Nylon or Polyester

[brmax]

Thread of the day
Do you see any more polyester use in your machine stitching these days and is it different from 5 or so years ago.
I'm curious as the choices are very close in availability with prices that I look at and these generally around size 92, I actually don't know the range, but seems very close for standard bonded nylon and poly.
I would like to get some leads with x heavy outdoor thread above 138 and its like the lights go out on the net with searches above this size for poly single spool sources. Maybe just a couple factories supply the whole gamut of users I'm not sure yet, a bit more on the homework.

I know with some old school paper/screen reading the internet sites make it easy to stop there if nothing found. So I guess it looks as though a lot more phone time getting information as say the big dogs like Coats offer in their pdf's files.
But if they build for other vendors to sell as mentioned its hunt and call the factory for possible leads or really any vendors for these products as they may be named different among other specs.
I deem it a pita
poly thread hunting above 138

good night
Floyd

[MinUph]

Floyd,
  Check this place out. I've switched to straight Poly instead of running Nylon and Poly for outdoors. Their thread seem very good. I placed a large many color order from them and it's going well. Prices are right on and they handle the large diameter poly you're looking for.

http://www.superiorthreads.com/

Let us know what you think.

[brmax]

Thanks Paul I appreciate the tip, I'm looking for a few options in thread and that confidence in your choice means a lot.

Floyd

[Mike]

I run all poly well sun guard  92 or ptfe solarfix 2000

[Mojo]

Since all of our products spend their lives in the outdoors we use nothing but Solarfix 2000.
Because of the RV OEM colors we can get by using either black or white.

Our warranty dictates the thread we use as Poly would never live long enough in harsh UV environments. 4 years on workmanship, 8 years on vinyl products and 10 years on acrylic products and lifetime on the thread. The thread lifetime warranty is actually the life of the fabric. As long as the fabric is still alive, the thread is guaranteed. We would go bankrupt if we used Poly. Sun Guard Poly is showing a life of about 4 - 5 years in States where there is harsh UV rays ( CA, NV, AZ and FL ).

I know Ricat offers Solarfix as an option like Mike does. Rick is really good at marketing PTFE thread and typically is able to upsell customers to Solarfix without problems. Most of his customers have no problems paying extra for Solarfix when they discover it can live for 20 - 30 years in high UV States.

The one thread I advise to stay clear of is Tenara. It is a nightmare to sew with because it has a reverse twist. Getting your tension set properly will drive you out of your mind. There have been a few on here who have tried and given up and went to Solarfix.

I have no experience with Nylon.

Chris

[sofadoc]

This topic always reminds me of an experience I had about 15 years ago.

I was doing some outdoor patio cushions for a lady. She called asking if they were ready.
I explained to her that I had run out of outdoor thread (138 poly), and was waiting for my order to come in.

She told me that she had a party the next day, and since they were going to enclose their patio in the very near future, just use the indoor thread.
So I sewed them up with ordinary 69 nylon.

Fast forward about 7 or 8 years later..........she brought the cushions in to be recovered again. They never got around to enclosing their patio, so the cushions had been in direct sunlight the entire time. The fabric was rotten, but the nylon stitches were STILL HOLDING.

[RiCat]

Hello...

From Chris: "I know Ricat offers Solarfix as an option like Mike does. Rick is really good at marketing PTFE thread and typically is able to upsell customers to Solarfix without problems. Most of his customers have no problems paying extra for Solarfix when they discover it can live for 20 - 30 years in high UV States."

On a new canvas project for a customer, considering the amount of money being spent and with a proper explanation of PTFE thread, it is usally easy to upsell a customer to PTFE. Also, it can be quite profitable...

Regards
Rick

[Darren Henry]

This is another curiosity to me. We use nylon webbing because poly doesn't stand up to UV , even up here, yet we are afraid to use nylon thread instead of polyester. I always used Star ultra dee or later Sun guard thread when I  had my shop. The guy I work for now doesn't believe in it so have been using 69 nylon for the last 6 1/2 years. I haven't had a return yet for thread failure.Granted the sun isn't as intense up here in the winter time---but the effect of reflection off the snow is really something. I had an untreated canvas prospector's tent that I had to leave up the winter I moved out of my shop. By spring the east end (exposed to the most sun/reflection) was completely rotten.

[brmax]

Want to say thanks everyone! at this point, some great response.

I did order earlier some poly and a box arrived this week, a quick shipment from Superior surprised me and so will begin to use it with some projects. At this time it will be used for outdoor gear, I'm going to send for a color chart soon, that's a check mark I forgot.

I heard of thread types and so trusted coats with my own final home work choices. I do have their star ultra dee in 92 and was my first purchased spools of plain black n white, this style was mentioned way back on this site and so led me to do some homework. I think its great and available here at the shop, I did want to try that in the x large sizes but with no avail.

Anyway some calls I made I could not purchase 32 or even 5 cones, the 5 had to be same color, uh hello! at this point I can but am not interested in putting stickers on spools for my own brand name, but thanks. The five different leads,  I got tired in short order as some didn't know what they even had.

The marine covers I make will continue to be with solarfix, no questions ask. Some things a small business can do starting out is select a few items to help promote while eliminating future issues. In time everyone does or learns to evaluate items and I'm in that boat also, at this time my new poly purchase is for other fun stuff and really liked how it worked in the split second I had to try it.

hey thanks again
Floyd