diamond point awl

[Hilly]

Where can you find a diamond point awl? Tandy offers stitching awls with the thread spools (not what I want), and an awl with 4 different blades, none of which are the diamond point I'm after.

I'm also looking for a source of unwaxed linen thread for general purpose leather work. Can someone please clue me in as to what kind of linen thread would be a good all around thread to use? I'm wanting to hand sew some holsters if it makes a difference.

Thanks for your replies!

[Randy Cornelius]

I bought some sewing awls from Bob Douglas at Sheridan that I like really well. He has several different sizes, I bought the slim blades that work very well for me.

I have to ask why you think you need linen thread? It will rot after years of use. There are some really nice polyester threads out there now.

Barbors is the only one that still makes the linen thread but not sure where to buy it. I have a box that I use for restoration work. Ted Flowers silver saddles were sewn with linen and are now all following apart as the threads rot from age.

Maybe someone out there knows were to buy Barbors at.

Randy

[Hilly]

I bought some sewing awls from Bob Douglas at Sheridan that I like really well. He has several different sizes, I bought the slim blades that work very well for me.

I have to ask why you think you need linen thread? It will rot after years of use. There are some really nice polyester threads out there now.

Barbors is the only one that still makes the linen thread but not sure where to buy it. I have a box that I use for restoration work. Ted Flowers silver saddles were sewn with linen and are now all following apart as the threads rot from age.

Maybe someone out there knows were to buy Barbors at.

Randy

Randy, thanks for answering my newb question. Perhaps you could provide a link to where I could find an awl like the one you mentioned? I did Google Bob Douglas, and did not get anything pointing me to a source for tools.

In answer to your question about the thread, I was not aware that you could get polyester thread that looks as nice as the linen as far as weight/diameter of the thread goes? What type are you using? I don't think I'd like the look of a scrawny, skinny piece of thread for my hand stitching. I really like the look of the linen. True, I'd hate to have my pistol rip it's way out of my holster many years from now, and I'm not saying this in a smartass kind of way. I want my projects to last so that my grand kids/nephews/nieces can use and enjoy them when I'm gone.

[Go2Tex]

There was a vendor at the Wichita Falls Boot and Saddlemakers Show that gave me a couple sample bobbins of Model "0" #6 Natural thread. It is plenty big and looks like linen. Not sure if it is or not. Can't remember if he said. I was looking for hand stitching thread. He gave it to me and said, "here, try this". I gave it a test try on some scrap and it looks mighty nice. Probably what you're looking for. But it is real thick. I couldn't pull the chords apart. It's almost like a fine weave of tiny threads and lays kinda flat, like flax.

I was able to thread it through my small needles too. The guy was Phil Goldberg of Trendware Footware components. His email is :

phil@trendw.com

[CitizenKate]

Hilly,

I have this Osborne stitching awl that I bought from Tandy (click here to see it), and although the description doesn't say it has a diamond point, it does.

Kate

Where can you find a diamond point awl? Tandy offers stitching awls with the thread spools (not what I want), and an awl with 4 different blades, none of which are the diamond point I'm after.

[Mike Phelps]

I really like/liked my little C.S. Osborne too Kate, you just have to put it in at 45% to get the diamond hole. The blade became loose I reamed the hole and put a maple dowel in it. re affixed the blade, it saw about the same number of holes, one thousand+?, and came out again. I love the small hole even when using heavy 6 cord thread. The two leaf blades with the 4in1 Craftool are just too big. So I went back to using the small 4 prong diamond thonging chisel and while it does speed things up considerably the holes are just a little too close together and can still see daylight between the edge of the hole and the 6 cord thread until the thread gets hammered down.

Hilly just turn the leaf blade on the 4in1 tool at a 45% to get the diamond hole and unless your using thread the size of winch cable don't push it very deep. I'm in the process of honing the blades down to usable size on mine.

