Cord - why 5/32?

[gene]

An easy temperature conversion chart:

    0 degrees Fahrenheit = really cold

100 degrees Fahrenheit = really hot

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    0 degrees Celsius = fairly cold

100 degrees Celsius = dead

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    0 degrees Kelvin = dead

100 degrees Kelvin = dead

[65Buick]

You guys are extremely silly.

[Mojo]

We just got a shipment in of 10,000 ft of 5/32 welt cord. It is called spline or polyrod in the awning business. It looks like welt cord but is actually solid, stiffer and can handle outdoors environment.
To add to all this confusion some of our spline suppliers use decimals instead of fractions. .22 spline, etc.

The fractions measurement drives my mathematician wife nuts.  Adding to it is the fact she is an Aussie and grew up with the metric system. Many disagreements have occurred over metric / standard and I have to admit the metric way of measuring is quicker and easier.

Our customers though all order awnings using inches so she has adapted the standard way of measurement. I myself have been caught using a metric tape measure from time to time though. :)

Chris

[65Buick]

I use 4/32 jute welt cord because that's what Merv Kunutson used in his videos on "Secrets of Upholstery", which is where I learned to make welt cord. And also because it's cheaper than cotton 4/32 and cotton 5/32. It works fine with most fabrics.

I also use cotton 5/32 because it works best with thin fabric and is smooth. Jute welt cord can have lumps in it sometimes.

I'm strictly a fiber-flex welt guy myself. I just built a new rack behind my sewing machine that holds 5/32, 6/32, 8/32, and 10/32 as well as 4/32 and 5/32 double welt, and 3 colors of zipper.

sofadoc: Do you use the fiber-flex over the polyrod because it is easier to work with? I have seen the polyrod for cheaper but I have also found the FF to be much easier to work with around corners. I'm thinking I might go that way in the future. Nice set up, by the way.

[byhammerandhand]

A few years ago a guy (presumably "Bob") came up with "Bob's Rule" with 24 Bobs to an inch.  Why?   24 is evenly divisible by 2,3,4,6, and 12.

Of course, if we were really smart, we'd adopt the ancient Arabic  number system, base 60, like we have for degrees of a circle, minutes, and seconds.     Why?   Evenly divisible by 2,3,5,6,10,15, 20, 30.

There are 10 types of people -- those that understand binary and those that don't.

And now this subject has gone π off topic.

[sofadoc]

sofadoc: Do you use the fiber-flex over the polyrod because it is easier to work with?

I'm not 100% sure what you mean by "polyrod". I assume you're talking about some type of foam welt?

I only do furniture, so I never use any kind of foam welt. If I did do automotive, I probably would use it.

But yes, I like the way fiberflex welt behaves around corners. It's just stiff enough to hold it's shape without being too stiff.

Currently, I pay $23 for a 500 yd. roll of 5/32 FF.

[65Buick]

sofadoc I was going by what Mojo said. I'm talking about the solid plastic welt.

$23? geesh that's cheap.