BuckeyeGuy Report post Posted May 3, 2015 Hello Everyone, I am an older retired guy from Ohio. I am interested in guns and knives and other guy stuff. Of course, when you find yourself in need of a holster, or a sheath, or a cell phone cover, it's not always easy on a very small fixed income to just buy or order one. Hence, here I am, introducing myself to you fine folks. I have almost completed my first project, an IWB holster for a revolver. My current project that I had just gotten to the stitching portion, is an iPhone 4 case. So here I am using my awl to punch holes on this bright sunny Sunday (if you recall, I live in Ohio where the sun can be a rarity) and BAM the handle comes off of my Tandy awl! I guess I'll have to make a trip to Tandy Leather tomorrow to replace it. I'm just getting started in leatherwork and as you all know, purchasing the tools to get started can be overwhelming, especially on a fixed budget, so I have made many very recent purchases from Tandy, as well as Hobby Lobby, and Others. I guess I have two questions! Is there a way to repair the awl? And, is there maybe a different suggestion as to the awl to purchase? Sorry for being long winded! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JAZZMAN Report post Posted May 3, 2015 Welcome buckeyeguy, you do not say which awl you have, my guess is if it is a wooden type then yes normally you can fit a new blade by putting the new blade in between two copper coins in a vice and then tapping on the handle. If you take it to tandy i am sure they would help you with this. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tugadude Report post Posted May 4, 2015 They should just replace it for you. Good luck on your new hobby! P.S., if the blade came off because it is getting hung up in the leather, it needs to be sharpened most likely. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
terrypen Report post Posted May 4, 2015 Hey welcome to the club!!! I know what you mean about about the fixed income and these tools will nickel and dime ya to death!!! Assuming you are talking about a diamond awl, then what Tugadude said is probably correct.... I had to polish my C.S. Osborne diamond awl quite a bit, now I have to be careful that I don't go too far through the leather. I would think Tandy would replace it if it's not too old or beat up. Good luck Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
camano ridge Report post Posted May 4, 2015 I agree with the above if it is a recent purchase they should replace it. If not and you want to stay with that awl, fill the hole with epoxy and force the blade back in as deep as you can. If you have to buy a new one I would recommend the one with a ferule this will allow you to change awl blades when needed. Whether you stay with the old awl or get a new one you will need to sharpen the blade. Even new ones from Tandy do not come sharp enough. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BuckeyeGuy Report post Posted May 4, 2015 Thanks guys for being so gracious and informative. I plan to head out to Tandy this morning. I sat here thinking for a moment (yes I know thinking can be dangerous lol) and I seem to recall it was more difficult on this project to push the awl through. I guess I thought maybe it was something to do with the leather. I am using 7 to 9 oz veg tan. I bought a shoulder while on sale at Tandy. So maybe it was the fact the awl was dull. I had not considered that. I hate being a newbie! But then again it's so much fun lol! The awl that I have is the Tandy 3217-00 scratch awl. I think it was like $4 or $5. May I ask what are some of the ways you sharpen them? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
camano ridge Report post Posted May 4, 2015 Ok, if you are going to Tandy, you do not want a scratch all you want a Diamond awl (the blade has a diamond profile) A diamond profile gives you the best hole for stitching it will also go through thicker leather (if sharp) easier then a scratch all. A scratch awl is round you only have a fine point at the end to pierce the leather then you have to force the rest of the shaft through to open the hole. Also while you are at Tandy get a piece of bees wax. Rub the blade of the awl on the bees wax you will find it goes through the leather easier. If the blade starts to drag rub it on the bees was again. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JAZZMAN Report post Posted May 4, 2015 Hey buckeye, it sounds like you need a bit of help with regards to sewing, as camano said above you need a diamond awl for stitching, if you have not seen them yet look up Nigel armitage on you tube, he is a master leatherworker and he has some fantastic videos about hand sewing leather. Hope they help, it can be frustrating being new to any craft but stick with it and the rewards will come. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zuludog Report post Posted May 4, 2015 I'm sure there will be several helpful replies here. You could also put 'leather awl' into the search box of YouTube. But it shouldn't be too difficult to make the hole on the haft smaller by fitting a sliver of wood then fit the blade, according to the method given in books, videos or elsewhere on this forum Something else to consider is using a stitching chisel. This is essentially a set of prongs like awl blades on a handle, the whole thing is a single piece of steel. You hammer it into the leather and probably won't need an awl, or perhaps just to tidy things up. A 4 prong with 3 mm spacing should get you started. Have a look at Tandy's website, they seem to be about $12 to $14 There is a good video on YouTube about them. Put 'Armitage Leather' into the search box then scroll around to find 'Pricking Iron Review Part 1 Tandy'. Just read your second post. A scratch awl, aka round awl, is used mainly for marking out patterns on leather, or teasing out existing holes. To make holes for sewing you need a saddler's awl, aka harness awl, which has the slightly flattened blade, often called a diamond or rhomboid cross section. Don't get the 4-in-1 adjustable awl. It's not very good, and is quite expensive. As you have a round awl, all you need is a saddler's awl. See if you can have a browse round this forum, or YouTube. As you are able to get to a Tandy store, don't just buy something straight away, explain what you want to do and if the staff are any good they should take the time to have a chat and advise you. If you can get to a Tandy store I assume you live near a decent sized town, so ask at the library if they have any books on leathercraft. