I have access to polyester thread through my wife's sewing/quilt shop. I have done a few projects with the Glide Polyester thread. It looks great, but the lighter colors tend to have a transparent effect when the finish is applied.

Have any of you had experience with polyester thread?

1. Does it require UV resistant finish or color preserver?

2. Is there a way to prevent the transparent effect in the lighter colors?

Do a test on a scrap blank and see what happens. I expect it will be fine with CP. From what I have read, UV resistant finishes are resistant to UV, but don't protect what is under them. That will depend on the resistance of the thread. Which is an unknown, I expect.

Why not use rod building thread? If you want polyester, Fuji. It works great.

If I were using sewing thread I would also use CP.

Michael Danek Wrote:
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>
> Why not use rod building thread? If you want
> polyester, Fuji. It works great.


I absolutely agree. For standard (non-decorative) wrapping, it takes a lot less than half of a $3.00 spool of Fuji Ultra Poly to build a rod. Fuji is a very safe choice as it was specifically designed for and has been well-tested for rod building. I wouldn’t risk having to strip down and completely rewrap and refinish a rod to save about a dollar.

Sterling
I have built a handful of rods using poly threads, both Sulky and Floriani. I also have used color preserver on all of them, as I use color preserver on all of my rod builds. The poly threads do just fine on guide / hook keeper wraps.
Rog

Thanks for the responses. I can get the polyester thread in bulk spools for a very good price. There are also a much larger variety of colors. My biggest reservation is the thread fading over time and, as mentioned, the transparency of the lighter colors.

I have never encountered Glide thread, but have used a lot of Madera and Coats and Sulky. The one thing
to keep in mind with these threads, is most are designed for Machine use and contain a lubricant. Thread
epoxy is sometimes rejected by these. I have have it happen often enough that I almost always use preserver
when using ploy sewing threads. I will oft times take a chance on trim threads. As answer to your question
on lighter colors getting transparent If you use a color preserver it should do just that - retain the color-not
turn transparent. Perhaps you should ask your Wife if the name is to infer that the thread "Glides" through
machinery smoother due to better or more lubrication creating a larger chance of reaction with Epoxy?

Poly is more water resistant and less likely to fade compared to nylon, no even close.

Sterling,

There is one big difference between standard nylon thread wrapping thread and polyester sewing thread.

STRETCH.

Nylon stretches but polyester does not.

I very much prefer having stretch in the thread that I use for wrapping to be able to make nice tight wraps, but still be able to adjust the guide.

However, if one uses Polyester non stretch thread, it is much more difficult to make the nice tight wraps, and still be able to do minor guide adjustments.

For others, their experience my be different.

Note:
However, there is also one difference between nylon and polyester.

Nylon tends to fade and degrade in bright sunlight, but polyester does not.

For example, if you are sewing outdoor seat cushions for use out of doors in the bright summer sun and use nylon thread - the thread will tend to be deteriorated quite badly after 10 years in the sun. But, a cushion made of polyester fabric and sewn with polyester thread - the cushion and threads in the material and the seams sewn with poly thread will still be fine after 10 years in the sun.

I do not know if the finish that we all apply to our thread wraps inhibit the negative effects of the sun shine on the nylon thread wraps or not. But, I will say that I have seen rods wrapped 50 years ago and the thread is still fine after years of hard use.

Take care