Well i went to a fabric shop and spotted the exact color i was looking for to accent my guide wraps. Here is my question. The thread is 100% polyester thread. It looks great as trim for my guide wraps. Any problems with polyester thread for that application?

Kevin Gross
Many men will spend their whole life wondering if they made a difference. Marines dont have that problem - Ronald Regan

no problem for trim, but you should hit it with a coat of CP before epoxy

Walt Davenport
"Roadhouse Rods"

First, I've never done any testing between various threads, so I could be completely wrong, and Walt, I certainly mean no offense.

But...I've always had the "understanding" that thread manufactured for sewing fabrics is impregnated with a silicon-type product to aid travel through sewing machines, while thread manufactured for rod-building, does not. And, that using the former instead of the latter, could cause contamination to the finish, such as a fish-eye, affect.

Walt, if you have practical experience with this, I would certainly use knowledge to expand my color-chest of thread. I'm a CP user from way back, so if all that is necessary to prevent contamination is to apply CP, than I would certainly consider doing so.

If there is any question, I would highly recommend testing on scrap blank materials with simple wraps, before you start a serious project in earnest.


Patrick Vernacchio

I use madeira sewing thread in my weaves, and others also use it in decorative wraps, yes as you say it contains silicone, but as walt says - coat it with cp and you wont get any contamination. I use chromaseal cp, in my opinion it is the best colour preserver on the market for thread colour retension.

Walt & Steve,
Which finish do you use, or have you found that it doesn't matter? I've used Flex-Coat CP since my second rod, and have not used chromaseal. In any case, the only remaining rod crafting supply shop in the Anchorage area doesn't carry it. C&M (@#$%&) in California does. Since I'll be in their shop over the next couple of weeks, I will be sure to pick up a bottle.

Patrick Vernacchio

Hi, Patrick. I use flexcoat high build finish, but any finish you use with any colour preserver used to coat sewing threads which contain silicone will completely stop any contamination if you apply 2 - 3 coats. Flexcoat cp works great for me on most colour threads. The only colour i won't use it on is black thread because you can't get a true black colour. After finish is applied you get a hazy appearance with white fleck highlights. Chromaseal is a superior colour preserver and you can get an almost true black. It is excellent on light colours too, you don't get any bleed through. If you do weaves, decorative wraps, it is the best colour preserver available.



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 04/22/2012 07:03AM by Steve Mcleod.