Thread Type

Advice
#1

I made a boat cover out of some canvas material purchased at Walmart. I used nylon thread to sew the material. That has been a little over two years ago. The cover stays outside in the weather. I noted over the weekend that the thread has begun to deteriorate and several of my seems are comming apart.



What type of thread will hold up to being outside?



Mark

#2

Kinda Surprised…
nylon should hold up, as well as polyester. The natural fiber threads then to deteriorate quicker out doors.



sing

#3

all the good kites
you see for sale now have polyester thread…much more resistant to UV degradation than nylon…



depending on the seam type any thread could be used…if you have a seam with the threads on the outside-it is going to be susceptible to break down quicker than a cover made with the seams on the inside…

#4

OK
It sounds like I should get some poly thread for the repair. The main seam is sewn inside but I have an eight foot long zipper that is outside or exposed. Maybe Ill figure out how to include a flap to provide some protection for the thread used to sew the zipper. I also have some screens for venting that are exposed.



We do get lots of heat and humidity here and I am sure that does not help.

#5

I use Heavy Upholstery nylon

– Last Updated: Nov-27-06 7:31 AM EST –

but still you had better check the spool that you used because I have never seen nylon thread go bad. normally it should last for many years.

#6

If it is like horse tack…
UV, any salt at all (in the horses’ case it was from sweat) will rot out thread unless it is periodically rinsed off and cleaned. Is there any way that salt water could be getting onto the thread?

#7

Celia
That is a good thought. I hose the boat off after each use so residual salt should be very low. But any storms we have that come in from the East will tend to carry some salt in the rain and wind, esspecially hurricanes.



Mark

#8

Hey Mark
Nanci suggested using liquid “seam sealer” on the thread.

She uses it on repairs and additions to our tents.



Cheers,

jackL

#9

Nylon has poor UV resistance
Try polyester with UV protective stuff. Something like this:



http://www.csctextiles.com/ilo.htm


#10

Tent flys
Nylon breaks down in UV much faster than polyester. Both are rot resistant, but nylon is stronger, and polyester more stable. Tent flys are often made of polyester, while the bodies are made of nylon.

#11

Sounds Like A Consensous
I need to re-sew everything using a poly thread with UV shield and then cover the thread with seam sealer.



thanks all for the advice,



Mark

#12

you chose the right thread type:
“other gear”

#13

You could try iron-on glue strips