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  1. #11
    MacEntyre's Avatar
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    American & Efird, Mt. Holly, NC, 100% Polyester thread, waxed & UV Resistant. For Molly Mac Packs, I use thread size 92 and needle size 18.

    - MacEntyre
    - MacEntyre
    "We must, indeed, all hang together or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately." - Ben Franklin
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  2. #12
    Senior Member stevebo's Avatar
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    Ive had excellent results with the flat felled seam, with a lite coat of seam sealer over the top -----------if youre using sil nylon, you can use pure silicon like you buy at a hardware store in a tube-----just smear it over the seam and it wont leak.
    FYI: If you want to know what type a certain bear is, sneak up behind it and kick it. Then,
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    bear. If the bear just pushes the tree over and eats you, it's a grizzly bear : )


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  3. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by stevebo View Post
    Ive had excellent results with the flat felled seam, with a lite coat of seam sealer over the top -----------if youre using sil nylon, you can use pure silicon like you buy at a hardware store in a tube-----just smear it over the seam and it wont leak.
    are you saying just the actual seam or the stitching also-i have never had to seam seal before so...

    p.s-been watching Rev's videos and am learning lots-thx Rev

  4. #14
    Senior Member sclittlefield's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by BOB1520 View Post
    The Flat Felled is slightly different. Thru-hiker describes the Flat Felled here

    You could actually turn a french into a flat variation by sewing the conceal seam back to the main part of the material.
    Bingo! That's the one - for tarps anyway. Just a french seam would be a really bad idea for a tarp ridgeline and will fail, eventually. But, just a flat-felled seam is not quite as good as the french seam turned into a flat felled seam. That's the best of both worlds.

    This is actually how Ed Speer describes his flat-felled seam for his DIY tarp kits.

    For stuff sacks and other items that don't see that kind of stress, just a french seam works fine.

    Oh - and yes, seam sealing is necessary on stitching. It will leak otherwise.
    DIY Gear Supply - Your source for DIY outdoor gear.

  5. #15
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    I just use one of those paint sponges for trim painting... a small one, maybe an inch across. I'll "paint" the entire area of the seam/folded fabric, including the stitching. You can control how viscous the silicon is by varying the amount of paint thinner in your mix.
    .. truly to enjoy bodily warmth, some small part of you must be cold, for there is no quality in this world that is not what it is merely by contrast. Nothing exists in itself. If you flatter yourself that you are all over comfortable, and have been so a long time, then you cannot be said to be comfortable any more. - Herman Melville

  6. #16
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    You might also play with a few different needles sizes and stitch lengths.

    Sometimes if your stitch length is too tight you'll turn your garment into a connect-the-dots perforated piece of gear that will tear at the seam. The felled seam will help, but it can't hurt when your single stitch is just the right size.

    As for the needles, I've found a new set that I really like. They are by Schmetz and are labeled "Microtex Sharp Needle". I use a #8 which might be too small for your silnylon but they also come in #9 and #10 sizes. What's different is the needle point has been flattened out giving it less of a profile as it punctures the fabric. I've noticed that since using the "sharp needles" the stitch holes are much smaller on average which I feel is a good thing.

    As for thread, I'd give another bump for Gutterman 100% polyester plus a good coating of seam sealer or seam tape.
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  7. #17
    Senior Member DemostiX's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by MacEntyre View Post
    American & Efird, Mt. Holly, NC, 100% Polyester thread, waxed & UV Resistant. For Molly Mac Packs, I use thread size 92 and needle size 18.

    - MacEntyre
    I want to thank MacEntyre for his specificity. I found this post looking for comment on threads from one of the largest maker in the world, American & Efird. I was surprised, especially since they are based in North Carolina, that this is the only hit when I search the DIY forum on Efird.

    Different threads for different folks, to be sure -- and this happens to be, among other things, a very heavy thread -- but the differences within brands are greater than the differences between. Specifying a maker alone, as most often happens, does not account for success or failure in making gear.

  8. #18
    MacEntyre's Avatar
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    You are entyrely welcome!

    - MacEntyre
    - MacEntyre
    "We must, indeed, all hang together or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately." - Ben Franklin
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  9. #19
    Senior Member Ramblinrev's Avatar
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    The flat felled seam and the fold french seam are second cousins. One is not really better than other in practical terms. A regular french seam is for sealing the edges to prevent raveling and make a pretty finish, But once folded and sewn flat it is the equivalent in use and practicality of a flat felled seam.

    BTW a serger is a different beast altogether. She may balk at letting you use that one. There is a thread in there which you need to be a contortionist to rethread if it breaks. I always manage to do that on my wife's serger so be prepared to fork out some "I'm sorry dear" money. If you are lucky you'll get away with an ice cream cone. Me.... not so much.
    I may be slow... But I sure am gimpy.

    "Bless you child, when you set out to thread a needle don't hold the thread still and fetch the needle up to it; hold the needle still and poke the thread at it; that's the way a woman most always does, but a man always does t'other way."
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  10. #20
    SnrMoment's Avatar
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    Timely thread and a great discovery for me as I begin my career as a TIO (thread injector operator) on the $10.00 garage sale Singer 600E Mrs. Moment brought home a few weeks ago. Didn't work, but it was an easy fix.
    Wanted to figure out what kind of a seam I wanted for my new Fronkey style bug net I plan to make this week.

    I raced sailboats for a lot of years and always had an admiration for folks like Gordie Bowers and the guys from North Sails making those projects. Quite the art.
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