Springfield Xd45 5" Tactical Avenger-Style Holster

[katsass]

Are you referring to the traditional way of using the awl, like Al Stolhman, or do you put the awl in a drill press and punch instead of drilling holes?

steelhawk........well, OK, let's say I do it the traditional way. I'm left handed, do not use a stitching pony, and have worked out my own method......I guess you'd say. But I do not use a drill press or anything of the sort. Just my grubby old mitt. Mike

Big O.........First, thanks for the kind words. My awl is an old Osborne, with an 1 1/4 inch diamond (shaped) blade. Mine has a pretty round haft with one flat side. I keep it sharp, hit it with a little bee's wax now and then, and.......... go slow.

As I have aged (notice I didn't say 'matured') I find that too damned many people want to do too damn many things too damned quickly. If a customer commission's a piece from you, he wants your best, and if that takes a few days longer than someone else would take......so be it. If he can't wait, he doesn't understand or appreciate quality hand work and doesn't deserve the piece anyway. I also find that there are days that I 'need' to get on a project, but as soon as I pick up a tool it becomes evident that I shouldn't touch the work.......I'll go play with the African Violets, go fishing, shoot a round or two of trap.......or something, just NOT work on leather right then. In the past I have tried to ignore this feeling and been sorry. Not anymore. Only once has a customer canceled his order on me. I finished the holster (for a 1911 Colt) and put it up for sale. It sold in two days. That man has tried to get me to build him custom holsters for different guns for almost three years now, It'll never happen. He sees most of my work at the local gun club (I think some show him their new holster for the fun of it) and every time I come up with something a bit different, he wants one. Again...it ain't gonna happen. I work leather because I like it, the feel and smell of it; the way I can form it into a long lasting useful piece of equipment. I don't make production items. Each holster is a custom piece made to and for the the customer's needs and desires. My customers seem happy with the end product. OK...I'm off the soapbox, see what happens when you get an old man off and running? JMO.....Mike

Edited September 6, 2010 by katsass

[Rayban]

Thanks, Mike.

I'm actually looking for a suitable awl. At this point, I'm thinking of the Dremel press as a back-up for stitching holes, and a go-to for sanding and maybe burnishing. If this evolves into more than a hobby, I'm going to have to start looking at motors, pulleys and belts....

From what I've gathered on here, the ideal awl will have a short shaft that is four-sided, smooth and sharp on the edges as well as the point. I've had no great luck with this on eBay so far. Also with a small cross-section for this type of work. If there's a particular model that anyone could recommend, I'd appreciate it.

FWIW, I'm in complete AWE of your work!

Anymore, if I have to go through three or more layers of leather, I take the work to the drill press for 3/64" holes. These act as a pilot hole for the awl (Bob Douglas "medium" size) , which actually reams out to a bigger stitch hole.

That's my way, and I'm sticking to it....

[gregintenn]

I'm ASSUMING that a properly sharpened awl would probably slice through the leather a lot easier than a pot metal, chisel-shaped punch. Can someone confirm this?

I tried making holes with a fid l I got at Tandy. It worked for a while, but I often had to sharpen it. I went back and got a diamond shaped awl, and it works great. I haven't sharpened it, and have used it a lot. I mark my holse with a overstitch wheel. If you bear down on it and run it back and forth, it will make visible marks. Then I punch each hole with a rubber hammer and a diamond shaped awl while the holster lays on a pine board. This works well for me, and if you turn all the diamonds the same way, it is quite attractive.

I burnish with Gum Traganth and a deer antler.

Edited September 7, 2010 by gregintenn

[Dwight]

If you want to do this whole sewing thing a whole lot easier, . . . look up a thread I authored, . . . Sewing with a drill press.

At first it looks a bit klunky, . . . but it'll make quick work of a holster, . . . dog collar, . . . small things we sew, . . . if you don't have a machine.

Now back to our regular programming: nice holster Big O, . . .

May God bless,

Dwight

Edited September 7, 2010 by Dwight

[TexasJack]

A sharp awl will go through leather pretty easily - nearly as fast as your drill bit. (It can also go through a wayward finger pretty fast!)

Thing about an awl is that you are not removing any leather, just making a slot. The leather closes up and keeps the stitching in tight.

[Rayban]

A sharp awl will go through leather pretty easily - nearly as fast as your drill bit. (It can also go through a wayward finger pretty fast!)

Thing about an awl is that you are not removing any leather, just making a slot. The leather closes up and keeps the stitching in tight.

I believe my Bob Douglas awl is about as sharp as they come.....but going through 4-5 layers of 9oz. is a bit of a struggle for me.

And because of that struggle, the back side didn't always look so pretty.

I find that with using a 3/64" drill bit, the leather removed is a few particles of dust at best........and the hole isn't big enough for the second needle/thread to come back through! So that's why I call the 3/64 hole, my "pilot", I still use the awl to ream out the hole to a bigger size and for the diamond shape that I want.

I've also done another experiment.......I've reamed out a line of holes with the awl, then left the work alone for the night. next day I found that the holes had closed up enough that the awl would not fit through....had to re-ream them. So the holes still close up around the stitching.

In theory, you're right about drilling removing leather....but I say, "so what?"...it's insignificant.

[Big O]

I've got a Seiwa size 1 awl on the way.

Also just got some more waxed nylon thread - 240 yards instead of just 25. BUT.....it looks to be TWICE the diameter of the stuff I was using before.....

Thanks for the explanation, TexasJack. I'll watch out for the digits.

[NoahL]

That holster looks very nice!

Regarding stitching, although I certainly don't have the experience of most of the people who have already weighed in, I chuck one of my harness needles in my drill press to make my holes--no leather removal, very precisely sized, and they close up tight. That said, I don't put both needles through at once *gasp!*. I know, I'm a blasphemer, but I pull one needle through and then the other needle through and pull them tight together. It's a little slower than putting both through at once, but it keeps the holes as small as possible and I have found no difference in effectiveness or evenness of my stitching by doing it this way and it works for me, so I'll keep doing it. Just an option

Edited September 8, 2010 by NoahL

[katsass]

That holster looks very nice!

Regarding stitching, although I certainly don't have the experience of most of the people who have already weighed in, I chuck one of my harness needles in my drill press to make my holes--no leather removal, very precisely sized, and they close up tight. That said, I don't put both needles through at once *gasp!*. I know, I'm a blasphemer, but I pull one needle through and then the other needle through and pull them tight together. It's a little slower than putting both through at once, but it keeps the holes as small as possible and I have found no difference in effectiveness or evenness of my stitching by doing it this way and it works for me, so I'll keep doing it. Just an option

FWIW Noah, That's the way I was taught, and that's how I've done it for well over 30 years now. I addition, I always go thru the same side first. Mike

[Rayban]

FWIW Noah, That's the way I was taught, and that's how I've done it for well over 30 years now. I addition, I always go thru the same side first. Mike

Kat, I think Noah thinks I meant putting both needles in the hole at the same time.....which of course I didn't......front needle thru first, pull thread all the way thru, then the back needle.....