hand sewing thread recogmendation

S

Steel Talon

Joined
Mar 10, 2009
Messages
366
Hello All,

What thread do you recogmend for hand stitching sheaths? Where should it be purchased from?
Peace
ST~
 
Linen Thread - 5 cord left or right hand twist is IMO the best all purpose hand sewing thread thread:
Campbell- Bosworth: http://campbell-bosworth.com/catalog/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=linen
FWIW - I have used the Barbour's for close to 50 years..tried others but always regretted it........

A pound spool holds about 1,000 yards - that is a LOT of sewing. I sew everyday and do lots more than sheaths (including full lined belts) and a spool will last me 4-5 years - for most sheath makers it should last a lot longer.
It sounds liek it's not that cheap but in the long run it is fact much cheaper than the small spools of linen sold by others.
 
I sometimes use the Tandy waxed linen thread and for Brown and Black it's okay but I find the natural colour tends to stain and using the ovestitch wheel seems to crush it and make it look sloppy. I have since switched to a Poly thread in natural and it seems to be working fine.

I am very interested to try the Barbour's though as anything recommended by Mr. Burrows should be taken as very sound advice. :)

What difference does left or right twist make?
 
Wild Rose said:
Linen Thread - 5 cord left or right hand twist is IMO the best all purpose hand sewing thread thread:
Campbell- Bosworth: http://campbell-bosworth.com/catalog/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=linen
FWIW - I have used the Barbour's for close to 50 years..tried others but always regretted it........

A pound spool holds about 1,000 yards - that is a LOT of sewing. I sew everyday and do lots more than sheaths (including full lined belts) and a spool will last me 4-5 years - for most sheath makers it should last a lot longer.
It sounds liek it's not that cheap but in the long run it is fact much cheaper than the small spools of linen sold by others.
Click to expand...


Hello Wild Rose,

Thank you, I've only started this summer with leather work.. For sewing I started out with Tandy nylon, am now using Tejas waxed. I will try the Barbours,and thanks for telling me about ok either or left or right twist It would of played to my OCD issues LOL. Does this come waxed? or requires me to wax it buy hand?

Seems like campbell-bosworth is a good place to get other supplies too as I grow with this hobby. Between your sheath video (thank you) and G2's tutorials I've put out some nice work. I cant wait until I get enough saved up to buy the holster video.

ST~
 
SBranson said:
I sometimes use the Tandy waxed linen thread and for Brown and Black it's okay but I find the natural colour tends to stain and using the ovestitch wheel seems to crush it and make it look sloppy. I have since switched to a Poly thread in natural and it seems to be working fine.

I am very interested to try the Barbour's though as anything recommended by Mr. Burrows should be taken as very sound advice. :)

What difference does left or right twist make?
Click to expand...


Hello SB~

I started w/ Tandy nylon white and black,didnt care for the black. Moved onto Tejas waxed white which gave much better definition to my projects..

I'm going to try the Barbours my next purchase. I need to find out if its available waxed or I need to wax it myself..
Peace
ST~
 
I am glad to watch this thread - I use the Tandy thread - but the smashed look is certainly something I had not thought about but I think that I recognize what you are talking about - I would love more suggestions!

TF
 
Right or left hand twist doesn't matter for handsewing.....

Barbour's is unwaxed so you will need to wax it yourself, which IMO is a better way to got, all of the pre-waxed thread I've used is way over waxed.

I use a mix of 60% beeswax and 40% pitch by volume - you can buy a pound of pitch here:
http://jas-townsend.com/product_info.php?manufacturers_id=&products_id=373

Melt the two together - I use and old crockpot or you can use a double boiler, melt the pitch first and then add your wax. Once all melted together pour into those throw away muffin cups or pour the whole mess into cold water and once coole enough to handle knead it together into several lumps big enough to wax the thread.
This mix is stickier than just plain beeswax and helps lock the stitches. The beeswax also is an anti-fungal/anti-bacterial.
For colored thread you can use leather dye - just dip a length of the unwaxed thread in the dye, let it soak a moment, then wipe off the excess, and let dry before waxing.
 
Hello Wild Rose,

Thanks for the recipe,tips ,tricks and link. I hear ya about waxed thread being overwaxed, The Tejas I metioned above was overwaxed I have to run it through a cloth before I start using it.

I'll use the muffin cups sounds the easiest,thanks for the tip on coloring string.

Peace
ST~
 
I followed Chuck Burrow's suggestion on the pine pitch / beeswax mix about a year ago. The pitch and beeswax quantities from JAS-Townsend is enough to last me forever. Boy, I love the smell of it too!!

Anyway, the recommendation that I read from Chuck (or perhaps it was in his sheath making video?) said to use plastic ice cube trays to form cubes of the mix. That worked out well for me, and was very inexpensive.

Mike L.
 
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