Where can I find the exact heavy duty nylon thread that is included with the Doug Ritter kit? Thanks

That's upholstery thread. Just call around to your local upholstery shops, either the stores that supply the materials or the people who actually do upholstering.

Ask if they carry #69 black nylon upholstery thread in small amounts. "Small amounts" in the trade may be a 4-oz cone. That would keep you busy for years. <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

If a working upholstery shop says they have it, but only on a large cone (very large), ask if they would sell you some, either by length or weight. Two ounces is a lot.

Sue

I don't know the exact stuff in his kit, Terry, HOWEVER, I'll tell you what I did:

My wife found a spool of Coats & Clark's Upholstery thread; 150 yds; black; with "T26" on the spool (whatever that means). Now, Ritter's kit calls for 10.5 lb test. I don;t know the test of this thread, but I wrapped it around my fingers on both hands and could not break it.... not even with several attempts. I'm no He-Man, but as my nick might suggest, I'm tall and relatively athletic, and I couldn't break that stuff. Anyway, we had a hard time finding thread marked for test strength, so this is what I use.

We found some small (dime-sized in diameter) silver spool reels... the kind with the 1/4" hole in the center. They can't be more than .40 cents apiece. I chucked a short piece of 1/4" dowel in there, chucked that in the drill, and spun it slowly until it was full. I don;t know how much is on there, but I'd take a wild guess at maybe 50 feet. It fits just right in my PSK. I am confident you could sew anything up with that thread and it would hold.....forever. You could also haul in a 30lb catfish which is, of course, your goal when stranded in a life-and-death survival situation. <img src="/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" />

Good luck....

I was just talking to a friend who sews a lot, and she said Coats & Clarks Upholstery Thread is probably what you want. It's 100% nylon, 3-ply, and since it's UV-resistant, it's often used for sewing outdoor gear. She said there's at least 100 yds on a spool, and it's very tough stuff.

She also said the T26 probably is the color number.

It should be available in most sewing shops, but may not be exactly with the regular sewing thread, so look around (and if that fails, well..... ASK.) <img src="/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" />

Sue

If the exact threat is needed, buy it from Doug.

IMHO - If it is really important that the stitch holds, best thread to pack in your survival pouch is dental floss. The wax keeps it from slipping. It knots well and it is tough.

I've reattached two loose buttons with in a pinch. One with thread from my sewing kit and one with dental floss. While the floss is clearly stronger than the thread, the waxed floss button came undone in a week or two while the thread button is still good six months later.

Do you need to use the floss differently from thread to have it not come undone?

Where did you find those? Someplace online, or local to you? (If the later, do you know the manufacturer and part number?) I've made them by chucking plastic ones into the drill and using sand paper for years, but that is a pain in the butt and it isn't as consistent.

Ironraven ,
I don;t know where my wife got them originally, but I'll ask her and post the answer soon. These few she had in her sewing room. For the time being, it seems to me you would find them in a fabric store.... besides fabrics, they have everything to do with sewing. I'll let you know what she says before tomorrow night.

Allright, I got an answer sooner than I expected. Sewing section at WalMart !!!!! I'm positive though that you could find them, maybe in different sizes, at a fabric store.
She said they're about $2 to $3 for a package of 5. (And I was guessing at them being .40 apiece!)

If you're talking about the chrome reels, I think you mean sewing machine bobbins. Some are metal, some are plastic. And if your wife has a sewing machine, there's a good chance that it has a thing to load the bobbin with (any) thread automatically or close to it. Tell her what you want to do.

Sue

Yes, Sue , I think you're right... they're "bobbins". She knew what I was doing and went into her sewing room and got them. They're the metal ones. You can sure spin alot of that upholstery thread on one of those little things.

OK, huh. Maybe my little backwoods wally world doesn't have them- they only have the ones that are a bit over 3/4" of an inch, nickle sized. Dime sized would be very cool.

I guess I need to make peace with my aunt with the sewing machine store. *sighs* But she's such a twit.

Hehehe...ok. We're going toooo far on these bobbins. I'm sorry, Ironraven. When I said "dime" sized, I wasn't looking at one... I was in here "remembering" one. They're a little bit bigger than that.

