Just old silk

Moderators: William Anderson, letumgo

User avatar
Theroe
Posts: 1450
Joined: Sat Feb 25, 2017 11:42 pm
Location: New York City

Just old silk

Post by Theroe » Wed Nov 14, 2018 9:31 am

I love old silk-there’s just something about the way it handles.....bought this old plastic spool box, with the contents:
Attachments
Wood Pearsall’s
Wood Pearsall’s
6EB02D9F-E2A5-486A-8B6A-CF78C41F8611.jpeg (106.12 KiB) Viewed 3668 times
Old spools
Old spools
267C549A-02D7-4A6D-B0AE-CD42AAD1D781.jpeg (119.74 KiB) Viewed 3668 times
Falcon box with silk
Falcon box with silk
C072B07E-FF07-4155-BDBD-78F9B63D17B6.jpeg (397.28 KiB) Viewed 3668 times
Soft and wet - the only way....
User avatar
Theroe
Posts: 1450
Joined: Sat Feb 25, 2017 11:42 pm
Location: New York City

Re: Just old silk

Post by Theroe » Wed Nov 14, 2018 9:34 am

More spools.....Not only is the silk fantastic to work with, the design and craftsmanship that went into making the woods pools is fascinating as well.

Thero
Attachments
Wood silk spools
Wood silk spools
B6E3542F-5C26-4556-9264-05E3B3CECA10.jpeg (95.53 KiB) Viewed 3666 times
Holland ; Champion brand spools<br />Holland ; Champion brand wood spools
Holland ; Champion brand spools
Holland ; Champion brand wood spools
BA834405-BD30-4FD0-9DB9-1FB4E549FC0B.jpeg (127.04 KiB) Viewed 3666 times
Soft and wet - the only way....
joaniebo
Posts: 685
Joined: Wed Apr 30, 2014 12:24 pm

Re: Just old silk

Post by joaniebo » Wed Nov 14, 2018 9:52 am

I’m a sucker for the old threads on wooden spools. Refuse to toss out any empty spools. Wish I had more of the old Pearsall silks on wooden spools.
User avatar
Theroe
Posts: 1450
Joined: Sat Feb 25, 2017 11:42 pm
Location: New York City

Re: Just old silk

Post by Theroe » Wed Nov 14, 2018 10:01 am

+ 1 on both comments!!
Soft and wet - the only way....
User avatar
tie2fish
Posts: 5072
Joined: Sun Feb 22, 2009 9:11 am
Location: Harford County, MD

Re: Just old silk

Post by tie2fish » Wed Nov 14, 2018 11:21 am

One might think that the colors of old silks would fade and they would be less vibrant than the new stuff on plastic spools. Not so! For the few colors of Pearsall's Gossamer for which I have both "old" (wood spool) and "new" (plastic spool) specimens, the colors of the older stuff are decidedly richer and more vibrant. The thread may not be as strong, but it's prettier. 8-)
Last edited by tie2fish on Wed Nov 14, 2018 3:16 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Some of the same morons who throw their trash around in National parks also vote. That alone would explain the state of American politics. ~ John Gierach, "Still Life with Brook Trout"
User avatar
letumgo
Site Admin
Posts: 13345
Joined: Sat Feb 21, 2009 7:55 pm
Location: Buffalo, New York
Contact:

Re: Just old silk

Post by letumgo » Wed Nov 14, 2018 12:59 pm

Dana,

I love the old wooden spools of silk. I raided my mother's old sewing box and took all her spools of silk buttonhole twist thread. The thread is fairly thick and makes great ribbing.

Nice collection you've gathered. ;)
Ray (letumgo)----<°))))))><
http://www.flytyingforum.com/index.php? ... er=letumgo

"The world is perfect. Appreciate the details." - Dean
User avatar
Theroe
Posts: 1450
Joined: Sat Feb 25, 2017 11:42 pm
Location: New York City

Re: Just old silk

Post by Theroe » Wed Nov 14, 2018 3:28 pm

Great stuff - and yes, I agree with Bill: the older colors are definitely brighter, & more vibrant!

I need more!
Soft and wet - the only way....
User avatar
PhilA
Posts: 200
Joined: Mon Feb 16, 2015 9:27 pm
Location: Madison, WI

Re: Just old silk

Post by PhilA » Wed Nov 14, 2018 4:39 pm

When did Pearsall's switch from spooling silks on wooden spools to plastic spools? Here are a couple of photos of old and new spools of Gossamer No. 6A (Gold, aka. light orange) and No. 19 (Hot Orange)...

Gossamer No. 6A old (L) vs. new (R):
Image

Gossamer No. 19 old (L) vs. new (R):
Image

Old vs. new color differences can be pretty subtle, and the differences are more noticeable on some colors than others. For example, the older No. 6A is a deeper richer color than the newer No. 6A, which is more yellowish and pale.
User avatar
William Anderson
Site Admin
Posts: 4569
Joined: Mon Feb 23, 2009 3:14 pm
Location: Ashburn, VA 20148
Contact:

Re: Just old silk

Post by William Anderson » Tue Nov 27, 2018 10:26 am

Dana, Phil, thanks for posting these sweet pics. I have a bit of a thing for old silks too. A couple weeks ago I rounded up all my Pearsall's spools from a dozen different areas in my tying space and it turned out to be a fairly nice collection, both wood and plastic spools. There is such a range of tonal shifts over the years I have several spools that don't really fit with any of the known (to me) numbers. I have more than 10 shades that fall between #2 and #5. One things for certain, the spooling process was much cleaner and more precise on the older spools. I think the newer ones were spooled by weasels. I'm trying to put together a complete set of the colors to photograph.

Something that is easy to find and super cool is the buttonhole twist for bodies or for ribbing. I see a couple really nice samples in your recent purchase, Dana.
"A man should not try to eliminate his complexes, but rather come into accord with them. They are ultimately what directs his conduct in the world." Sigmund Freud.
www.WilliamsFavorite.com
User avatar
William Anderson
Site Admin
Posts: 4569
Joined: Mon Feb 23, 2009 3:14 pm
Location: Ashburn, VA 20148
Contact:

Re: Just old silk

Post by William Anderson » Tue Nov 27, 2018 10:28 am

A couple quick shots with from my phone.
Attachments
fullsizeoutput_876.jpeg
fullsizeoutput_876.jpeg (337.43 KiB) Viewed 3564 times
"A man should not try to eliminate his complexes, but rather come into accord with them. They are ultimately what directs his conduct in the world." Sigmund Freud.
www.WilliamsFavorite.com
Post Reply