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
terrypen Report post Posted May 4, 2015 The awl that I have is the Tandy 3217-00 scratch awl. I think it was like $4 or $5. May I ask what are some of the ways you sharpen them? What everyone else said! On a budget, I would/did buy the Finesse stitching chisels from Springfield Leather. I still had to polish them up a bit but I am happy with them and they are inexpensive. Not the same quality as the high dollar ones but they work and have improved my stitching tremendously. I would also buy some Tiger thread, it is tons better than the stuff Tandy sells. Hope this helps! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gmace99 Report post Posted May 4, 2015 try putting a match stick or two in the hole the blade came out . then tap the handle back on to your blade Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BuckeyeGuy Report post Posted May 5, 2015 Thanks for all of the great tips! So, I go to Tandy and looked around at the awls (and of course a lot of of things) and the young man that has been assisting me showed me the handle with the ferrule, and said I can buy the diamond shaped blade for it that totals about $23.00. If you agree that it is OK and I don't have to buy the $70.00 Pro model, then I'll try to squeeze it out of my next check. So, I was told that they were out of the scratch awls, and will order it from another store. They will exchange this one when it comes in probably on Wednesday. A week after, I may be able to purchase a diamond awl. The awl I have worked great on the holster I made. I saddle stitched it. I took it with me to Tandy for their thoughts and he was really impressed which surprised me. I told him of the countless hours I put in on utube. Sorry to say I have not yet watched much of Nigel, which I will remedy. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zuludog Report post Posted May 5, 2015 (edited) I've been reading your last post, above, and also looking at Tandy USA's website, and there's something I can't follow. I think perhaps you or I have made a misunderstanding. Craftool Pro Diamond Awl Blade # 8302 - 01 or 02 or 03 is $24 - 99 each. But that is for the blade ONLY. You will also need the handle, called a 'haft' - Craftool Pro Diamond Awl Haft # 83021 - 00 is $39 - 99 So the total cost will be about $65 I suggest you consider getting the following:- Stitching Awl With 1 1/4" Blade #31218 - 01 is $16 - 99 Proline Diamond Stitching Chisel, 4 - prong, 1/8"/3 mm spacing # 88045 - 04 is $13 - 99. This can be used to make holes through the leather, or just as a pricking iron to mark the positions & spacing, then follow up with the awl. You can start with an ordinary hammer but the steel head will burr over the end of the tool, so you should get a wooden, or hide, or plastic mallet asap. Don't get a rubber one as it will bounce too much. Or improvise yourself, with any lump of wood Cheaper still is to make up your own sewing awl. I have seen the blades on Tandy's website for about $5 to $6. In Britain you can get the handles/hafts for less than £3, say $5, so I assume they will be similarly available in USA. Ask around and shop around.. You might already have something you can use as a haft - an old screwdriver; an old kitchen tool; cut down the end of a broken hammer handle, and so on Even if an awl blade is described as ready sharpened you will almost certainly have to do the final polishing yourself, using P600 to P800 grade wet & dry paper followed by a polishing compound. There are lots of threads here, and videos on YouTube on sharpening an awl. Just use any scrap of leather or stiff glossy card till you have a strop. They are easy enough to make yourself. Plus, of course, get your new, exchanged, scratch awl Edited May 5, 2015 by zuludog Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
camano ridge Report post Posted May 5, 2015 (edited) Buckeyeguy, this is the Tandy awl that I use http://www.tandyleather.com/en-usd/search/searchresults/3318-01.aspx This is the awl blade I use http://www.tandyleather.com/en-usd/search/searchresults/3319-05.aspx I have used this set up for over 5 years. I make several holsters and belts a month and everything I do is hand stitched. I only use that awl, and I have another of the same blade chucked in a garage sale drill press that i use when I am doing belts. The awl blade will take a little polishing on a stone but once you have done that you should be good to go. I have not found a need to get the pro series. You can see my work on facebook https://www.facebook.com/CamanoRidgeCustomLeather?fref=ts or my pinterest page https://www.pinterest.com/kreimans/camano-ridge-custom-leather/ everything you see on those pages were hand sewn using the Tandy awl. There are lots of awls out there and they all have good an bad points. However if that is the one you can afford it should work for your needs. Edited May 5, 2015 by camano