Stitching Awl

[Rayban]

I had the exact same problem with the Osborn falling apart.....I bought the Douglas awl and haft, and it hurt ($$$$) till I started using it.......wow, is awl I can say.

I talked to Bob a bit later to thank him for sending such a fine piece of work, and after describing to him the kind of work I do....and I hand stitch some everyday...he told me I may never have to have the awl sharpened.

We'll see about that, but meanwhile, I just can't imagine a better awl.....

[celticleather]

Celt - That tutorial was nice. Should I sharpen a brand new awl, or just strop it to clean it up a bit?

Thanks!

I don't think I've ever had a new awl that didn't need sharpening and polishing. If you can see the grinder marks that result from the manufacturing, then it needs polishing . . . I aim to get a mirror finish on the flat sides of the awl.

[Rayban]

I don't think I've ever had a new awl that didn't need sharpening and polishing. If you can see the grinder marks that result from the manufacturing, then it needs polishing . . . I aim to get a mirror finish on the flat sides of the awl.

I'm only guessing , but you've never had a Douglas, correct?

They are ready to go out of the box, period....and no, he is not my uncle.

Why should you have to sharpen a new awl?? Only because the folks that make them don't know how to make them sharp, that's why.....I know I'm blowing here....but I was in the same boat as you, I just plain didn't know any better.......til I dropped $100 on a real awl/haft.

[celticleather]

I'm only guessing , but you've never had a Douglas, correct?

They are ready to go out of the box, period....and no, he is not my uncle.

I've never had $100 to spend on an awl! I buy mostly Dixons awls, and although they make some of the finest saddlery tools in the world, they seldom supply awls or knives that are sharpened or polished to a craftsman's finish. They seem to prefer that people put their own finish on their tools, and that suits me fine. A Dixons awl blade costs about $4.50, and takes about 15 minutes to polish.

[Kevinjohnson]

I've never had $100 to spend on an awl! I buy mostly Dixons awls, and although they make some of the finest saddlery tools in the world, they seldom supply awls or knives that are sharpened or polished to a craftsman's finish. They seem to prefer that people put their own finish on their tools, and that suits me fine. A Dixons awl blade costs about $4.50, and takes about 15 minutes to polish.

I agree w/ most everyone across the pond here that Bob Douglas awl blades are the best. Everytime I see Bob, I try to buy a couple of these $25 blades. I mainly use these to stitch horn caps and sometimes cantle bindings. One must keep in mind that these awl blades are tempered to where they are extremely hard. This also means that they can be brittle. If a person has a tendency to fish for the bottom hole, like when sewing a cantle binding, you run the risk of breaking the awl blade. Once you use one of these blades, I'm confident in saying that you'

ll won't go back to sharpening your own. Bob is not my uncle or grandpa either.

[Denster]

Just drill the haft out very lightly oversize clean the haft of the awl and roll it in some two ton epoxy and stick it in wipe off the excess and let it cure. It will not come out again without heat. Keep a block of beeswax where you are stitching and every few holes just wipe the blade of the awl front and back (some guys stab it) over the wax and it will make going in and comming out ever so much easier. Saw an interesting tool once. A guy had a backing block he used on the side opposite of where he was punching holes to protect his fingers from the awl, the block had a hole in it filled with beeswax and the blade was lubed each time it went through. Seemed to work well for him.

[Hilly]

If you bought that awl from Tandy, then call them up and tell them what happened. They will replace it for free. Happened to me too, on my first awl, and I had no problem getting it replaced. Call Clay Miller in the Rapid City, South Dakota store. He is a pleasure to do business with.

[KcKenny]

Wow, would love to have that BD setup. But being an ameteur, my wife would shoot me. All of the work I do is just for myself as a hobbyist. While I LOVE quality tools, leather, etc, it's hard to justify the price on some of it. Maybe as birthdays and Xmas' go by I'll be able to pick up some top notch stuff, but for now my skills need more polishing than my tools. I may give that epoxy a try and order the Osborne from Springfield if it's a bust.

Hilly - the manager of our local Tandy is great, has replaced dried out lace for me, and even said she'd replace any tool I had issues with. I just hate to put them out on a $10 awl I bought over a year ago that will probably have the same problems if I exchange.

Thanks everyone,

Kenny

[Hilly]

Wow, would love to have that BD setup. But being an ameteur, my wife would shoot me. All of the work I do is just for myself as a hobbyist. While I LOVE quality tools, leather, etc, it's hard to justify the price on some of it. Maybe as birthdays and Xmas' go by I'll be able to pick up some top notch stuff, but for now my skills need more polishing than my tools. I may give that epoxy a try and order the Osborne from Springfield if it's a bust.

Hilly - the manager of our local Tandy is great, has replaced dried out lace for me, and even said she'd replace any tool I had issues with. I just hate to put them out on a $10 awl I bought over a year ago that will probably have the same problems if I exchange.

Thanks everyone,

Kenny

I'll bet that with our economy going to custard, your Tandy manager would rather replace your tool than to have you start shopping elsewhere... Just a guess, of course. Never hurts to ask.

Also, Tandy would just send the tool back to C.S.Osborne, and get a refund (I'm guessing it was an Osborne awl).

Being the co-owner of a business myself, I know that a little good will goes a long way for return customers.

[jeeperaz]

but for now my skills need more polishing than my tools.

I'm with you on this one. I actually purchased 2 awl blades from Bob Douglas but will not use them until my skill improves. I'm afraid I'll break one. So it's the Tandy blade stuck in a crude, homemade haft for me right now.