This listing is for a total of 100m of Lin Cablé No. 432. Fil Au Chinois Lin Cable is a corded, slightly waxed linen thread. Being corded means it has been twisted twice: it is made of three strands each of which consists of three strands. Cabling increases the resistance, giving a nicely rounded thread.
No. 432 is the second thickest lin cable that is being produced. You can find other thicknesses in my shop, too.
Linen thread is especially strong, and abrasion resistant which makes it the best choice of thread for a broad variety of traditional and modern crafts, including sewing leather, sewing other heavy fabrics like sails or tents, but also for such things as puppets on a string or jumping jacks.
Lin Cablé is considered the best thread by many who work with leather. Cording gives it a characteristic appearance and being slightly waxed before twisting adds a pleasant, lush sheen. This thread is frequently used for luxury leather goods. (It is the thread Hermes uses for its leather goods.)
Like all Fil Au Chinois threads, lin cablé is slightly waxed: The thread passed though a bed of starch and beeswax, and is then polished before twisting. The wax does not sit on the outside of the thread and does not render it sticky. The wax does work to decrease fraying and thus makes it easier to pass the thread through narrow holes, and it adds a pleasant sheen. It does not have to be waxed to be used for sewing leather, but is often preferable.
If you want to use it for bookbinding, it can be used without additional wax with some training and experience. If you find the thread twists too much while pulling it through the signatures, or knots do not hold as fast as you would like, you can give it another layer of wax by offers hand.
According to the manufacturer, the thickness of this thread is 0.63 mm. It is very slightly thicker than NeL 18/3 thread.
It is remarkable that this thread is still completely manufactured in Northern France. The brand Fil Au Chinois was first registered in 1847 in Lille. The name dates back to that period in France when anything Oriental was fashionable. This product does not come from China.
Please Note:
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Colours viewed on a screen look different than the real thing, the photos in this listing are only for reference.
The specific colour varies from dye lot to dye lot. Therefore thread bought by the same name at different times may vary significantly.
It makes sense to buy several of this article only if you want them individually packed, for example because you want to give them as gifts. In other cases, better choose the listing with the total amount of thread you wish to purchase
Product code: 100m of Lin Cablé No. 432 (medium thickness), Waxed Linen Thread, offers choose up to 20 different colours