMMV.

[bikermutt07]

This is just a guess at a solution.....

You could try running a larger thread heavily waxed through all your holes prior to stitching.

This could either pick up the pigment or kind of seal it behind a layer of wax prior to stitching.

Hope this helps.

[Brianm77]

I have experienced this a couple times. I have since let the dye and glue have a longer  dry time before stitching and have had better luck. Hope that helps. 

[Bigfoote]

I had the very same frustrating problem, could never get nice white thread to stay white. My solution, though not perfect, was to dye and finish with a coat of resolene before I punched or awl the holes. It helps a lot, but like I said after stitching a long row your leather still starts to stain a little. Then let it dry at least a couple days before a final coat of resolene or what ever you are finishing with.

[Sceaden]

This is a very common problem that I have yet to solve but keeping the stitch runs as short as practical helps some. 

[Brianm77]

Something else I have noticed is most of my staining/dirt whatever is on the first 4 inchs or so after the needles. That is where there is a needle and a thread in the hole at the same time. Also I have started making sure my hands are really clean when using white thread. Hope that helps.