WAX YOUR THREAD, CONDITION IT, OR DON’T
Posted by learntobead on June 4, 2013
WAX YOUR THREAD, CONDITION IT, OR DON’T
We are always debating here whether to wax your thread or not, and if so, what wax or thread conditioner to use.
I have some strong opinions about this.
How about you?
Some people never wax.
Some people think it makes no difference as to whether the thread breaks.
Some people think it ruins the beads.
By the way, my opinions:
With beading thread, like Nymo or C-Lon, always wax.
Always use microcrystalline wax
Never use Thread Heaven.
With cable threads, like FireLine, sometimes wax.
I wax when the stitch I am doing is a loose one, like Ndebele or Right Angle Weave. The stickiness of the wax helps me maintain a tight thread tension.
Never use pre-waxed thread like Silamide.
Silamide is not abrasion-resistant, so it breaks too easily with beads. The holes of most beads are pretty sharp.
Waxing keeps the beading thread from fraying.
It’s stickiness allows greater control over managing thread tension.
The process of waxing stretches the thread a bit before you use it.
The waxy buildup helps fill in the jagged rim of the holes of your beads, making them a little less likely to cut into your stringing material.
Learn To Bead 
Wendy O. said
I’m curious about why you don’t recommend Thread Heaven? I use micro-crystalline now but I used Thread Heaven for years with my seed beads and Nymo; the work has held up for many, many years. I only have problems with nylon thread and Swarovski crystals; for them I use Fireline or Wildfire, sometimes I wax and sometimes I don’t.
learntobead said
I like the waxy build-up of the wax. The stickiness helps me keep a tighter thread tension. The wax helps fill in the jagged rims of the bead-holes, reducing the risk of the holes cutting through the threads. The microcrystalline wax puts a protective coating on the threads, preserving them.
Thread heaven diminishes the static electricity, making the thread as you are weaving less likely to tangle up. That’s a great quality. But not enough for me to switch.
But I know people have many alternative opinions about this.