[bruce johnson]

Hilly,

You can get the Bob Douglas blades from Sheridan Leather Outfitters in Sheridan Wyoming. They also have the awl hafts in a few sizes to fit your preferences. Osborne tools can be bought a Siegel Of California in Buellton, CA. The Douglas ones are ready to use, the Osbornes need a little help. Someone correct me, but my TLF manager said they were getting away from stocking the Osborne tools. I did see they had the Osborne round knife in the new catalog, priced at something close to $100.

As a tip I flatten one side of my awl haft. My fingers lay against it, and I know when I hold it that the blade is sitting at the correct angle. It also makes it less prone to roll off the bench and damage the tip on the floor. I do this with all of my bladed wood handle tools. I had a string bleeder roll off and stick in the top of my flipflop-shod foot. It made a real bleeder.

Edited November 3, 2007 by bruce johnson

[Hilly]

Hilly,

I have this Osborne stitching awl that I bought from Tandy (click here to see it), and although the description doesn't say it has a diamond point, it does.

Kate

Thank you Kate! It's really hard to know what you're buying when you can't see the item in person. I live about 3 hours away from the nearest Tandy Store, so I won't be getting there very often.

[Hilly]

As a tip I flatten one side of my awl haft. My fingers lay against it, and I know when I hold it that the blade is sitting at the correct angle. It also makes it less prone to roll off the bench and damage the tip on the floor. I do this with all of my bladed wood handle tools. I had a string bleeder roll off and stick in the top of my flipflop-shod foot. It made a real bleeder.

Hey Bruce, thanks for the tip!

[Rawhide]

Bruce,

That's a great tip. I was going to flatten my haft just to keep it from rolling and hitting the floor, now it will be dual purpose. Does that help a lot in keeping your holes angled properly? I have a tough time trying to do this, and I prefer using the awl vs. the punches.

Thanks,

Marlon

[Romey]

Flip flop? hahaha

[Rayban]

As a tip I flatten one side of my awl haft. My fingers lay against it, and I know when I hold it that the blade is sitting at the correct angle. It also makes it less prone to roll off the bench and damage the tip on the floor.

This is an old post I see but the tip is timeless...I came across it while I was searching for stitching awls for sale.....I wish I had seen this post before my awl rolled off the bench and hit the concrete floor tip first...I wouldn't be in the mad scramble to find a replacement TODAY!!!!!!

First thing I'll do when I get it home is to do what Bruce does to his.

[Rayban]

Bruce,

That's a great tip. I was going to flatten my haft just to keep it from rolling and hitting the floor, now it will be dual purpose. Does that help a lot in keeping your holes angled properly? I have a tough time trying to do this, and I prefer using the awl vs. the punches.

Thanks,

Marlon

Marlon, as long as I'm visiting year old posts today...there is a small brass pin in my now ruined awl that if I kept it facing straight up when I stabbed, the awl holes would always be at the same angle. maybe scratch a groove...got scratch awl??.....for a reference point on the haft.

[DeeAnna]

"....a source of unwaxed linen thread for general purpose leather work...."

It's flax thread, not linen thread. Linen is the name of the fabric made from flax fiber.

Campbell-Bosworth, Barbour unwaxed flax thread, 1 lb spools, 3 to 8 cord, natural or black:

http://www.campbell-bosworth.com/catalog/i...p/cPath/6_71_73

If you are looking for a hefty thread for visual appeal as well as strength, I'd suggest 5 or 6 cord. That is what many folks would normally use to stitch the heavier-duty parts of a horse harness. Left or right twist -- either one is fine for hand stitching. Left twist is more common. This thread needs to be waxed before using it to sew. The traditional method of preparing the thread is outlined in Stohlman's hand stitching book and others.

Springfield Leather, waxed flax thread, 50 yard spools, black, brown, natural:

http://www.springfieldleather.com/storefro...?idproduct=4877

Tandy Leather Factory, waxed flax thread, 25 yd spools, black, brown, natural:

http://www.tandyleatherfactory.com/home/de...ture=Product_15

The waxed flax will not be as easy to get the ends tapered down to a fine point, but it would work for your purpose. Also, the spools are smaller and cost quite a bit less than the 1 lb Barbours spools from C-B.