My wife brought the package in here and there are three left in a package of five. They are: "J&P Coats (brand); N.417; Model 15 Bobbins". The price tag says $1.04 but it looks like it could be 10 years old. Now, I'm measuring one of these little bobbins. 15/16"

Sorry about the confusion. They still fit just fine in the PSK.

Here's a link http://www.coatsandclark.com/Products/Se...stery+Nylon.htm to the company website. It also has a store locator.

I chuck the DR pencil into my drill, put a dot of hot glue on the side and glue the start of the thread to the pencil (just to get the deal started). SLOWLY running the drill, you can spool a great deal of carpet thread or (what I use - spider wire) on that pencil. I finish with a tiny strip of gaffers tape just to keep it from unspooling.

You might want to check out Nymo thread. It's used by beaders and is super strong. Size D is fairly heavy - way heavier than required for PSK thread - and is available pre-wound on bobbins that run about 50 yds. These bobbins are generally plastic and fit nicely in a PSK - or you could rewind onto something else. In my kits I wind thread, tape etc. onto galvanized box nails (10d or so) since I like to have a couple nails with me. I just chuck 'em up in a drill and go to windin'. <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

I bought military OD green 1lb spool on ebay the same stuff they stitch backpacks,Blackhawk vests etc.

http://stores.ebay.com/HiGEAR-tools-military-things-c

DIY Tactical has a 1lb cone of #69 black thread for $15.50 plus shipping

I don't know what is in DR's kit, but if you are looking for a heavy duty thread, buy a spool of Spiderwire braided line in 50 or 80 pound test. You can get it at Wal-Mart and just about anywhere that sells alot of fishing equipment.

It is incredibly strong and very thin - the 80 pound test is about the same thickness as regular 10 pound fishing line. It is strong enough to use to tie off a tarp if need be as well as small enough to sew on buttons.

One caveat - it is very slippery and you have to know how to tie a couple of good knots. (There should be an instruction sheet in the spool box. If not, you can google knots for it.) If you just tie a hitch, it will slip out.

I was looking for the same thing. Your best bet is a decent haberdashery. The sort that sells specialist items to the needle work, crafts and millinery (That's hat maker gentlemen)community.

Has anyone had any practical experience using the Spectra/Dyneema/UHMWPE fishing "superlines" as thread? I know (from horrible experience) that the stuff can slice through your skin pretty easily, and that makes me wonder if it can and/or does the same thing to fabrics.

JCWolhschlag - I've used spiderwire to sew a variety of items and have never had any problem. For example, I sew leashes and collars for my dogs using webbing and spiderwire and have never had a problem with cutting. The leashes get a lot of stress put on them. But, to be fair, the webbing is usually made of very tough fibers so they would be hard to cut.

I have sewn or repaired backpacks and bags made of cordura and extremely lightweight siltarp using spiderwire without any cutting problem.

That said, I wound imagine that if you sew a button onto a cotton shirt by throwing a few loops of spiderwire and the button gets yanked that the cotton cloth will fail before the spiderwire would. I don't know if that is a good thing or a bad thing.

Sewing machines also have a very efficient way to spin the thread on the bobbins so you do not need to get out a spindle and drill, just ask the machines owner

I'm too lazy to go back and read all of the previous posts on this topic, so if this is a repeat I apologize.

You could go to any Tandy leathercraft store and get a spool of thread for a stitching awl. They are not quite as flat as Dougs, but are close...

FWIW: In bead work I use Dandyline bead thread by Beadalon which I get from craft stores, label says waterproof and uv/abrasion resistant and while I have never left it in the sun this is one mean thread. The .008" size says 20 lb break strength but there are 2 sizes and 2 colors w and b. Very tough to cut through it. I haven't checked but Wally World might carry it.

All I can say is Ebay.........lol I bought this.

http://cgi.ebay.com/1lb-Roll-US-GOVT-V-T...1QQcmdZViewItem

My Bad...lol posted twice sorry.

6,300 Yards! you will never run out