Grinning Inseam Stitches…Again
I held myself to using light-colored cord for the inseams on these, so I could get a real good look for grinning stitches against the black upper leather. Sure enough, same problem, despite my using rosin-and-tar and trying to pull harder.
I’m going to have to think about this a bit more.
Good Idea: Really take the time to mount bristles well.
I’m still experimenting with techniques for tapering and mounting bristles to the 11-7 Maine Thread Texon/Dacron cord.
I’m ever more motivated, because it’s become very, very clear that stitching goes way faster when the taws get really thin at the bristles. That’s the difference between being able to pull both bristles through by hand and having to do tricks like grabbing with pliers or backing a thread already through the hole out to carry the other bristle through.
So far, my best luck has been:
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unwinding the taws and cutting the plies progressively shorter, then fraying with sandpaper
Fraying by scraping with a knife against a board also works, but I find it way slower. The results are also a tad less wispy.
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binding the wraps holding the taws to the bristles with tar-and-rosin coad, rather than wax
Some sources, like the late DW Frommer II, suggested doing a final coat of wax, perhaps to make it easier to slide through. That makes sense to me, but I haven’t tried it yet.
Aside: Modern Adhesives
I keep thinking there must be some improvements left to find around thread wax. Rosin and tar make a nice adhesive, but we’ve got tons of those on the market now. Using 19th-century apothecary-style adhesive on PET thread lends to a little cognitive dissonance.
I’m not aware of common hot-melt adhesives of the same consistency as coad. But I wonder whether we couldn’t fasten bristles with cyanoacrylate/Super Glue. I’m also thinking room temperature vulcanizing silicone, like that used to seal aquariums or engine pieces, could do a pretty good job filling and moisture-proofing holdfast holes around waxed threads, like braided poly or the pre-waxed Maine Thread tapers.
Bad Idea: Bristles too short.
I did a big batch of bent guitar string bristles, and continue to be happy with the durability, flexibility, and mounting. However, the ones I made were about 4½ inches long on average. The next round I do, I’ll make them longer, probably 6 inches.
Hopefully that gives me more ability to grasp with my hole hand, bend a bit, and pull through.