pete Report post Posted March 27, 2012 I don't have a machine and I hand sew everything. MOST of my work is sunglass cases wallets, belts, and photo albums. Almost all of my products are 4/5-8/9 oz with an occasional 12/oz belt. I am going to contact Bob Douglas and buy a blade. I will stick it into the c.s. osborne that I got at at Tandy but I need to know what will work the best regarding the different shapes and sizes and lengths. There MUST be a "standard" out there if I only had one. PLEASE???!!!!???? pete Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tntsl Report post Posted March 30, 2012 Hey Pete, I don't have a machine either and I too do mostly small cases, sheaths, etc. I have both the regular and slim Douglas awl blades and they are both top notch. I've purchased harness awl blades online but I haven't been able to figure out what the various size numbers mean. I bought the smallest number harness awl I could find and it was still quite a bit bigger than the Bob Douglas blades. I've found the regular Douglas works fine for up to 8 stitches per inch and I've used the slim for 8 and 10 stitches per inch. The slim would probably work fine down to 12 spi but I've never had a reason to try it. Based solely on my experience trying the harness awl blades, I would recommend just getting one or both Douglas blades because they are sized right and come super sharp and ready to use. If you can only get one Douglas blade, I'd recommend the regular size for the types of projects you mentioned provided you're using a heavier thread like 6 cord linen. If you use smaller thread, than the smaller Douglas blade would be a better bet. I don't consider myself an expert by any means but this is my 2 cents based on my experience so far. T I don't have a machine and I hand sew everything. MOST of my work is sunglass cases wallets, belts, and photo albums. Almost all of my products are 4/5-8/9 oz with an occasional 12/oz belt. I am going to contact Bob Douglas and buy a blade. I will stick it into the c.s. osborne that I got at at Tandy but I need to know what will work the best regarding the different shapes and sizes and lengths. There MUST be a "standard" out there if I only had one. PLEASE???!!!!???? pete Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pete Report post Posted March 30, 2012 69 views and ONE answer!! Thanks so much. That really helped. pete Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bluesman Report post Posted March 30, 2012 Pete, Why not call Sprinfield leather and tell them what your looking for. I have the same questions, but haven't asked them as sewing is in the future for me. Good point, tons of views and no answers. Most likely guests. Jon Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
