maggienoella 250 Posted February 27, 2014 Report Share Posted February 27, 2014 Why do we use mineral oil on our thread? Thanks, Joan Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mrs.A 133 Posted February 27, 2014 Report Share Posted February 27, 2014 It works like Sewer's Aid…minimizes fuzz & inconsistencies of the thread so that it spools off the cone better and passes more smoothly through the machine. Mineral oil (or a similar silicone product) are often used in factory sewing situations. Not everyone thinks it is a good idea for the machines but I have found it helpful with some temperamental threads. Nancy in Tucson Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mamu 152 Posted February 27, 2014 Report Share Posted February 27, 2014 Yes, any silicone product works wonders for threads that don't want to behave for quilting. I use it with my longarm and dsm to keep tension issues and thread breakage under control. Sharon Schamber actually dips her thread cones into Mineral Oil and lets them drip a bit before using. I haven't gotten to that yet..lol. I put stripes of oil on the cone. If the thread still has a little issue, then more oil. I haven't found it causing any issues with my machine either. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
quiltedsunflower 115 Posted February 27, 2014 Report Share Posted February 27, 2014 I hadn't tried this til just recently, but what a difference it makes! Not every thread needs it, so I use it sparingly, but for those that are too fuzzy, it really does help. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
micajah 152 Posted February 28, 2014 Report Share Posted February 28, 2014 I've been tempted to do this, but was concerned that the mineral oil might stain the fabrics. Is staining a problem? What grade of mineral oil is used? I found some medical grade - can I use that? Thanks! Debbie Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RitaR 647 Posted February 28, 2014 Report Share Posted February 28, 2014 micah, I've found no spots on the quilt from the mineral oil. I also dip, as does Quilting Heidi.. I've had no adverse machine conditions, and it seems to also strengthen some threads. Not old rotten threads. Just the newer ones that seem to break more than usual. I always use it on cotton and cotton/poly threads.. poly, in fact all of them that can cause static in our very dry winters. With some I still have to use static guard and spray silicone right on the quilt. I've seen no ill affects from either of those. I do wear a breathing mask.. everyone should around sprays. Rita Quote Link to post Share on other sites
micajah 152 Posted February 28, 2014 Report Share Posted February 28, 2014 Thanks Rita, I think I will give it a go on my next quilt. The last one I did for me, I had issues with the thread not lying down in a straight stitch. Tension was good, but it was a dark thread on a light fabric and stitches appeared almost zig zag. heck, I think I will just load some fabric and try it that way. Not wait for a quilt to be done. I think that the issue was the thread being dark and it was stiffer and rough from the over dyeing to get the dark color. Hoping the mineral oil will eliminate the fuzzes so it lays down straighter.. If it helps, I'll let you know. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Quilt fabulous 7 Posted March 4, 2014 Report Share Posted March 4, 2014 I have been wanting to try this but haven't gotten the courage. Can you explain how the mineral oil is applied to the thread cone please? Thanks Adrean San Antonio, TX Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JenniferBernard 376 Posted March 4, 2014 Report Share Posted March 4, 2014 I am afraid of getting goop in my tension guides so I have never used either of these methods. Maybe you should ask Dawn about how it might effect the machine. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dbams 402 Posted March 4, 2014 Report Share Posted March 4, 2014 Andrean, there has been a lot of discussion about mineral oil recently. Sounds very handy, but of course, I haven't tried it yet. I do have some thread that could be candidates, just haven't had to use them since learning about this technique. A Sewers Aid discussion from December grew to encompass mineral oil. You can see it here: http://forum.apqs.com/index.php?/topic/34392-sewers-aid-question/ Hope this helps, and welcome to the forum! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
srichardson 241 Posted March 4, 2014 Report Share Posted March 4, 2014 I soaked the piece of batting that I have in the guide above the cone of thread in mineral oil and that helps. I haven't tried soaking the whole cone. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mrs.A 133 Posted March 4, 2014 Report Share Posted March 4, 2014 After a workshop with Sharon Schamber, I have tried soaking the whole cone. She leaves them overnight. I just dunked for a few minutes, pulled the cone out with a tweezer, blotted with a paper towel and onto the machine. Again, not required for all threads by any means but on option to try if a thread is being contrary. Nancy in Tucson Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mandalei 113 Posted March 4, 2014 Report Share Posted March 4, 2014 I have an entire cone of YLI variegated that I cannot get to run without breaking. I just may have to try this, since I was going to toss it, anyway. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mamu 152 Posted March 4, 2014 Report Share Posted March 4, 2014 Adrean.... what i use is an old domestic machine oil bottle...the ones with the long neck on them, put some mineral oil in it and then apply strips of oil along the cone of thread. I put about 6-8 strips up and down on the thread. I also put some on a small piece of cotton batting that sits in the neck of the thread guide just above the cone of thread, so that the thread will glide through the batting with the oil on it. Works great and I have never had any issues with thread problems doing this or having the oil leaving any marks on the quilt. I have never had issues with my machine using this oil. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Merryjo2003 173 Posted March 5, 2014 Report Share Posted March 5, 2014 I took a class from Sharon Schamber also. We dunked the whole cone, blotted and put it on the machine. I would have bet my life I would have seen oil leaching away from my thread line. I never saw a hint of oil. She sure made a believer out of me! I don't dunk every cone, only the troublesome ones. We have a lot of static electricity when the wind blows and it helps tame the thread. Otherwise it spools off too fast and sticks to the machine in the weirdest places. I think you could put it in a squeeze bottle and use it just like Sewer's Aid. Just put lines every half inch or so all the way around the cone. Quilting Heidi 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
LindaSteller 353 Posted March 5, 2014 Report Share Posted March 5, 2014 I'm not sure what type of threads you all use, but I've never, in ten years of longarming, had the need for any sort of mineral oil, sewer's aid, wads of batting, or any other mumbo-jumbo to make my threads behave. Yes, I've taken lots of classes from Sharon Schamber, but I still don't get what's wrong with a thread that would make you want to do this. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
s.waits 119 Posted March 5, 2014 Report Share Posted March 5, 2014 Linda, I suspect some of the problem may be climate related. I live in the very humid south, so I don't have the problem with static electricity some of the folks from dryer climates seem to have. I also don't have any trouble with most threads I've tried. I do, however, have one particular cone of cotton thread that just will not sew without breaking every few minutes. I've tried every other trick I can come up with, but for the life of me I can't make that thread work without breaking. I may try this method for that cone. I can't use it anyway, so I don't have anything to lose by trying it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mswings 51 Posted March 6, 2014 Report Share Posted March 6, 2014 How long do you wait to put the cone on the machine? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
micajah 152 Posted March 6, 2014 Report Share Posted March 6, 2014 I did not dunk mine the other day when I tried the mineral oil, just ran strips of oil down the cone. I used it immediately. No oil on the quilt top, and the thread did glide easier. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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