Just realized my bookbinding thread has an expiration date

I was reorganizing my supplies last weekend and found a spool of linen thread I bought back in 2020. Went to use it on a project and it kept snapping with barely any tension. Looked it up and apparently linen and cotton threads can dry rot after about 3-5 years if they aren't stored right. My thread was sitting in a cardboard box in my garage here in Phoenix and I think the heat did it in. Has anyone else run into thread going bad on them or am I just unlucky with storage?

3 comments

3 Comments

jessica_hall4920d ago

Waxing old brittle thread saved a few of my spools, could help yours too.

thomas.parker20d ago

Did you try conditioning the thread with wax before giving up on it?

wesley_martin20d ago

Figured out the real problem was the tension, not the wax... I messed around with it for weeks before realizing the feed was pulling unevenly. @thomas.parker you might want to check that before waxing anything else.