Hand Sewing

[JamesCaldwell]

Just getting back into leather and want to learn to hand sew. I have Al Stohlman's book,The art of hand sewing. He recommends unwaxed linen thread. Is that still the best to use for sewing. Won't be doing anything elaborate, just simple projects for now. Thanks, James

[fredk]

I use pre-waxed polyester thread in different thicknesses and colours, but mainly dark brown, light brown or black. Either pre-waxed or waxing during sewing is a must

[Bob Blea]

I use pre waxed polyester cord from Maine Thread.  It's good quality and comes in many different colors and isn't very expensive.  I think it's a good starting place for getting good at hand sewing.

[zuludog]

Stohlman's book is good, but it's a bit dated now. You can still follow his advice if you wish, but things have moved on a bit --

Synthetic, polyester threads, both braided and twisted, have become much more popular, though you can still use linen if you wish. For both types ready waxed is widely available, though you can give it an extra rub if you want. And there is a wider range of colours available

Have a look at Rocky Mountains Leather Supply. they have Ritza 25, aka Tiger Thread, which is a very popular braided polyester thread. Normally it is sold in large reels which makes it expensive to buy into, but RMLS sell smaller reels at reasonable prices

RMLS sell Twist thread, both linen and twisted polyester; it is the Chinese Yue Fung make sold under their own label, and it's very good

I have used all three types, and can recommend them

Search YouTube for 'how to saddle stitch' and 'thread for leatherwork' 

[Danne]

1 hour ago, zuludog said:

Stohlman's book is good, but it's a bit dated now. You can still follow his advice if you wish, but things have moved on a bit --

Synthetic, polyester threads, both braided and twisted, have become much more popular, though you can still use linen if you wish. For both types ready waxed is widely available, though you can give it an extra rub if you want. And there is a wider range of colours available

Have a look at Rocky Mountains Leather Supply. they have Ritza 25, aka Tiger Thread, which is a very popular braided polyester thread. Normally it is sold in large reels which makes it expensive to buy into, but RMLS sell smaller reels at reasonable prices

RMLS sell Twist thread, both linen and twisted polyester; it is the Chinese Yue Fung make sold under their own label, and it's very good

I have used all three types, and can recommend them

Search YouTube for 'how to saddle stitch' and 'thread for leatherwork' 

Isn't Meisi the producer of RMLS Twist and Yue Fung?

[Danne]

I wouldn't use thread without wax. And there are a lot of options to choose from. I have tried a decent amount of different threads.

The ones I use is Meisi linen and Meisi Xiange twist (Poly thread with a linen look) When it comes to linen thread I switched from Sajou Fil au chinois. (Lin cable) to Meisi, because Meisi is a lot more consistent. Some people say that Lin cable is a more durable thread, linen thread is not durable no matter who produce it. Not compared to a synthetic thread.

Ps Meisi have a free sample pack with a couple of full spools and a decent amount of smaller "sample size" you pay for shipping. Can be worth to try if you do small leather goods. 

But of course there are a lot of good alternatives out there depending on the style you are looking for. For example if I would make knife sheats and gun holsters, I would probably have a look at Ritza25 (Tiger thread)

Edited February 18, 2021 by Danne

[Handstitched]

@JamesCaldwell  Welcome to the forum , and good to hear you're getting back in to leather

I have always relied upon Al Stohlmans books . Youtube have some good vids on handstitching too. 

I've always used waxed threads .

Good luck  

HS

[JamesCaldwell]

Gentlemen, Thanks for the responses. I wondered about the synthetic threads if that might be the way to go now. Built a Stitching horse over the weekend and am anxious to get started. Thanks again, James 

[mike02130]

The reasons to wax your thread,

1, Lubrication.

2, It protects the thread from fraying.

3, Helps hold the tread tight when you cinch it down.  

I tried using unwaxed on small runs when numbers 1 and 2 aren't so important  but when cinching the thread I can see it untighten after cinching vs using waxed.

[Matt S]

Linen is certainly softer on the hands, but synthetics can be pretty good these days, and often cheaper than linen. Ritza "tiger" is a popular premium flat-braided polyester thread for hand stitching. The braid eliminates twisting issues and gives a chunkier look than laid thread. It's also usually available in a wider range of colours than linen.

Waxing the thread by hand is a definite "yes" for me, whether the thread is prewaxed or not. Beeswax is okay and better than nothing, but handwax/coad is miles better, and honestly I see its lack of mention in Stohlman's works as an indication of the limits of his experience and/or the extent to which he wanted to push what was available at Tandy for the quickest results possible. 

Coad can be any number of concoctions but a good one is beeswax and pine rosin, say 2:1 or 3:1, maybe with a tiny bit of linseed oil thrown in. Melt them together in a double boiler setup (bean tin in a pan of water), then pour the mess into a big bowl of lukewarm water. Grab the glob and start pulling it apart and recombining while keeping it underwater to avoid burns.  Keep going until it cools enough to not burn you when you pull it out the water and keep pulling it apart and smooshing it together, finally rounding it as it starts to get hard. Use this coad as you would beeswax -- pinch the thread to the wax and draw it through with some gusto, at least a half-dozen times. You'll find that coad stays on the thread better (straight beeswax can flake off like dust); melts as you draw the thread for lubrication; holds stitches together better where they cross over; gets on your fingers and helps to grasp the needles. There's loads of different ingredients and mixtures you can use, and some experimentation is needed depending on your environment and preference. You may need different mixes in the summer and winter.