Best diamond shaped awl for 3.85mm pricking iron

[jc22]

Hello, I am using 3.85mm Sinabroks diamond shaped pricking irons and was wondering what awl to use for best results when stitching?

[zuludog]

Aah, pricking irons! ......... I think we have some confusion here

Strictly speaking pricking irons just mark the position of the stitching holes with a shallow impression, then you follow this with an awl to make & complete the holes. A stitching chisel has prongs that are long enough to both set the spacing/position of the holes, and penetrate the leather to make & complete the holes.

Although described as a pricking iron, the prongs on Sinabroks are long enough to act as chisels

What sort of leather are you using? Stitching chisels can be used on their own for thinner leather, but will only go part way through thicker leather, so you must complete the holes with an awl 

If you need an awl, almost any kind of diamond awl with a narrow blade would do; try an Osborne #42 or #43. You can mount the awl blade in a simple haft or use a haft with a chuck. Or see what you fancy from Rocky Mountains Leather Supply. Whichever awl you buy it will almost certainly need sharpening, as it is only the expensive custom made tools that can be used straight out of the box. There are several videos on  fitting & sharpening an awl

Have a look at this video -

SINABROKS PRICKING IRON REVIEW & DIY HOW TO SADDLE STITCH TUTORIAL - YouTube

Also look videos on stitching chisels, using an awl, and so on, to get a better idea of how they are used

Edited June 12, 2022 by zuludog

[MtlBiker]

On 6/8/2022 at 1:28 AM, jc22 said:

Hello, I am using 3.85mm Sinabroks diamond shaped pricking irons and was wondering what awl to use for best results when stitching?

Are you sure those are diamond shaped?  Looking on their website, I don't see that they offer such irons.  Only the French style (which I've bought), round, and round hole punches.

I use Osborne stitching awls and as far as I know, you're going to have to spend a lot of time sharpening them before they're really useful.  I use my Sinabroks and they usually punch right through the leather and I don't need to use an awl at all.  But my Osborne awl doesn't really distort the hole if I sometimes need to use it.