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foambug

thread life

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I have some thead ,I have a issue some of it breaks while in the middle of tying,I know how how to get it going again ,but does tying thread have a shelf life?

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Yes it does

If it's +2 yrs old standard thread that's probably your issue

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I don't think so. I have some spools in my inventory that are 20+ years old and have no issues. I do find sometimes that a spool may have a bad spot and I strip off a yard or two to get past that area.

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I'm with Jay on this, I have some threads that were new circa 1976 that still work just fine and I have had some threads that had weak spots when I first bought them. Made on Monday? or damaged in shipment?

 

How in whodunit would we ever know how old a material is when purchased?

It may have been in a warehouse for twenty years...... shelf life, look for expiration dates, Twinkies are good for 50-60 years ain't they?

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I have spools 40 to 50 years old I inherited that are still good. As long as its out of sunlight its good. Check your bobbin for nicks or excessive wear.

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Like everybody else I have several spools of thread that are at least 20 years old and still in good condition. Another possibility, if the thread isn't old and your bobbin isn't nicked or worn down, is that when you're wrapping the thread you're nicking it on the hook point. I've done that several times.

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I think it depends on a number of things: thread composition, storage habits/thread exposure, etc.

I have old thread that works fine and old thread that did not. The ones that did not were Uni 3/0 that showed some discoloration (probably from sunlight). Once I removed that section, I could use the rest, but it always felt weaker.

Other colors of the same thread, just as old, are fine.

Danville Flat Waxed Nylon I have had for ten years is good as the first day.

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Natural materials (cotton, silk, wool) can be degraded with time and exposure to humidity.

Synthetic materials (nylon, polyester, etc) are less likely.

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I guess its probably not the most likely reason for your trouble, but I seem to have noticed older thread breaks more often for me. I rarely seem to break on the fresh spools I go through a lot of, but I have some that have been sitting around a couple years and just seem like they cant take as much tension. Plenty of others obviously do not see any difference so it may just be my perception. I use the older stuff when I want to, just seems like when I break more and it catches me off guard its usually the older stuff thats all. Looks like it might be more in my head reading how old some of the thread these guys use

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I have 30 yo thread that still works fine. Bobbin tension is critical , if your bobbin is too tight the thread starts to fray as as it goes into the bobbin tube and will break coming out of the tube. It looks like the damage was done on the out going side of the tube but if you watch diligently ( pay attention) you can see it fraying as it goes into the tube . If that happens then loosen the tension.

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Dave brings up another point.

We always TRY to avoid the hook point ... but it doesn't always work out that way.

I've had some hooks the had a sharp edge at the end of the wire in the eye, too.

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Want to thank you all for the good conversation, I'll book Mark this an go back an eye up my thread an bobbins , agaithank nyou

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I bet it will degrade if left in a sunlit area. I had a spool of floss left in a window sill for a couple months and it lost almost all of it's tinsel strength. But I unraveled several chains length of the spool and the remaining is now usable again.

 

Jeff

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