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Waxed Linen Thread: Linen Drawn over Beeswax
Bookbinders and leatherworkers sew with waxed linen thread. Waxing it is simply pulling plain linen thread through a cake of beeswax until it is evenly coated.
The picture: hand-waxed linen thread for shoemaking, Finland, 1910s–20s (Helsinki City Museum).
Beginner
Ten minutes
Instructions
1
1
Cut a length
Cut a length
Cut a length of linen thread, an arm's span or two for sewing.
Materials for this step:
Linen Thread2 mTools needed:
Scissors2
2
Draw it over the wax
Draw it over the wax
Hold the thread down on a cake of beeswax with your thumb and pull it through, three or four times, until it is evenly coated and grooved into the wax.
Materials for this step:
Beeswax5 gTools needed:
Scissors3
3
Set the wax
Set the wax
Run the thread quickly between finger and thumb to smooth the wax in. Wind spare waxed thread on a card so it does not stick to itself.
Tools needed:
ScissorsThis blueprint makes
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