What kind of awl do I need?

texaswoodworker · November 22, 2013, 10:15:57 PM

I was wondering what kind of awl would be best for hand sewing holsters. I was reading the book "How to Make Holsters" by Al Stohlman, and it suggests using a harness/saddlers awl which appears to be diamond shaped. I have a regular round awl. Would that be fine, or would the saddlers saw suit me better?

Thanks.

Camano Ridge · November 22, 2013, 10:50:26 PM

A diamond awl is believed to give you the best hole. Because of the way it is made in the leather there is some self healing that gives a smaller tighter looking hole. The next question you will be asking is who has the best diamond awl. That will be one of those questions that you will have to answer because most will have chosen what works for them either by maker or by price.
Douglas Awls sold by Sheridan leather are believed by some to be the best. I have one and it works fine, the big advantage is that htey come very sharp. The big disatvantage is the halft is $75.00 and the awl blade is $27.00 ( ihave one because I got it used for under $50 with blade). The one that I use most is a $10.00 one from Tandy the big disatvantage is they are not all thaat sharp when you get them. After sharpening and honing a bit it works great. I also have a $2.75 awl blade chuck in a drill press that does not get pluged in, it is great for pre punching a lot of stitch holes. What ever awl you go with the most important thing is to learn to sharpen it.

texaswoodworker · November 23, 2013, 12:47:42 AM

Thanks for the info.

I went ahead and ordered an older awl (the kind with a chuck), and a tandy diamond blade to get me going.

Is there a particular way they need to be sharpened?

Camano Ridge · November 23, 2013, 07:42:01 AM

You will neeed to sharpen the tandy blade when you get it. I am on my way to teach a class today when I get back I will find a tutorial on sharpening a diamond awl. I think if you go to leatherworker.net forums and look in the how to you will find a tutorial on sharpening that I think includes awl blades. here you go I was able to find a you tube video for you

WaddWatsonEllis · November 23, 2013, 08:12:40 AM

Hi,

I 'sharpen' my awl on the concrete every couple of strokes ... the point of the note on 'sharpening' is that it is not some kind of rocket science ....

TTFN,

Sgt. C.J. Sabre · November 23, 2013, 08:45:06 AM

Guys, I have to admit that I cheat on this one. Even though it's not correct for the period, I make my holes with a dremel tool and a 3/32" bit. The last three holes are 1/8". That way the stitching is tight enough that I don't worry about it coming loose without tying a knot.
It's also MUCH easier on the hands, and it takes only a few minutes.

rickk · November 25, 2013, 07:57:10 AM

A diamond awl punched hole (if punched correctly) will not rip out anywhere near as easily as a round punched hole or a drilled hole.

I sharpen all four sides of mine on a small, flat sharpening stone. You want to maintain the diamond shape.

Slowhand Bob · November 25, 2013, 08:36:28 AM

Once again I 'seam' to be the president of the Chuck Burrows video fan club. He does an exceptionally good job of covering the tools and materials used for hand sewing in his holster and knife sheath videos. Some of us old guys who have spent to many years over stressing our finger joints had to adopt alternate methods of sewing from the traditional taught by AS. By the way, you guys ever notice who was always the one doing that sewing??

Massive · November 26, 2013, 02:24:38 AM

http://www.mainethread.com/Awls_Hafts.html

It is exceedingly easy to make your own awls, since you can use a concrete awl, some drill rod, etc... If you want to grind from stock and not heat treat, you can use stuff like allen keys. For heating the raw stock listed, you can just use a propane torch since the parts are so small. Of course, if the thing you want is available for a few bucks, all the better.

Graveyard Jack · December 03, 2013, 11:00:21 AM

Quote from: Slowhand Bob on November 25, 2013, 08:36:28 AM
Once again I 'seam' to be the president of the Chuck Burrows video fan club. He does an exceptionally good job of covering the tools and materials used for hand sewing in his holster and knife sheath videos. Some of us old guys who have spent to many years over stressing our finger joints had to adopt alternate methods of sewing from the traditional taught by AS. By the way, you guys ever notice who was always the one doing that sewing??

I'll second that!

I got one good and sharp awl blade from Tandy and a couple that weren't. Worked great until the tip bent and broke off. I never could get it sharpened well enough to suit me but then I've always sucked at sharpening blades. So far my favorite by a good margin has been the Douglas but I have mine in an old haft I found at the antique mall. Been wanting to get a flat sided haft from Barry King.

Marshal Will Wingam · December 03, 2013, 03:00:14 PM

My favorite is a Vergez-Blanchard diamond-shaped awl. Mine is a size 38. Siegel used to carry them but I don't see them there anymore. Here's a link to a VB awl but I don't know if it's the same size. http://www.fineleatherworking.com/blanchard-leather-sewing-awl

Here's a picture of mine. If the one advertized is too big, you can always make it smaller on a good stone.

They're not hard to make. Below the VB awl is a pic of one I made. I think I used the softer base part of a drill bit or maybe a screwdriver shaft for the tip. The handle isn't fancy but I tapped a short piece of brass tubing around the tip to keep it from splitting when I drove it in. That probably wasn't necessary but I didn't want to make a second one.