Is My Awl Still Too Dull? Photos

[lightingale]

I'm still struggling to sew through 2 layers of 8-9oz leather. I have no experience sharpening tools but did my best on the sharpening stone as per Stohlman's instructions. I think it's gotten a little better but I still have to wriggle it to get it through, resulting in large ugly holes in one side.

I've attached photos of my awl and the big sewing holes. Is my awl still as dull as a toothpick? I don't know what a perfect awl blade SHOULD look like.

Edited May 15, 2012 by lightingale

[Chavez]

Let me guess... Tandy 4-in-1?

If it is, then you should change the diamond awl bit for a scratching awl and never use it to punch holes for stitching again. Then throw the 2 diamond awl bits away and buy a good quality awl from a reputable tool maker.

Otherwise you'll spend hours shaping & stropping the 4-in-1 diamond bit just to end up with a poor tool anyway.

[lightingale]

Let me guess... Tandy 4-in-1?

Guilty as charged.

I ordered an Osborne awl last week but it's not in yet... figured the Tandy one should be at least serviceable for learning. Guess not! Thanks for the confirmation.

Geez, is everything from Tandy crap? I already scrapped my Eco-Flo (Tandy) stuff for Fiebing's. HUGE difference. The only things I still use from my starters' kit are the mallet, the modelling tool and the swivel knife which I'd like to replace with a Barry King one soon. hehe.

[Chavez]

I think all of us, newbies, fell into the "kit" trap at least once. My eco-flo all-in-one is also scrapped=) So are fiebing's dye prep & edge kote. So are the starter stamps, mallet and the swivel knife. The overstitch wheel is still in use though=)

The kit stuff is ok to try leatherwork out but if you want any semi-decent results, you need to upgrade. Looking back, I'd never spend £1-2k on tools to try them out half a year ago. Now when I know that I'm taking leatherwork further, I don't mind investing into quality tools & hoping that I'll recover some of the costs with sales.

The 4-in-1 awl is ok as a scratch awl. I use it to widen the stitching holes for backstitching or double stitching (a diamond awl is more likely to cut the thread if you use it this way).

Replacing the swivel knife helps a lot by the way=)

[pete]

For one thing your awl cuts are not in the proper position. Imagine a slanted rectangle cut. The top right and bottom "points" should be along parallel lines if you were to draw them on the leather. Hard to explain but search here for hand sewing and look closely at the angle at which the awl pierces.

pete

[lightingale]

For one thing your awl cuts are not in the proper position. Imagine a slanted rectangle cut. The top right and bottom "points" should be along parallel lines if you were to draw them on the leather. Hard to explain but search here for hand sewing and look closely at the angle at which the awl pierces.

pete

You're right about the angle... I should have had Ann Stohlman's book out for reference. Lots of things to keep in mind when it's not muscle-memory yet , that was my first attempt at hand sewing ever. I think I may mark the awl haft so I know exactly how to orient it for next time (arrow points up!). Good thing this was on scrap, and I'm too PO-ed at my awl to continue. New awl will be here in 2 days :D

*edited for spelling*

Edited May 15, 2012 by lightingale

[WinterBear]

I actually took the Tandy awl (not the 4-in-1, but the flat-sided awl haft with the small Tandy diamond awl blade in the chuck) and ground it down a little thinner or a stone, then resharpened the edges (they don't come nearly sharp enough). When I sew using the awl, I place a block of beeswax on the backside of where I want to push through (helps me get a clean punch, plus lubricates the blade). The blade is sharp enough I don't have to wiggle. When pushing through, I line up the top of the awl on a line I've lightly marked, with the short side of the diamond aligned at the top, and the longer sides at an angle. Sort of like so:

(sorry, spelling error!)

Edited May 15, 2012 by WinterBear

[ramrod]

you're going to want your awl to be crazy sharp. it works extremely well that way. i also fell into the "kit" trap, but the awl has worked out very well for me. i've also got a bunch of roof deck screws - very hard and rust resistant. i've been making my awls out of them. they throw a lot of sparks from the grinding wheel, but they sharpen quite well and i can buff them to a mirror finish after sharpening them.

yeah, you're gonna want to get something of a bit higher quality...and don't be afraid to put an edge on it or change the profile of it if you need to. make it work for you.

[TwinOaks]

As I've posted before, your awl should be sharp enough to get at least halfway through your finger before you feel it. When you sharpen the awl, concentrate on the tip, not so much the sides. Also be sure that if you really give it a work out on a stone....you finished by pushing the blade instead of pulling it. When dealing with a very fine edge, it's quite possible to get the metal thin enough that it actually rolls to one side. This little piece of metal is called the 'burr'. Sharpening away from the edge/tip can leave that burr and it will fold over in a heart beat. Finally, after you do all your profiling and sharpening, STROP it. This will polish out the very fine striations left from the stone, resulting in a very smooth face(s) of the blade.

A quick test is to LIGHTLY drag the tip across a finger or thumb. If you can feel the individual ridges of your finger prints, you're almost there.

[Bluesman]

I picked up the Osborne awl. Better than the Tandy but still needs to be sharpened on a stone. FWIW, like said above, go to a Good Tool Maker and spend the money on a Good Awl. Sheriden Leather has the Douglas Awls. They aren't cheap, but they're sharp and they work.

Jon

[Anacott Steel]

1337220172[/url]' post='248147']

I picked up the Osborne awl. Better than the Tandy but still needs to be sharpened on a stone. FWIW, like said above, go to a Good Tool Maker and spend the money on a Good Awl. Sheriden Leather has the Douglas Awls. They aren't cheap, but they're sharp and they work.

Jon

Jon - you go for the stitching awl or harness awl ?

Looking at both on the Osborne site, I would have picked the harness awl to punch diamond shaped holes. HOWEVER the name "stitching" awl has thrown me because I wan't to make holes so I can "stitch" right ??

[Bluesman]

Jon - you go for the stitching awl or harness awl ?

Looking at both on the Osborne site, I would have picked the harness awl to punch diamond shaped holes. HOWEVER the name "stitching" awl has thrown me because I wan't to make holes so I can "stitch" right ??

Really depends on what you are stiching. Call Sheriden they'll get it right.

[lightingale]

Osborne awl is in. HUGE improvement, even though all I did to sharpen it was strop it. The blade itself is considerably thinner, which seems to make it a lot easier to push through than the thick Tandy awl. The one I got was this one: Osborne #144 Stitching Awl. Keeping the parallel lines, the stitching looked even with no gaping holes. The only downside is that I can't fit both needles in at the same time, but with consistent attention to which needle goes first and where the thread lies the stitches looked good. Backstitching was a little difficult (had to use needlenose pliers to get the needles through) perhaps I need smaller needles.

I've heard people say the Osborne awl is "meh", so I can imagine what a difference a "real" awl will make over this one

(Trying to save up for Barry King's tools first, gosh the tool expenses add up quickly!)