toxo Report post Posted January 1, 2020 Still haven't got my head around this thread lark. Waxed polyester? Bonded nylon? Cotton? Does anyone know where to get the neon threads from preferably in tkt 20/30? Thanks guys. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Handstitched Report post Posted January 2, 2020 Well , the bonded nylon threads, or poly/cotton 277 threads are what I use on ' Brutus' . my saddle machine . Waxed threads are what I use for hand stitching. I could do it the ' ye olde fashioned way' by waxing the thread by hand....but I'm lazy so I buy waxed threads I also use .8mm ' Mox ' ( Aust.) thread, its a waxed woven thread, super duper strong too . As for ' neon' threads, I had a quick look, what is call neon thread, I call ' hi-vis' or fluorescent threads . Amazon in UK have them I think. Hope this helps, HS Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zuludog Report post Posted January 2, 2020 AFAIK waxed thread is only used for hand sewing. It can be linen/natural or synthetic/polyester; ready waxed or hand waxed by yourself. I haven't heard of cotton thread being used much for leatherwork, most people use linen or poly I don't think you can get linen thread in neon/fluorescent, though you can get some bright colours like yellow or red. So if you want neon/fluorescent it would have to be polyester. These two suppliers have bright colours and a couple of fluorescent threads intended for sewing leather - YUE FUNG from www.blackmountainsleather.com AMY ROKE from www.artisanleather.co.uk Otherwise Search t'Net. There are several suppliers, but you will have to decide for yourself if the thread is suitable. Try asking their sales advice departments. I have always found such people to be pleasant and helpful; after all they know their products, and it's in their interest to help you Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zuludog Report post Posted January 2, 2020 13 hours ago, toxo said: Still haven't got my head around this thread lark. Waxed polyester? Bonded nylon? Cotton? Does anyone know where to get the neon threads from preferably in tkt 20/30? Thanks guys. Yes, it is a bit confusing; here are a few comments which might help. They are for hand sewing only, as I don't do machine sewing The first choice is natural or synthetic/polyester? There is no doubt that poly is stronger, and sometimes cheaper than linen, but linen is still strong enough for some items, and some people prefer the way it looks and handles You could use natural fibres like cotton, hemp, or silk, but they are quite rare so for all intents and purposes, linen thread is used . Buy it from bona fide leathercraft suppliers, or look for branded names like Barbours, Somac, Coates, and Fil au Chinois. Don't buy anonymous 'linen thread' from Amazon or Ebay as some of it isn't very good In the early 19th century the French Company Sajou developed a way of making linen thread with a tighter twist, which meant that it was stronger and smoother. At the time anything Chinese or Oriental was fashionable so they called it Fil au Chinois (= Chinese Thread) even though it was, and still is, made in France. It is also known as Lin Cable - Lin is French for linen and Cable (should be an acute accent on the E) means 'cabled' and refers to the method of manufacture. It is excellent thread, but expensive and not so easy to find in Britain, but at least now you know what it is if you come across it As making linen thread is an old industry, the method of measuring the thickness/diameter is fairly obscure and involved. You don't need to understand it, though I'm sure you could find out if you wanted. All you need to know is that the most common size for leatherwork is 18/3 in the British system. In the French system, the higher the number, the thinner the thread, and the most common size is 432 You can make very thin strands of polyester material, then plait or braid them into a single thread - hence braided polyester. If the thread is made entirely of braid it tends to be a bit flat. Or you can make the braid around a central core of long strands, which results in Core Spun Polyester. This is rounder, and you can also make the core and sheath from different materials and colours The Julius Koch Company sell braided poly thread under the brand name Ritza 25; there is a picture of a tiger on the label so it is often called Tiger thread. It's very popular but I don't like the way it feels/handles. There are other makes, such as Yue Fung and Amy Roke Identity Leathercraft, Artisan Leather, and probably others sell short (22m?) reels of ready waxed poly thread that is twisted. It's easy to use and it is cheap enough to try The sizes for synthetic thread is usually just the diameter in millimetres; 0,6mm being the most common Bonded nylon is poly thread that is twisted and coated with a very thin layer of resin to prevent the strands from unravelling; intended for machine sewing Thread for hand sewing is always waxed. The thread you buy may be ready waxed or not, so check and be prepared to hand wax it yourself. You can give ready waxed an extra rub if you feel like it For most of these threads the cost pro rata is similar, the difference comes with the initial purchase price and depends on the size of the reel. Eg Abbey England are the main stockists of Ritza thread in Britain, and they only sell large reels, but if you shop around you might find someone who has rewound it into shorter reels As with any hobby you tend to accumulate odds & ends. Most people will try a couple of different types of thread when they start leatherwork, before settling on what they like Search YouTube for 'thread for leather'; there are several videos Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
toxo Report post Posted January 2, 2020 Thanks for that Dog. You've cleared up a few points for me which is unusual because I read and learn a lot. I think some of the confusion comes from the likes of ebay and some suppliers when they list all the designations for one item just to suit the search engines. I couldn't find any neon or flouro on either of those link you gave. Mind you i only looked in the search boxes which are sometimes not comprehensive. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zuludog Report post Posted January 2, 2020 (edited) 53 minutes ago, toxo said: I couldn't find any neon or flouro on either of those link you gave. Mind you i only looked in the search boxes which are sometimes not comprehensive. You need to get onto their websites; then onto the thread sections; then scroll through the colours. Though they might not have the colours you want. Same with Abbey England; they have various types of thread Edited January 2, 2020 by zuludog Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
