I have a 440 and I also have a free standing thread stand that holds 1 spool of thread. I have used it with metallic thread as well as putting the thread in a coffee mug behind the machine. The most important part of using metallic thread is having the correct needle. You can find charts for needles on many of the thread sites as well as on the needle sites. I keep my metallic needles separate from the others and only use them for metallic thread. Good luck.