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