Sewing Old Sail Cloth

[KAM]

My machine is making a neat job of sewing at least 6 layers of new sailcloth but the needle won't penetrate older sailcloth of the same weight no matter how hard I turn the fly wheel. Any tips greatly appreciated. I presume it's the same problem as trying to splice old rope.

 

[lw395]

I would use 'leather' needles. These have a tip like a chisel and cut a slot to go through.
You can also try lubricating with silicone spray.
Some materials are not like normal woven cloth where the needle can force the threads apart and pass easily. E.g. bonded sailcloth is like a sheet of plastic which will grip the needle.
Alternatively some materials, e.g. spinnaker cloth, respond well to ballpoint needles, which slip between threads instead of cutting them or jamming the needle in a tightly spun thread.

This may sound like I'm contradicting myself, but I've found, if one thing isn't working, try the other.

 

[Martin_J]

Needles can go blunt very quick if they don't get through the fabric..

They don't just go blunt but can get a big burr on the end that just never gets through..

Not the best of pictures, but you can sometimes feel if it's blunt by running your finger nail down the needle.. If it gets caught at the end then maybe it's hit a burr..

Blunt needle..

 

[William_H]

I have not found problems stitching old dacron sail cloth so as suggested something else has gone wrong. Try new cloth again. olewill

 

[Brent Swain]

Good thread from a sailmaker can make a huge difference in how many layers you can go thru.

 

[Clive]

I us ball point needles for Dacron, they part the fiber rather than trying to push through,

 

[sarabande]

I do not agree with the recommendation to use chisel point needles. They can easily cut cloth fibres or sewing thread.

A 'Jeans' or ball-point needle is the one to use on sailcloth.

 

[PuffTheMagicDragon]

Although the different fabrics may well have 'the same weight' it is possible (probable?) that the 'new' one has more filler while the 'old' has a tighter weave and had no need for filler. Try to compare the thread-count of the fabrics; it is just possible that you might find quite a difference.