I'm mainly focused on watch straps and I'm wanting to make premium/luxury type pieces versus more rustic. I original started with Tiger thread but didn't like how flat it was. Then I switched to FAC 632 and found it much, much better. Yesterday I tried FAC 832 for the first time and could not believe the difference next to 632. I wouldn't have guess that going from .51mm to .43mm would even be perceptible, much less dramatic. But the thread is so much smaller you can really see the angles on the stitches how. You can also feel how much easier it pulls through the holes as well.
I've read a lot about how Meisi's linen is more consistent so I was wanting to try that. Interestingly, I see people comment that it's "way cheaper" but I don't think that's really true in terms of per-meter pricing is it? A full spool of FAC is $36 and a full spool of Meisi is $14, but the FAC is 375m and the Meisi is only 90m (in .45mm size most close to 832). So actually FAC appears cheaper...
But anyway, my question was, Meisi has the .45mm and the .35mm... considering how dramatic the 632 to 832 difference was I'm wondering if .35mm might actually be too thin, visually? For those of you doing small goods and watch straps in particular, what is your ideal size?
Thank you!
832 can get a little weak for some projects but it's fine for small leather goods. I always recommend a test seam on scrap leather you'll be using before each project. One seam of a given thread size can look perfect on one leather, and too big or small on another. The only way to find out is to test. Small threads can start to get lost on soft skins as they sink in easily. chrome tanned leather being an example.
I'd question whether certain Chinese alternatives are even real flax linen, as it's normal for linen to have 'nodes' or inconsistencies in thickness. I actually like this handmade look, as sewing machines struggle with the nodes.
I don't want my thread perfectly uniform in the same way I don't want my leather perfectly uniform, I celebrate a slight natural variation in texture and look. Of course, it's very personal and highly subjective.
*Theory alert*
Bonded cotton is widely available in the industry for very low cost and is often used on leather goods to be sewn by machine in factories. It looks natural like linen, but it's completely uniform.
The cotton fibres by themselves are short and weak, so they have to be bonded with an adhesive (which lasts who knows how long).
I've often wondered if a certain chinese company has had the brilliant idea to make a huge profit margin by using clever marketing and cheaper materials. Only an analysis would prove that however.
I can't see how one company has suddenly found a way to make flax fibres completely uniform where the Irish, British, French and Germans with centuries long experience producing it, cannot.
I once did a test of this Chinese thread by dissolving the bonding agent and untwisting. The individual fibres were short, consistent with cotton lengths.
What size pricking irons are you using? I only have down to 2.7mm irons (WUTA irons), and I have been happy with the way FAC 632 pairs with that stitch spacing and tooth width. I haven't tried anything smaller than that yet. FAC 832 might work well, but I would wonder if a 0.35mm thread would look a bit sparse at that stitch spacing. So my personal opinion is that it would mostly depend on how many stitches per inch you are working with. If you are working with 12+ stitches per inch, I would imagine it would look sharp. If anyone has any pictures of completed projects with 0.35mm thread, that would be great to see!