ridge Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BuckeyeGuy Report post Posted May 5, 2015 Zuludog and Camano Ridge, thank you again for such awesome responses. I certainly do not want to leave out the rest of the guys that have offered such invaluable information. I feel blessed with all of you. Prior to my health issues when I was working, I had a few extra dollars that I could have gone out from week to week and get what I needed, within reason. Now however, it is a much different story. I am going month to month pretty much existing in a one bedroom apartment. It's been 3 years since my quintuple bypass and about one year since they determined the damage to my heart and put in a defibrillator. Such is life! Anyway, after the bouts with depression and other things I decided that this leather working thing might be good for me. And it is! I think the best part is meeting such kind and giving people as yourselves. After a lot of years, I can say that most folks do not like to freely offer information. I have found I think one of the only forums that are opposite to that. Thank you again! Camano Rigde, that haft was the exact one the guy at Tandy showed me. May I ask why you went with the small blade rather than one of the others? My guess is the size of the thread and number of holes per inch. Boy, I wish I had a drill press. You should have seen the mess I made of the iPhone case I made with my imitation Dremel trying to even the edges. Well, again long winded. Sorry! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
camano ridge Report post Posted May 5, 2015 The short blade has less flex then longer ones. It is just personal preference. I make knife sheaths another items that can be 3/4" of an inch or more and I have no problem making my holes with the shorter blade. Again it is the only one I use and it works fine for me. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
billybopp Report post Posted May 5, 2015 I use a shorter blade as well. It seems a little easier to control to me. For the same movement of the wrist, a longer blade will move a greater distance. I also prefer a broader tip profile for my awl, which I find helpful in getting the angle just right with holes marked from a pricking iron or chisel. Bill Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zuludog Report post Posted May 5, 2015 (edited) BuckeyeGuy; considering the health problems you have described I'm sure we all congratulate and admire you for starting any hobby that requires some sort of physical activity. My physical health isn't too bad, though I have diabetes, but I, too suffered from depression when I was made redundant. I am mostly free from it now but i always have the feeling that it is still over my shoulder; so yes, it is good to have some hobby that you can lose yourself in. See if you can get a book on leathercraft, perhaps secondhand from Ebay or Amazon. Otherwise work your way through this forum and/or YouTube. You don't need a powered edge burnisher, you can get a hand one, or cut a couple of grooves in a piece of old hammer handle and polish it up. This is a tip I was shown by a professional saddler. Take a piece of scrap leather about one inch square and about 6 to 8 oz. Treat the edge of your work with your usual finish, say gum trag & Edgecote, or just beeswax. Fold over the leather piece, hold it down with your fingers, and rub it along. It's slow, but free. The more you use it, the better it gets. Speaking of beeswax, even if you use prewaxed thread, beeswax is handy for topping up, and for various little jobs in leatherwork, and is cheap enough. Nigel Armitage has a video - 'How To Make A Simple Hand Made Wallet'. Obviously on a wallet, but it is also a good guide to simple, easy leatherwork, and you have something useful. It includes edge finishing and using a hand slicker, towards the end. You might be able to sell them to get a bit of pocket money. If you have a Dremel you can use 1.5 mm drills to make stitch holes. Purists might not like it, but it's easy, and does the job. You might find these websites useful. http://www.britishblades.com they have a section in the forum on leatherwork; sections on finished knives often show their sheaths as well http://brisa.fi Mainly a supplier of knifemaking blades & materials, but also tutorials on sheath making http://bowstock.co.uk A British supplier of leathercraft tolos and materials. They have some good tutorials on basic techniques on their website, including a comparison of leather measurements Sometimes the links don't work, but it's worth putting them into your search engine (Google!) manually Edited May 5, 2015 by zuludog Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TinkerTailor Report post Posted May 6, 2015 (edited) Ok, if you are going to Tandy, you do not want a scratch all you want a Diamond awl (the blade has a diamond profile) A diamond profile gives you the best hole for stitching it will also go through thicker leather (if sharp) easier then a scratch all. A scratch awl is round you only have a fine point at the end to pierce the leather then you have to force the rest of the shaft through to open the hole. Also while you are at Tandy get a piece of bees wax. Rub the blade of the awl on the bees wax you will find it goes through the leather easier. If the blade starts to drag rub it on the bees was again. As a leather worker on a budget i suggest looking at what Tandy has and then finding/making as many tools and supplies elsewhere as possible. Hardware stores have scratch awls for woodwork for cheap. Flea markets and used tool stores also sometimes have awls. If you are on the way by, stop in and check. I got a pound of organic beeswax for 11 dollars at a dollar/craft store. Tandy sells an ounce block