Old bookbinder in Milwaukee told me to stop soaking my linen thread in beeswax, and he was right about the cracks.

After three books with glue bleeding through the spine, I finally tried his trick of just rubbing the thread through a dry bar of soap instead, and the thread glides way smoother, has anyone else switched from wax to soap for their sewing?

2 comments

2 Comments

alice_kim4d ago

Yeah I actually read somewhere that soap doesn't dry out the fibers like wax can, makes sense now that you mention it.

elizabethtaylor4d ago

The last time I cleaned my favorite wool sweater I used a tiny bit of mild dish soap in cold water and it came out perfect. I was scared it would ruin the fibers but it actually felt softer and not stiff like when I tried wax based cleaners on other things. It really does make a difference to stick with soap on natural stuff.