Leather2 Report post Posted July 14, 2021 Hello, I have been making knife sheaths sewing through three layers of 8oz leather. Using a vergez Blanchard 2.45 mm wide diamond awl, 002 John James needles and 0.8 ritza tiger thread. It is so tough to pull the needles through the leather, is the awl size to small? thanks in advance leather2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mike02130 Report post Posted July 14, 2021 John James' needles 004 are smaller and Tiger thread will fit. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Leather2 Report post Posted July 14, 2021 35 minutes ago, mike02130 said: John James' needles 004 are smaller and Tiger thread will fit. This is what I have: Size 2 (002) Length: 54mm / Outer Diameter: 1.0mm Thread Pairing Tiger: 0.8mm Lin Cable: 432, 332 Other Thread: 0.4-0.5mm Corded Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mike02130 Report post Posted July 15, 2021 The 004s are .9mm and shorter. They may not make a difference. I'd try and wiggle the awl in the hole to open it up some and see if that makes a difference. I don't work with 3/8" thick leather but with 1/4" I clamp it in a stitching pony and insert the awl and give it a twist. I'm sure another thick leather worker will chime in with a better answer, but in the meantime--wiggle it. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JayEhl Report post Posted July 19, 2021 I'm not a big awl user and have found just by using the needle to wiggle around the hole makes it plenty big. my .03 worth (accounting for inflation) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tsunkasapa Report post Posted July 19, 2021 I don't do ANYTHING metric, so I have no idea how big your awl is. But it is obvious that you need smaller needles or a larger awl blade. The only time you should have any real difficulty pulling the needle through would be when you back stitch. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mike02130 Report post Posted July 19, 2021 16 minutes ago, tsunkasapa said: I don't do ANYTHING metric, so I have no idea how big your awl is. The awl is as wide as 6 ounce leather is thick. About 3/32". Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tsunkasapa Report post Posted July 20, 2021 At 3/32 there should be no problem pulling 002 needles through. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fredk Report post Posted July 20, 2021 I think if you understand and visualize what goes on may help Your awl blade tapers from the point to its maximum width. You need to get the blade to a part of its maximum width thru the hole, not just a bit of the taper. As soon as you withdraw the blade the leather starts to close back up, thus you need to get your needle into that hole real fast, in fact, as you withdraw the awl blade the needle should be going in and coming out the other side with the awl blade. If you are saddle stitching the second needle should be going in now once the tip of the awl blade is clear of the hole. Now you'll feel resistance to the thread going thru the hole but if the thread is well waxed it'll pull through Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Leather2 Report post Posted July 28, 2021 On 7/19/2021 at 10:16 PM, fredk said: I think if you understand and visualize what goes on may help Your awl blade tapers from the point to its maximum width. You need to get the blade to a part of its maximum width thru the hole, not just a bit of the taper. As soon as you withdraw the blade the leather starts to close back up, thus you need to get your needle into that hole real fast, in fact, as you withdraw the awl blade the needle should be going in and coming out the other side with the awl blade. If you are saddle stitching the second needle should be going in now once the tip of the awl blade is clear of the hole. Now you'll feel resistance to the thread going thru the hole but if the thread is well waxed it'll pull through Thank you, will have to try this Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
