Hello all! I have typically used monofilament in the past, but the conservators I'm working with aren't big fans of it, so I was hoping to find a suitable alternative. Years ago when I was doing my training, I was made aware of using cotton thread, plastic coated stainless fine cable, or Beadalon wire. I know I can find cotton thread, but that won't be strong enough for some of my uses. I have tried to find plastic coated stainless, but it's either in a bright color, or coated in a questionable plastic. I am not sure which Beadalon wire would be safe. I had also had the thought of polypropylene monofilament sutures, but can't find any that are clear instead of a color, or that don't come in huge boxes for $700+.
If anyone has a good source they use for this, I'd really appreciate the help! Thank you in advance, and happy mountmaking!
-Shaynna
In case anyone is following along for more answers, I also had another thought and did some research - I found out that millinery wire comes in transparent polypropylene (known as brim wire) in different gauges. Some sites are vague and just say "plastic", but some do actually specify to be polypropylene or polyester. It won't work for everything since this will be slightly more stiff, but it is supposed to still be fairly flexible!