Learning stitching and buying my first awl

[Cavediver]

Hello all,

After a few simple no-sew projects, I've decided I should learn to stitch.  I've watched a couple of videos, have the Stohlman book on order, and now it's time to buy an awl.

 

I've read enough to know I should avoid Tandy and the other inexpensive version, so I'm looking at the Barry King hafts and blades (available from the same source).  

Good choice for a first tool, or should I pick something else?

Which one?  I have medium sized hands (7.5" tip to wrist).  My guess is the small haft with the flat side, but if someone has a better idea, I'm all ears!

Blade: Are the Barry King blades good for a beginner, or should I bite the shipping bullet and make a second order from Bob Douglas?

Blade size?  I'm working with small-ish projects (journal cover or smaller) and using ~5oz leather , 2-3 layers.  Also, will one small blade cover most small to medium projects, or will I need more than one type?

 

Thanks!

[Ornito]

Mastering the awl is a little harder than using a pricking iron (or chisel...)

It depends from the project...

I personally use the awl in between some hard passages, where the iron would not a good choice.

Stitching with the awl it takes longer than piercing the leather with an iron (and proceeding with the stitching without worring about almost anything) At least at the beginning,  and it is a bit hard to keep a perfect stitching line. 

in terms of pure cosmetic, there is nothing beautiful than stitches made with a pricking iron (by Dixon) and the awl.

everything IMHO, of course.

[zuludog]

Traditionally you make your own awl by buying  a separate awl blade and haft, then mounting and sharpening them yourself. This is a right pain, and will take a year off your life. I strongly recommend that you get one that is ready to use, and to buy the best you can afford. Even if you get stitching chisels, the two tools you will use mostly in leatherwork are an awl and a knife

Even if it is ready for use you will still need a strop to sharpen it occasionally

To save wear & blood on your fingertips, support/back your stitching with a champagne cork till you gain experience; that is yer actual cork, not the plastic things that come with cheap fizz. Try to push & pull the awl in a straight line, and resist the temptation to waggle it about as you remove it

For the thickness of leather you are using get a small awl, then others as you need them

Don't know which videos you've been watching, but those by Nigel Armitage and Ian Atkinson are good, and on other aspects of leatherwork too.

[battlemunky]

I have the Craftool (from Tandy) and some old unnamed awl and they both work. I really do want a Barry King though, mainly so I can see if it is that much better. I did have to put in a little effort to sharpen the Craftool one when it was brand new, but it was a good exercise.

I would almost say to go with the cheaper Tandy stuff for right now. If you find you aren't into stitching then you are only out a few bucks. 

Advice on using the awl, get a stitching pony too. It makes all the difference being able to have both your hands. More often than I care to remember have I had a beautiful row of stitching on one side and then on the other side end up with what looks like an old farm fence, crooked as a witch's teeth. What appears as straight in your hands is not what appears straight when it is clamped and held firm.

[YinTx]

Don't let the videos fool you.  Stitchin ain't easy.  And to get a really pretty stitch with an awl requires a lot of practice.  And a lot of different blades to figure out what size and style goes with which pricking iron, and which one you like the best.  From that perspective, unless you absolutely know you will be stitching a lot by hand, consider a very inexpensive awl to start with.  If you like it, then you have something to base your more expensive purchase off of.  If you start off with a $100+ awl and blade combo, only to find stitching isn't for you, you are going to be out some $$ and have to make a sale to get some back.

I have a Tandy awl blade, and still use it on occasion.  I also have an Osborne handle that won't hold a blade to save it's life, so it never gets used.  My favorite blade is a Rasche, probably 70+ years old.  The one I use the most, I broke, which was a Vergez Blanchard.  I miss it, but I have too many awls now to justify buying another!

Of course, you could be one of those gifted enough to make great stitches from the get go... in which case, by all means, get the nice one right away!

YinTx

[bikermutt07]

I started with the craft tool pro. I still think it's a good little awl.

I have since lucked into a few from people on this site who do turning on a lathe. They are awesome.

[zuludog]

Ah yes, I'd forgotten the Craftool Pro Awl

I have tried this at a Tandy store, and I think it's  quite good, at about $30. Certainly you should have no problems using this on the type of leather you have described

I didn't buy it as I have 3 other awls, but I would certainly consider it if I needed another awl

Tandy Craftool Pro Stitching Awl #83020-00.  About $30, or less if you use their discount scheme. You have to buy in to the scheme, but if you are starting out it's worth considering as there will be a lot of things you need to get, both tools & materials, and you will probably recover the cost

Ask around if you know anyone who does woodwork; you could probably get a pony made for oddments for next to nothing

[Cavediver]

Thanks all.

Some good points to consider!

I've been looking at stitching chisels and know that's the easier route for a beginner, however I figured I'd also need to know how to do it by hand in some cases; hence the decision to buy a decent awl.  I've got my eye on a cheaper set of chisels from ebay, and maybe a couple of Seiwa chisels once I figure out my size requirements.

I'm pretty close to a Tandy store, so I'll skip out at lunch one day this week and check out the Craftool awl.    While I prefer the idea of a replaceable blade, the $30 price tag is certainly more appealing than the $75 version, especially since this is just the beginning of a hobby I may or may not keep...  

I've got plenty of wood working tools on hand, and have a plan to put a stitching pony together this weekend.  On that same note, I'd turn my own haft, but I have no idea what a good stitching awl should feel like in the hand (what features it should have, size, balance, etc).  That's why I figured I'd start with a pro model and then make my own if or when I needed another.