Nylon or polyester have some advantages over flax thread, but flax is quite durable and long lived. Flax and hemp were the threads of choice for centuries for horse harness until the mid 1900s.

If a leather holster stitched with flax is cared for properly, the flax thread will outlast you. I have worked on harnesses and other horse tack stitched with flax that are well over 50 years old. The thread is still going strong.

--DeeAnna

[King's X]

I got my awl from Hide Crafters, which was very affordable. I have the cuts on my fingers still healing from its use this weekend. Bruce you came through again! I will flatten one side of my shaft, I like that. As for the thread, I was going to suggest you contact Rawhide for the number to his supplier of the thread, but it looks like you have been given it already.

Good luck.

[ShirleyT]

Francis Burdett-Mills, former director of the Corwainer's College, has a great tip on flattening those awls. When you have your awl blade seated and the tool is already to go, color your thumb with some ink. I recommend water-based marker or some such and then grasp the tool the way you'll be using it. You've then got the perfect place to flatten/round out. You'll always have the blade in the correct position and it won't roll off the bench.

I learned the hard way one day like Randy. The awl rolled off, I went to grab it, missed, and it went point down into my thigh. It bled like the proverbial pig. My jeans got soaked in blood and as I'm hobbling out of the workshop to take care of it, one of my daughters comes in. She almost fainted. As she thought I'd been stabbed and she wasn't too clear on what happened, she then screamed. The neighbors happened to be outside....well...you can imagine the comic scene that followed. Someone called 911, I'm covered in blood saying no, no, no, just an accident, dispatch calls back, I say again, no, no, no, just an accident, I'm okay, they send a car anyway, dogs howling, I'm still trying to get the bleeding stopped and by now have my jeans off and the officer wants to personally check on my near-naked well-being and the daughter is not only still feeling faint but embarassed.

And the neighbors don't seem to want to talk to us much anymore...

[outcast]

Francis Burdett-Mills, former director of the Corwainer's College, has a great tip on flattening those awls. When you have your awl blade seated and the tool is already to go, color your thumb with some ink. I recommend water-based marker or some such and then grasp the tool the way you'll be using it. You've then got the perfect place to flatten/round out. You'll always have the blade in the correct position and it won't roll off the bench.

I learned the hard way one day like Randy. The awl rolled off, I went to grab it, missed, and it went point down into my thigh. It bled like the proverbial pig. My jeans got soaked in blood and as I'm hobbling out of the workshop to take care of it, one of my daughters comes in. She almost fainted. As she thought I'd been stabbed and she wasn't too clear on what happened, she then screamed. The neighbors happened to be outside....well...you can imagine the comic scene that followed. Someone called 911, I'm covered in blood saying no, no, no, just an accident, dispatch calls back, I say again, no, no, no, just an accident, I'm okay, they send a car anyway, dogs howling, I'm still trying to get the bleeding stopped and by now have my jeans off and the officer wants to personally check on my near-naked well-being and the daughter is not only still feeling faint but embarassed.

And the neighbors don't seem to want to talk to us much anymore...

That's funny.

[ChuckBurrows]

"....a source of unwaxed linen thread for general purpose leather work...."

It's flax thread, not linen thread. Linen is the name of the fabric made from flax fiber.

Campbell-Bosworth, Barbour unwaxed flax thread, 1 lb spools, 3 to 8 cord, natural or black:

http://www.campbell-bosworth.com/catalog/i...p/cPath/6_71_73

If you are looking for a hefty thread for visual appeal as well as strength, I'd suggest 5 or 6 cord. That is what many folks would normally use to stitch the heavier-duty parts of a horse harness. Left or right twist -- either one is fine for hand stitching. Left twist is more common. This thread needs to be waxed before using it to sew. The traditional method of preparing the thread is outlined in Stohlman's hand stitching book and others.