for $6.30 CAD. That is $100 dollars a pound. Candle supply places are $10-20/lb. They also sell blue nitrile gloves, 6pack is $7.50. Drug store, 100 pack is $8.99. Tandy has the wax marked up 1000 percent profit and the gloves 1500 percent profit over standard retail for these products.....eat that with your toast..... Edited May 6, 2015 by TinkerTailor Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BuckeyeGuy Report post Posted May 17, 2015 Hi Guys! Well, I'm back! I picked up a few things with my recent allotment. I'm not quite sure how the bills will be getting paid this month but I can stand the loss of a little weight. Anyway, I went to Tandy. I purchased their basic awl haft along with the small diamond shaped awl. When I got home I tried it on a piece of leather. It was rather difficult to get it through as well as disfiguring the leather. I stopped it on leather with some jewelry rouge for a while and it made a difference. I know if I were to work at it longer it would be even better. I did not get a pricking iron. I wish I were able but maybe next month. I am making a knife sheath for a knife I bought back in 1981 from a guy just getting started (actually I bought 3 different knives from him).The sheath it came in (he said he was not a sheath maker) had copper rivets. The knife of course has some brass. Well, as you can imagine, there was a lustrous green buildup in places. Hence, the current sheath project! Making the stitch holes through the area with the welt is giving me some difficulty. I'm wondering if maybe my awl is still not sharp enough. I really have not wanted to take a hammer to the awl. I tried it with bees wax to no avail. I do have a drill press, and I'm aware of issues with the exit holes, so that makes me a little Leary. Any ideas are always welcome! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
billybopp Report post Posted May 18, 2015 Most tools that you buy, including awls, need at least some sharpening before they are truly usable. Some need more than others. Check out this video by Nigel Armitage for some pointers ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvY9beqObiQ Remember as you sharpen that you will also be shaping the awl's profile to shape it the way you like. I prefer a broader tip than what Nigel shows in the above video. I find the broader tip is helpful in getting the angle just exactly right. Bill Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BuckeyeGuy Report post Posted May 18, 2015 Hi Billy thanks for your reply. I purchased the exact carbide stone as Nigel's. Of course I do not have the ceramic/diamond stone so I used some green paste and some jeweler so rouge to sharpen my awl. It is still a problem getting through the 3 layers of shoulder although it is a dream getting through one or two layers now. May I ask you to explain a little about you like a 'broader tip than Nigel'? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
camano ridge Report post Posted May 18, 2015 Buckeyeguy. You don't have to put the awl through all three layers at one time. for instance if you are doing a sheath. lay out your stitch line or groove, mark your holes and punchy your holes in the front of the sheath. now glue the welt and back of sheath in place insert the awl in the holes on the front of the sheath and poke through the other two layers. If you int end to use a drill press. I have a bench top drill press I bought at a garage sale for cheap, it is unpluged, I have a awl blade chucked in it and a piece of leather glued on the drill press table to that my project does not lay on the metal when poking holes. I put another loose piece of leather between the the table and the project when I punch my hole the tip of the awl goes into the loose piece of leather. I end up with a clean hole and no pucker around the exit hole. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BuckeyeGuy Report post Posted May 18, 2015 Camano, That drill press tip is SUPER! Thank you! Man, the sharpened awl blade in my drill press made short work with those holes. There is a portion of the switch in the drill press you pull out and the power is disabled. Which I did (to stay politically correct). Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
billybopp Report post Posted May 19, 2015 Here is a photo showing some of the things I was talking about. The left awl is one of the Tandy all-in-one that I bought before I knew any better. Dull as a butter-knife from the packaging, and much too much taper for me. With that much taper in the blade, you have to control the depth carefully, and with thick leather, one side will have a hole considerably larger than the other. It is also fairly long so that it's a little harder to position the tip when your wrist moves around. It does, however have a relatively broad tip that makes it easier to find the correct angle when using pricking irons. To the far right is, If I remember correctly, an Osborne awl. The blade is relatively long and very narrow at the tip. The length can make for larger movement at the tip with every movement of your wrist. The narrow tip till give no real help in finding the center of the slit, nor help with the angle of the awl when using a pricking iron. And yet, over all width of the blade is comparable to the small Seiwa to the left. The middle three are Seiwa awls. They are relatively short blades to help with tip control. The blades are straight sided once past the tip, so the hole is consistent on both sides. The broad tip also helps to align with the marks made by a pricking iron. One would think that the Osborne tip, being so pointy would penetrate more easily, but there turns out to be very little if any difference. Bill Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
