Recently I found a source of polyester thread that has a range to rival madeira and is priced extremely well.
For those of us in Australia, Madeira can be a little hard to get and is priced at between $3.80-$6.00 for an 1100 yard spool.
The thread I have come across at Creek Creations online embroidery shop can be had for as little as $2.00 per 1000 metre (1093 yard) spool.
They have quite a large range of colours in 40wt which mimic those sold by Brother and Janome.
So the big question is...
Is this stuff any good for use on rods?
I decided to find out by purchasing just a few colours and carrying out some tests.
Being made for embriodery, I was expecting that there could be problems with fisheyes in rod finish due to the silicon coating often used on embroidery threads to aid in feeding through sewing machines.
I found no such problems with this thread.
However!
What I did find, was that unless you're doing a tartan wrap or similar, the use of CP on this thread for any colour other than black is a must.
Upon application of the epoxy finish (I used Bullards D2), this thread becomes very transparent if not very well sealed with CP.
I also found with the white thread, that painting the blank white gave better results, but this can be said for pretty much all threads regardless of brand.
I did several test wraps to test what happens with and without CP.
My usual CP of choice is Chromaseal. I find it seals well, but do note that it tends to lighten the thread underneath with each application.
I have also found that it must be shaken very well to mix the solids evenly through the bottle.
Failure to do so results in very patchy results.
On one test I also tried some Speed thread sealer, which is a solvent based product.
As I expected, it reacted with the thread in somewhat the same manner as direct application of epoxy finish, making the thread somewhat transparent.
I found that the thread required several coats of Chromaseal to ensure that it not turn transparent (although I feel I could have let the chromaseal settle too long on the single coat tests as it was "thin" which could indicate the solids had begun to settle).
Either way, I would not take the risk of using just a single coat on a weave or cross wrap which has taken hours to do.
It is far smarter to select your colours to allow for the lightening of shade caused by the CP.
Physically, the spools are a little taller than say Bullards spools.
Like Bullards, they have a "washer" on the bottom of the spool which helps stop the thread going under the spool in use, as can sometimes happen with Madeira.
This washer also doubles as a thread lock so that you can stop the thread unwinding when not in use.
I found no "fuzzies" in my tests and strength tests put it on a par with Madeira and Bullards.
So what's the verdict?
Well I wouldn't throw out all my other threads to rush out and buy this stuff, but it is definately suitable for thread art if used appropriately and consideration is given to the requirement for CP.
This is no different than when using raw nylon thread.
There are a wide range of colours available and when bought in packs, the price is very good!
The colours seem quite vibrant and the black is very black.
I don't believe you can ever have too much thread, so I can see a full pack on the horizon
I definately don't see this thread as a replacement for my Bullards or Madeira thread (or Gudebrod for that matter), but from what I've seen so far it's a cost effective solution for anyone who requires a wide colour selection.
On a side note, they also sell a very good polycarbonate thread holder.
It holds 30 spools and has pegs moulded into the bottom to hold them all in place.
It is also stackable.
Disclaimer!
I have only carried out tests on three colours of this thread and with a limited number of CP and epoxy brands.
You should always carry out tests using your own combination of CP and epoxy before committing to purchasing large quantities of any thread, or using a new thread type on a rod!
Here's the pics!
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