Solarfix News

[Mojo]

I talked to one of the managers at Quality Thread and he informed me that Solarfix is now being offered in different colors.

I believe some of the colors are going to match some of the Sunbrella colors ( navy blue, green, cardinal red, etc. ). The one I am concerned about the most is beige since it is my most popular color. He is supposed to ship me a sample spool to test  and give them my results. The beige is not quite ready for the market yet. I will let the rest of you know what I find out after I am done testing it.

I initially called him about a question I had as to why I seen smoke coming off my needles whenever I was sewing with black Solarfix. His initial response ( jokingly ) was that I sewed too fast and to slow down. After that comment though he did go on to say it is the oils on the thread that is creating the smoke. They do not use oils on the clear which explains why I never get any smoke from the needles when sewing with that.

If your looking for colors in Solarfix then I suggest you contact your sales rep and inquire about what color offerings they have. I myself will stock beige, black and clear. It is too damn expensive to stock a multitude of colors.

Chris

[Mike]

if black and white didn't cost enuff will Miami have the colors?  I tried the colored sunguard years ago to match the sunbrella but even in NH before long they all faded to grey so I just went with white or black sence

[Mojo]

Yes Mike, Miami I believe will be carrying the colored Solarfix.

I am not sure on price. Once I hear I will let everyone know. I believe you and I are the only heavy users of Solarfix here on the forum.

Does anyone else use Solarfix ?

Chris

[regalman190]

I switched to black and white Sunguard. But now here in Florida I'm using a lot of Solarfix, black and white. I get mine from Keyston here in Fort Lauderdale because they carry smaller rolls.

[Mike]

Do you get the  flat rate $15 adl currior joe?
O like miami on alotof stuff bit they do t have sunbrella but recacril and outdura is better priced the keyston sunbrella but with miami i have IPS so it a washout hight material cost and low shipping :(. Wish i could get that bluestreak from miAmi.
Keyston was sendi g out there own driver twice a week from clearwater but they decided i was one town too far to go latley.

[regalman190]

I like Miami Corp a lot and bought from them in NY. I like Recacril, but can't seem to sell customers on it here in FL. They want Sunbrella. Manart has the best pricing on Sunbrella and they're a few miles down the road so I can pick up. But they have a minimum order of $50. I know that doesn't sound like a lot but sometimes I don't need anything else. Keyston is about 10 minutes from me so I can pick up there too. And they deliver. They do not have a minimum. I buy a lot of my upholstery vinyl from them.
Miami is checking into the blue streak for me. It would be great because I would buy more from them.

[Mike]

bringing this back up joe to let you know I can get blue streak from Miami now

[brmax]

Keep us posted on your test with the thread, Its expensive for sure.  are you sure its you   :)
Its all I use on out the door cover products. If they don't know about it that's fine, that's what they get on covers.
I am curious on half pound colors ?, I'm sure down the road they will have them.
As it is if its a lite color it gets white, if a dark it gets the black.
I am curious what most are using on boat vinyl though or fabrics under cover / inside boats and the same on docks.
Floyd

[Mojo]

I have a very close relationship with the Solarfix people. They have been rockstars for us and huge supporters of our company behind the scenes. I did early testing for them with the common colors on the acrylics. They shipped me some test spools to try and the beige thread blended real well on certain beige acrylic fabrics.

I ended up shipping them a bunch of acrylic fabric cuts for them to sew with in different colors so they could do their own testing. Not sure how their sales are going with the new colors but will ask them the next time I talk with them. Our problem is the expense in stocking different colors. We utilize clear and black Solarfix and keep several thousand dollars worth in our inventory. We burn through thread like no tomorrow. I cannot afford to stock all the colors so am sticking to the clear and black for now.

I do like the colors they came out with though and will probably revisit the colored Solarfix in the future. We are investing a lot of money in other things at the moment so cannot afford to make a big purchase of colored thread. We have twin needle machines so buying one spool wont work. We need two spools per machine plus an allotment for bobbins and that gets expensive with two twin's running. It is about $ 1,000 to change out both machines with spools and bobbin thread. :)

Chris

[brmax]

Chris I know an outfit that likes using the 1/2lb Solarfix in the present black or white. I think considering price wise is the main reason, have you considered this option for the amount you use. From my confidence in their conversation it could be worth a few bucs buying boxes of these.
Your opinions appreciated either way
Floyd

[Darren Henry]

I like Miami Corp a lot and bought from them in NY. I like Recacril, but can't seem to sell customers on it here in FL.

hey, long time no read. Good to see you back. Did you immigrate to Florida,too? Seems to be trend here LOL.

[Mojo]

Floyd:

We are able to get by using clear and black because of the color fabrics we use. All of our acrylic
colors are dictated by the OEM's. Thankfully the list of color selections is small.

Not only does this benefit us with thread but it really helps us do bulk purchases of fabric. We have an excellent system down now with fabric where we coordinate shipments from Sattlers factory in Austria. We order our rolls off their container loads that get put on ships. We got caught with our pants down last year when we ran out of a popular color. It nearly cost us a huge order. Now when we order we can have Sattler put as many rolls as we need inside the container according to our color needs.

It just so happens to be that the popular colors with motorcoaches are also popular in the marine world. Thus, the reason for shortages of certain acrylic colors on the market. Because of the limited number of colors OEM companies use we are able to get by with the clear and black. I realize I could buy in 1/2 lb spools but our customers are not demanding matching colors. But it is in our playbook and we may need to re-visit the color scheme according to competitor pressures in the market.

I would be interested in what Catalina Rick has to say as he is also a heavy Solarfix user and does an awesome job of upselling PTFE on his jobs. He works with a variety of colors as well.

Something I have noticed and I imagine Darren is seeing the same thing that the newer coaches being made have very limited acrylic colors. Back in the late 90's and early 2000's they used a lot more colors.

Chris