 

 

To your points Ornito and YinTx, I know this isn't going to be an easy ride.  Most things worth doing well take a lot of time, practice, and patience.  I have one out of those three on any given day; hopefully I'll be able to muster the other two from time to time and learn how to make some nice looking stitches 

[zuludog]

CAVEDIVER  Here are a few points for you to consider, as if you weren't confused enough already!

As when buying anything off Ebay, do your research first - caveat emptor!  Seiwa are a decent make, but Tandy's Craftool Pro chisels are also fairly good. If you're going to a Tandy store anyway, why not get a 4-prong 3mm spacing one to get you started. You can improve cheaper stitching chisels by polishing the prongs on a strop, or make a very small file by glueing some 600 grit wet & dry paper to a sliver of wood or aluminium. Then lubricate them with beeswax as you use them. To hit chisels you will need a soft hammer of some kind - wood, nylon, hide, brass or whatever. You can use a steel hammer at first, but replace it asap or it will damage the ends of the chisels

I don't like replaceable blade awls as - they don't seem to grip the blade well enough, and it keeps pulling out when I try to remove it from the leather, especially on thicker leather; they are more expensive. If you're thinking of using the same haft for several blades, you will find that you are constantly swapping around. Unless you really want some exotic wood, just get a cheap haft for a fixed blade, it will be good enough

Hafts come in 2 basic styles; a bulb or pear shape, and with a neck or waist to help you hold the awl in your spare fingers while you sew. This is considered the best technique, but it takes practice, so if you are only sewing smallish items the bulb shape is OK - just put it down as I, and I'm sure many other leatherworkers do

Have a look on supplier's websites and YouTube, you'll soon see the sort of size & shape for awl hafts; or buy the Craftool and take it from there when you make your own. I've just measured my hafts- one is 95mm long X 29 mm dia at its widest; the other two are 90mm X 28mm. But the best size is the size that suits you

The key to good leatherwork is to have very sharp tools. You can make a strop from oddments of wood & leather, there's loads of information on this forum & YouTube, it will be just about the easiest & cheapest piece of leatherwork you'll ever do. But treat yourself to some proper stropping compound.

Have a look at this website www.bowstock.co.uk On the home page, top right corner there are some tips & tutorials for leatherwork, including a comparison chart of leather thicknesses

Edited October 4, 2017 by zuludog

[Danne]

6 hours ago, Cavediver said:

Thanks all.

Some good points to consider!

I've been looking at stitching chisels and know that's the easier route for a beginner, however I figured I'd also need to know how to do it by hand in some cases; hence the decision to buy a decent awl.  I've got my eye on a cheaper set of chisels from ebay, and maybe a couple of Seiwa chisels once I figure out my size requirements.

I'm pretty close to a Tandy store, so I'll skip out at lunch one day this week and check out the Craftool awl.    While I prefer the idea of a replaceable blade, the $30 price tag is certainly more appealing than the $75 version, especially since this is just the beginning of a hobby I may or may not keep...  

I've got plenty of wood working tools on hand, and have a plan to put a stitching pony together this weekend.  On that same note, I'd turn my own haft, but I have no idea what a good stitching awl should feel like in the hand (what features it should have, size, balance, etc).  That's why I figured I'd start with a pro model and then make my own if or when I needed another.

 

 

To your points Ornito and YinTx, I know this isn't going to be an easy ride.  Most things worth doing well take a lot of time, practice, and patience.  I have one out of those three on any given day; hopefully I'll be able to muster the other two from time to time and learn how to make some nice looking stitches 

 

An alternative to Seiwa could be the one from leathercrafttools, they look very similar to Seiwa, and the price is good.

https://leathercrafttools.com/tools/punch/diamond-hole-punch/list

 

[Ornito]

10 hours ago, Danne said:

 

An alternative to Seiwa could be the one from leathercrafttools, they look very similar to Seiwa, and the price is good.

https://leathercrafttools.com/tools/punch/diamond-hole-punch/list

 

I

Seiwa have also chisels with "European profile" wich aren't diamond shape, for a resulting , IMOH, better looking stitches.

[Cavediver]

So, an update...

I bought an awl from Tandy so I could practice my sharpening...  I've got the blade cleaned up pretty well, but still need to work on the point and transition; I think the blade gets too wide too fast, making penetration more difficult than it needs to be.  I tacked the  Stohlman Hand Sewing book on to that order so I could have a visual reference on hand while I'm learning.

I'm in the middle of my DIY stitching pony with cam lock.  I need to pick up a hinge this week.

I bought some John James #002 and #004 harness needles plus some Tiger Thread from Rocky Mountain Leather Supply.  

As I'm not 100% sure I can get that Tandy awl where it needs to be, I opted to add a King #0 awl blade to the RM order...  It'll give me a good idea of what sharp really is, and I'll make my own haft for it after I figure out what I am doing. 

 

Tanks again for all of the advice.  I'm going to practice with this for a bit while I make up my mind between pricking irons and diamond chisels.  Maybe in a week or three I'll have a better idea about where I want to go with all of this nonsense!

[battlemunky]

Good luck with that....been about 4 years for me and I still have no direction. Its a good thing this is a hobby right now or else my business would have failed a long time ago. I'm loving going wherever the current takes me though.

[bikermutt07]

I think you did well on your choices.

On the stitching chisel\iron note.

Wuta has some cheaper diamond chisels available on Amazon. They are fine.

If I was doing this all over again I would probably buy the crimson hide pricking chisels. They are a cool hybrid between the two styles.