Springfield Leather, waxed flax thread, 50 yard spools, black, brown, natural:

http://www.springfieldleather.com/storefro...?idproduct=4877

Tandy Leather Factory, waxed flax thread, 25 yd spools, black, brown, natural:

http://www.tandyleatherfactory.com/home/de...ture=Product_15

The waxed flax will not be as easy to get the ends tapered down to a fine point, but it would work for your purpose. Also, the spools are smaller and cost quite a bit less than the 1 lb Barbours spools from C-B.

--DeeAnna

With respect, but despite Barbour's naming their product Flax Sinew (a double aberration since sinew is technically an animal by product and not a plant one), technically speaking flax is the plant from which linen fiber is made and not the fiber itself. The processed fiber is then spun into linen yarn and/or linen thread. Linen cloth is woven from linen thread, the same way that cotton thread is woven into cotton cloth. The technically correct term is in fact linen thread, which has been used for centuries. In fact The Linen Thread Company was founded in 1898 by the Barbour family (who had been in ths business since 1784). The Barbour's current company name is: Barbour Threads Ltd (a division of Coats).

FWIW - While the initial price of the smaller spools is less than the Barbour's or the Hungarian brand sold by C-B, the "cost" per yard is much higher when figured out - about 8-10 times higher. I've gotten good reviews From those who have used the Hungarian thread, although it is a harder lay thread.

Besides the resources you mentioned there are many others who sell many types if linen thread and there are even sources for hand spun linen thread such as Susan Wallace - Susan makes VERY nice thread in several weights which is used by those looking for historically correct hand spun threads for those special projects and/or restorations. Just do an Internet search for linen thread - hemp is another great natural thread....

Here's a PDF on the history of Barbour's Linen thread and how it's made dated 1886....

http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/...9679C94679FD7CF

Edited May 22, 2009 by ChuckBurrows

[MADMAX22]

With respect, but despite Barbour's naming their product Flax Sinew (a double aberration since sinew is technically an animal by product and not a plant one), technically speaking flax is the plant from which linen fiber is made and not the fiber itself. The processed fiber is then spun into linen yarn and/or linen thread. Linen cloth is woven from linen thread, the same way that cotton thread is woven into cotton cloth. The technically correct term is in fact linen thread, which has been used for centuries. In fact The Linen Thread Company was founded in 1898 by the Barbour family (who had been in ths business since 1784). The Barbour's current company name is: Barbour Threads Ltd (a division of Coats).

FWIW - While the initial price of the smaller spools is less than the Barbour's or the Hungarian brand sold by C-B, the "cost" per yard is much higher when figured out - about 8-10 times higher. I've gotten good reviews From those who have used the Hungarian thread, although it is a harder lay thread.

Besides the resources you mentioned there are many others who sell many types if linen thread and there are even sources for hand spun linen thread such as Susan Wallace - Susan makes VERY nice thread in several weights which is used by those looking for historically correct hand spun threads for those special projects and/or restorations. Just do an Internet search for linen thread - hemp is another great natural thread....

Here's a PDF on the history of Barbour's Linen thread and how it's made dated 1886....

http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/...9679C94679FD7CF

I allways wondered if hemp would be good for leather working. I know its pretty tough stuff and relatively cheap (hence why the army used it). Have you ever used it and if so how did it wax up and take to stitching.

[ChuckBurrows]

I allways wondered if hemp would be good for leather working. I know its pretty tough stuff and relatively cheap (hence why the army used it). Have you ever used it and if so how did it wax up and take to stitching.

I use hemp and it works like linen in so far as waxing and stitching - mine is in fact Barbour's single cord so I make up threads in whatever cord I need to get the job done - I use it mostly for around inlays at 10-12 SPI or for period gear where I need a fine thread......

[tonyc1]

I made up all my threads when I first started and still do make the occasional thread for a special job.

Tony.