Lee had recently posted a note about using upholstery thread for wrapping rods, which I expect would work very well.
But, as a result of this note, and since I also do similar upholstery work, I decided to take some thread diameter measurements using my caliper.
When taking measurements, I made the caliper as close to the same tightness for each sample of thread. Then, I also repeated the measurements using other samples and came up with similar results. So, at least using this method the results are repeatable using this technique.

Starting with the Upholstery thread. This thread normally comes in 3, commonly used sized - 69, 91 and 135. The smallest number being the thinnest and the largest number being the thickest.

Testing as follows:
#69 nylon -- .069 inches
#69 poly sun guard - .068 inches
#92 nylon - .102 inches
#92 poly sun guard - .102 inches.
#135 nylon - .172 inches.

Now, lets see how this compares to common rod building thread in commonly used sizes using the same testing technique:

The thread is all gudebrod - unless noted differently:

Size a - .028 inches
Size a metallic - .05 inches

Size c - .051 inches
Size d - .051 inches
Note: double checked the lables on each of the c and d threads and they were well affixed and the tests were repeatable. However, I would normally have expected that the size d thread to be thicker. I may have had a spool of mismarked C thread.

Fishhawk size A - .021 inches
Fishhawk size A metallic - .041 inches

Power pro size A - .021 inches

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With a few examples of gudebrod metallic thread, I noticed some differences.
Color # 9656 - in type 521 metallic - .08 inches
Color #9105 in type 521 metallic - .041 inches.

The 9656 thickness appeared to be constant through the spool.

In random selections of Gudebrod metallic size a color selections, the size appeared to remain about the - .041 inch size.

Again, possibly this one sample of the 9656 could have been a mismarked metallic in size c or d metallic.

======================
Just for your own information.

Be safe

Roger, Can you test some of the new Hitena size A and B? They seem a lot thinner to me. I really like the thread.

Most people that tried the thread like it , how can you go wrong free samples on it , most any size or color , just call them an ask , web site on the left under sponsors
no bad comments I know of ,

William Sidney
AK

Anyone that has a caliper can measure it and post the results.

Good luck

In a previous Hitena thread a few who tried the samples said it felt thicker in diameter than the thread they usually wrapped with and Hitena took the feedback and was in the process of making it thinner , don't know what ever became of it though.

I hope they don’t mess with it. I like it’s diameter.
Norm

As Herb mentioned, our thread diameter used to be told thick in sample stage and we made it a little thinner on production but now some people feedback it's thin. Every producer has different size standard in thread and they are different by CP/NCP, even by colors within the same type. Also it's almost impossible to measure thickness correctly coz there is no standard on how much pressure to be applied when measuring with calipers. Even the same thread measured with the same caliper, the result usually comes out different if measured by different person. That is the reason why denier is more widely used in industry but it has its own downside.

For our customers, I uploaded size compatibility chart in our product page here. [hitenausa.com]. From there, you will find our thickness is slightly thinner than others in same size but not that much. If you used Gudebrod NCP D, "M" Colorfast, "P" Nylon, however, you should find ours thin but they are actually quite thicker than other threads as well. For example, there is a big difference in Gudebrod NCP and Nylon even in the same D. Their NCP D is even thicker than our E while Nylon D is abt the same with our D. If you used "F" CP/NOCP, Gudebrod Nylon, "M" Nylon you won't find our thread that much thin. For us, we established our own standard to keep consistency in thickness by denier. In our threads, same size has same thickness range across all thread types like, Nylon, NCP, Silk, Metallic, Jasper,..., etc. Thanks.

* Size chart is based on our own measurement to provide a guideline for our customers and it's not from other producer's published data.

Gabriel Hwang
Hitena USA LLC
gabriel@hitenausa.com
[www.hitenausa.com]

Physically measuring something as soft and crushable as thread with a caliper is not likely to give you accurate or consistent measurements. If you know someone at a machine shop, an Optical Comparator is the only way that comes to mind to accurately measure thread and even then there will be the variables of measuring it with tension or with no tension, and if the thread is truly round and not oval, etc.

A practical way to compare relative thread thickness would be to make say 20 wraps of your "standard thread" around a blank, and 20 wraps of another thread and compare the two wraps for length.

Has anyone given any of the thread a break test?
I know that sunguard is hard to break and I wonder what the shrink value would be in all the thread in general or isn't that a consideration?

Hello Lee.

Yes, some, but the guy that was working on it (Col Chaseling), died, I was checking the Numbers that GUDEBROD advertised, and then we were going to maybe start on the RICE threads, but when he died I do not know where he left off, I think he was working on the MADEIRA.

The GUDEBROD numbers did check-out, and if you look you can still find them listed on the net.

The reason we were having trouble communicating was he lived in Port Kembla, NSW Australia and I live in North Carolina, in the USA.

Perhaps someone else knows more than I do on this subject.


Tight Wraps & Tighter Lines.

Bob,

New Bern, NC.

Hi Gabriel..what is the break strength of your D and E thread..thanks..

Hi Ben,

D is abt 6.0 lb and E is abt 7.3 lb in average. There are some variations.
Thanks.

Gabriel Hwang
Hitena USA LLC
gabriel@hitenausa.com
[www.hitenausa.com]