I Need An Assist Regarding Holster Stitching, Please.

[Bronson]

Necessity may be the mother of invention, . . . but laziness was Invention's father.

I would LOVE to see some pics of this setup if you've got them.

Oh, and for the OP if you haven't yet picked it up Al Stohlman's book "The Art of Hand Sewing Leather" is a great resource. It will show you the techniques you'll need to get you started.

Bronson

[Art]

By short, I mean 1" to 1.5", maybe 2 on the outside, but that would be way too long for me. I have seen them as short as .75 inch and I liked it on thinner leather. The shorter the awl, the faster you can stitch, and the less chance of scratching or impaling yourself, and with the edges of the awl as sharp as they should be, those scratches can go a little deep.

For holsters, the standard size is what I use (Bob Douglas sizing, he makes one a little smaller too).

Art

Art, I understand sharp and smooth, but why short?

[electrathon]

As a follow up - if I went the route of getting an awl that takes replaceable blades, what would be the best size blade to use. Mostly on holsters with a nice heavy leather.

Length and size. Again, thanks for any help you can provide.

If you mean the one that Tandy sells all of the blades are way huge for what you are doing. It is the only one I know of with replaceable blades.

Aaron

[Tac]

I too started out with an awl from Tandy that in my opinion was too small. The blade was only about 7/8" long and there was a cylindrical brass collet at the base of the blade that would consistently mar the leather if I pushed the blade in too far. Sewing with that thing was ridiculous, and in my opinion made a difficult task even harder than it should be.

If you take a small peice of scrap leather (the thicker the better) cut it into a small circle about the diameter of the handle of your awl, then poke the awl blade through the middle and leave it on the base of the awl blade (between the collet and the material you are working on), it will act as a "sheild" and prevent the marring problem you are having....

Just my dos centavos...

-Tac

[BamBam]

If you mean the one that Tandy sells all of the blades are way huge for what you are doing. It is the only one I know of with replaceable blades.

Aaron

I was thinking of something along the lines of this

http://www.campbell-bosworth.com/catalog/index.php/cPath/1_2_122

With blades -

http://www.campbell-bosworth.com/catalog/index.php/cPath/1_2_121/sort/3a/page/2

Seems like that would make it a bit easier to change out a blade if damage did happen. I'm learning that Tandy is not the one stop place for what I need.

[Hilly]

I was thinking of something along the lines of this

http://www.campbell-...p/cPath/1_2_122

With blades -

http://www.campbell-.../sort/3a/page/2

Seems like that would make it a bit easier to change out a blade if damage did happen. I'm learning that Tandy is not the one stop place for what I need.

If you want a really nice awl, call Bob Douglas 307-737-2222. You won't be disappointed

[doubleh]

Like most thing I do now I'm a few days late to this post.

Artheritis has really done a number on my joints the last few years so I have devised an easier way to do things than just push the awl thru the leather. I still start out just like I was just using an awl, glue the pieces together, cut the groove and run the overstitch wheel. But then I take the piece to the drill press and drill all the holes with a 1/16" bit. I use a smaller bit when using smaller thread. Then I use the awl with beeswax which makes things a lot easier physically. You can forego the awl and just use the drilled holes but it doesn't look the same as using an awl. The thread seems to lay down smoother in the diamond shaped hole than in a round hole.

[Jim March]

Is anybody else pre-drilling holes with a dremel tool?

When I first did this my smallest drill bit was too big. I finally found a set of "sub-caliber" drill bits - shaft fits in the most common dremel "chuck adapter" but the actual drill is much smaller, perfect for stitch size holes. No jabbing with an awl needed and the stitching can be done with any standard pair of needles big enough for the thread.

So far I've been using mine by hand but I'm going to score the small "drill press adapter" next, less than $40. I still won't be able to use it on all the holes though, some I do freehand while the leather is folded around in a holster shape so that I drill two layers through in the proper "curve". In other words, if one piece of leather is going to be stitched to another while they're folded around the gun in the final design, drilling both while they're flat won't work. You have to drill while they're folded and that means freehand dremel (drilling on pre-marked dots!) versus a drill press.

[TexasJack]

A few observations:1. Using an awl takes a bit of practice. I'd suggest using thinner leather to start with.2. Awls from Tandy are OK, but not always sharp and (in my experience) not always the same diameter! I had one that made a great hole but the needle wouldn't go through when I went to sew.3. Drilling holes works, but using an awl is much better as it doesn't remove any leather and that means the thread will be held tightly.

[JoelR]

Tandy now sells Osborne Hefts and a few types of Awls as separate items. The awls I have gotten are sharp but do need polished. Hefts are either the standard push-in or ones with a brass chuck. The awls are not made of the best metal either - they will bend. For the limited work I do (A holster about every 2 weeks with odds-and-ends thrown it to keep it interesting) they work fine.