Hand stitching thread and needle preferences

[DJole]

3 hours ago, plinkercases said:

Alpha and Zulu thanks for the input.

Zulu how do you set up for waxing the thread yourself?

Let me add my 2 pennyworth to the mix here:

I find that after sewing for a while, the waxed thread starts to get unwaxed (it rubs off as  you pull it through the holes). So I have a cake of just plain beeswax that I run over the thread.
Nothing fancy, and I haven't found any reason to do anything else yet. Maybe Zulu's (or other people's recipes for wax stuff) holds up to wear (such as wallet stitches) better than what I do. 
This seems to be related to thinner threads; thicker threads probably hold more wax in their fibers. 

[alpha2]

DJole, I found that to be the case when I used unwaxed thread and waxed it myself. Don't have that issue with Tiger. Having said that, some Tiger is much more waxed than others. I think that waxing it yourself just coats the outside, the Tiger seems to be waxed throughout. I could be wrong, but it seems that way to me. It also seems that my self-waxed picks up more dye, or dirt than the factory waxed stuff. 

[NVLeatherWorx]

24 minutes ago, alpha2 said:

DJole, I found that to be the case when I used unwaxed thread and waxed it myself. Don't have that issue with Tiger. Having said that, some Tiger is much more waxed than others. I think that waxing it yourself just coats the outside, the Tiger seems to be waxed throughout. I could be wrong, but it seems that way to me. It also seems that my self-waxed picks up more dye, or dirt than the factory waxed stuff. 

I would have to agree with you about the pick-up of dye, antique, dirt, etc.; I have never had that issue with Tiger thread and I have also never had to wax Tiger thread during the stitching process.

[zuludog]

PLINKERCASES - this is how I made up my beeswax

I took the part used up piece from the Tandy starter kit and a lump of beeswax rescued from my father-in-law's shed. He reckons it's years old, possibly dating back to the 1960s

I bought (and ate!) a meat pie, and kept the aluminium foil tray intact. At this juncture I should point out that people from the north of England are well known for their fondness for pies. Babies in this part of the world usually progress directly from the breast onto a diet of pie & chips and strong tea, so such items are readily available

Make up a water bath from the foil tray and a small frying pan or similar, and place the wax into the tray. The water in the frying pan should be just hot enough to melt the wax, barely simmering; you do not want to boil like crazy. Hold down the tray with long nosed pliers to stop it wobbling about and spilling the wax

As the wax melts estimate the volume and add 5 to 10 % linseed oil; stir it all together with an old tent peg. Then turn off the heat and let it cool

When the wax mixture is more or less set but still warm & malleable, tear off the foil tray and knead the wax into a sort of squat sausage -like or cylindrical shape, then let it cool fully, say overnight

Cut off the desired length of thread; fold it over about half the circumference of the wax cylinder and hold it down with your thumb; then draw the wax through/across the wax.

This is the book where I saw the linseed oil softening tip. I think it is a very good guide to starting leatherwork

'Leatherwork: A Practical Guide' by Chris Taylor

If I'm doing a long run of stitching I sometimes re - wax the thread in situ

I do leatherwork for a hobby, and waxing thread seems to me to be a satisfying part of the whole process. But I can see that if I was a professional, or had to do a lot of sewing, I would consider ready-waxed thread

My son is about 1,83 cm weighs about 82kg, does kick - boxing and runs marathons. He still eats pies

Edited August 6, 2017 by zuludog

[plinkercases]

3 hours ago, zuludog said:

My son is about 1,83 cm weighs about 82kg, does kick - boxing and runs marathons. He still eats pies

All good to know thanks... including never try to take a pie from your son...

Everyone else thanks for the info so far. Interesting points to consider. I think I may be placing an order with buckleguy in the near future unless there is a table turning post come along.

[zuludog]

I see now that there are a couple of mistakes in my post Ah well, it was late at night and could have done with better proof reading. I'm sure you'll manage

[DJole]

9 hours ago, alpha2 said:

DJole, I found that to be the case when I used unwaxed thread and waxed it myself. Don't have that issue with Tiger. Having said that, some Tiger is much more waxed than others. I think that waxing it yourself just coats the outside, the Tiger seems to be waxed throughout. I could be wrong, but it seems that way to me. It also seems that my self-waxed picks up more dye, or dirt than the factory waxed stuff. 

Interesting!
I have never used Tiger thread, but now my interest is piqued. The next time I need a thread color, I'll replace it with some Tiger thread to experience it myself. 

[alpha2]

It's nice that you can try it without a large expense. Egyptian Leather sells small amounts, that's what I did to test colors and sizes. If I'd had to buy a large amount right off I probably wouldn't have tried it.

[Dunluce]

Reading the earlier posts about the beeswax coming off the thread and having to be reapplied while sewing got me thinking. I coated my thread with beeswax as normal but then got out my ironing board and iron. I stuck the thread between a couple of bits of brown paper and gave it a few runs over with a hot iron. Some wax came off on the paper but you could definately tell most of it was absorbed into the thread. It definately seemed to give a stiffer smoother thread that was easy to sew with