AEBL Report post Posted November 15 I bought these from Weaver: Saddler's Harness Awl 1-1/2", 1.2 mm Awl Haft I'm new to this, so I'm not even sure why it is a great thing that stitching awls are sold in pieces, or why they are sold such that the buyer must sharpen them. The awl haft comes with a wrench ... do I just stuff the awl in the haft, or is there some other process that must happen first. I'm very surprised that there are so few instructions on Weaver's site! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chuck123wapati Report post Posted November 15 It's a great thing because if you break the awl you dont have to throw away the haft. Sharpening takes time and costs money, meaning the awl blades would cost alot more. Heres the instructions unscrew the tip stuff in the blade and tighten it back up. There is a learning curve for this craft much more than just leather you have to learn how to use and sharpen most of your tools at some point. I've found the easiest way to sharpen an awl is to set it in a small vise and sharpen it by gluing 1000 grit or so sandpaper to a popsicle stick. set each face of the blade flat, polish it with a sandpaper stick, rotate the awl blade, and do the next face until sharp keeping the faces straight and true. oh and just sharpen the tip you dont want the whole edge sharp. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TonyV Report post Posted November 15 Leathercraft involves lots of sharp tools, from knives and skivers to edgers and awls. Sharpening and honing your tools is not the most fun aspect of this world, but it is one of the most important and one of the most basic of all the skills you will use. IMO, sharp tools are a pleasure to use and help keep the work fun. As Chuck mentioned, sharpening takes expensive time. Do it yourself and save money. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AEBL Report post Posted November 16 Ok - thanks, I figured it must have been as simple as that. I had seen some other video on YT where someone had to put the awl blade in a vise and hammer the haft on. (the video was J.H. Leather's "how to assemble and sharpen a stitching awl" if anyone was curious) The awl she had in the video appears to be a different sort of hafting. It sounds like the one I have is simpler to assemble. When I sharpen it, how far up the blade must it be sharpened - just the first quarter inch or so, or the whole thing? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bruce johnson Report post Posted November 16 Quick deal here. The Palm awl hafts with a wrench work well for medium and larger awl blades but can slip on the small blades. The Osborne #988 haft is better for small blades. The palm hafts use the wrench, the #899 hand tightens with the collar. On some of the larger blades you may need to take the collar off and spread the tip inside a bit to seat the blade better. Sharpening styles on the blades depends on your needs. Thin soft leather, then a 1/4 inch or so may be plenty. Saddle cantle of 5 layers and you may want them sharpened most of the length. I sharpen a dozen or two blades about every week. I sharpen my harness blades most of the length and my saddler blades at least as far back as full width. I go through at least 1500 grit and then strop the edge bur with purple compound. I want a high polish for less drag. If someone wants the edge dulled up further back then they can do a few strokes of the edge on crocus paper to do that. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AEBL Report post Posted November 16 Thanks for the pictures, those help. Hmmm - trying to install it, and the awl blade appears to be too large to fit through the ferrule . I'm sure I ordered it wrong (from Weaver), but it is a Saddler's Harness Awl 2-3/4", 2.0 mm. The awl haft is Weaver part number CSO145. Looks like I will be ordering another blade. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bruce johnson Report post Posted November 16 8 minutes ago, AEBL said: Thanks for the pictures, those help. Hmmm - trying to install it, and the awl blade appears to be too large to fit through the ferrule . I'm sure I ordered it wrong (from Weaver), but it is a Saddler's Harness Awl 2-3/4", 2.0 mm. The awl haft is Weaver part number CSO145. Looks like I will be ordering another blade. The tip of the awl blade doesn't have to go through the collar. The butt of the blade just needs to fit down through it. That said, the #58 saddler awl blade is a honking big blade. I stock up to the #57 in saddler awl blades for cantles and horns. The bigger blades I special order and the people using them are mostly using them for lace work, not thread. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TomE Report post Posted November 16 (edited) 7 hours ago, AEBL said: Ok - thanks, I figured it must have been as simple as that. I had seen some other video on YT where someone had to put the awl blade in a vise and hammer the haft on. (the video was J.H. Leather's "how to assemble and sharpen a stitching awl" if anyone was curious) The awl she had in the video appears to be a different sort of hafting. It sounds like the one I have is simpler to assemble. When I sharpen it, how far up the blade must it be sharpened - just the first quarter inch or so, or the whole thing? That's a press-on haft, like an Osborne #144. I do most of my sewing with that type. Can put a dab of expoxy on the awl to secure it when press fit. Use a pair of soft coins in the vise to prevent damage to the awl. Some awls don't fit the chuck-type hafts and you have to fiddle with them to secure the awl. How much of the tip is sharpened depends on the thickness of the leather you're sewing and your preference. I typically keep 1/4" to 3/8" of the tip sharp and the rest of the awl is polished with rounded edges to stretch the holes without cutting them larger. As you sharpen the awl it gets smaller and you will eventually have a collection of different sizes for different thread thicknesses. Good for you that you're learning to use an awl. It is a dying art but very useful for sewing irregular shapes and fine stitching. Edited November 16 by TomE Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AEBL Report post Posted November 16 I thought sewing with an awl was challenging at first - but I am really starting to like it. I can punch lightly with chisels and then make the holes to finished size with the awl. I think that the thickest leather that I'm likely to be using for a while might be for a knife sheath, so perhaps 2 or 3 layers of 6 oz leather? Right now I am mostly trying out bag patterns, wallets, etc. I might try thicker stuff later though. Is there a "new guy friendly" place to buy awl blades / hafts? The only places I have been shopping around on are Tandy, Weaver and BuckleGuy ... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TomE Report post Posted November 16 5 hours ago, AEBL said: Is there a "new guy friendly" place to buy awl blades / hafts? The only places I have been shopping around on are Tandy, Weaver and BuckleGuy ... Bruce Johnson sells new Osborne awls that are sharp and ready for use. He will have expert advice to match the tool to your project. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AEBL Report post Posted November 16 Great, thanks - I'm already checking out his site just now. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
