gotafly Report post Posted May 15, 2014 First off, I am not a big forum poster, never have been on any forum I follow; but I do read a ton, so thank-you for your help. One of thing I gleaned early on is the importance of sharp tools. I have always been interested and practiced sharpening so I was able to apply that skill. I spent hours sharpening, stropping and polishing my awls and it shows in the quality of my stitching. The first time, I took out my stones and ceramics to sharpen and polish a beautiful edge. I recently bought an Osborne awl, and was not looking forward to the task of getting it set up properly. I was organizing my fishing gear and saw my hook sharpener (I have many depending on the fishing) the one I use for larger game, when it hit me that it might be useful in awl sharpening. The long and short of it is, It worked perfectly!! kept the diamond shape of the awl while sharpening the front third to a tremendous edge. The awl still needs a mirror polish for smooth penetration, but it is sharp. There are many hook sharpener styles, the two I used were first a diamond file with a groove in it, then a ceramic one, also with a groove that finished the edge marvelously. I hope this idea works for you and I have now made a small contribution back into the knowledge base. Best, Michael Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JAM Report post Posted May 15, 2014 Thank you for this idea, Michael! I am going to look for the sharpeners you describe and try it! Julia Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
