How to Use a Stitching Awl in Leather Work

Use a stitching awl to punch holes in leather along the stitching line. This tool resembles a small ice pick and comes in two parts: the awl (needle) and the haft (handle). Look for sets that include interchangeable awls of various sizes.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Flat Work Surfaces
• Leathers
• Beeswax
• Sewing Machine
• Wedge-point Sewing Machine Needles
• Drafting Compasses
• Metal Straightedges
• Rulers

1. Place the leather on a flat work surface. Use a ruler, a straight or curved edge and a pencil to measure and mark a stitching line.

2. Use an over-stitch spacer to make evenly spaced indentations along the marked stitching line. The over-stitch spacer consists of a small metal wheel attached to a wooden handle. Small, evenly spaced points protrude from the wheel.

3. Press the wheel portion of the over-stitch spacer firmly into the leather and roll it along the stitching line. Keep the pressure on the leather constant. The resulting indentations in the leather are the points to be punctured with the stitching awl.

4. Punch through the leather with the stitching awl. Use a controlled pressing action instead of a stabbing motion to penetrate the leather. You will need to lift the leather from your work surface so that the awl can penetrate the underside of the piece.

5. Withdraw the stitching awl once the point has completely penetrated the leather. Avoid pushing the stitching awl so far through that the handle touches the leather's surface. This will result in a much larger hole.

6. Punch one or two holes at a time and stitch as you go. The awl has a flattened blade that spreads the leather as it punctures it. Left for an indefinite period of time, the leather will begin to contract, and the punched hole will become narrower and more difficult to stitch.

Tips & Warnings

• Use a sewing machine and a wedge-point needle to stitch most garment-weight leathers.
• Keep the stitching line approximately 1/8 inch from the leather's edge.
• Use a compass or wing divider to mark a curved stitching line.
• Make sure that the appropriate wheel is attached to the over-stitch spacer. Most spacers come with interchangeable wheels that will produce five, six and seven holes per inch.
• Guide the over-stitch spacer along a metal edge as you mark the stitching line.
• Avoid pressing the stitching awl into the work surface. This will damage the awl's point.
• Rub beeswax every one or two holes when punching through very thick leather. This will ease penetration.

[Adunmire]

on 2/28/2009 thanks!

on 2/12/2007 A diamond shaped awl blade as purchased is nearly impossible to use.It needs to be symetrical and polished to a mirror finish with sharp point, a simple thing to do if you takeit slow and steady , this needs to be done right not fast. For general sewing I use a 1 1/2 inch long blade. the method I use is as follows

Find a smooth piece of timber such as pine or maple approx 2 (W) x 1(H) x 12 (L) inches. A few sheets of automotive wet and dry abrasive paper in 800 , 1200 & 2000 grit.. I divide the sheets into 1/3 sheet size and wrap a piece of 800 grit around the timber form to provide a flat surface. With the awl blade in either an awl handle or an engineers pin vice position one of the four sides of the awl blade flat on the abrasive paper and slide it back and forth along its length a set number of times eg ten or twenty times,move to a fresh part of the abrasive paper and commence doing the same number of strokes on a fresh flat of the awl blade. Keep rotating the awl blade until each flat is evenly covered with the marks from the abrasive Then progress to a finer and finer grit and repeat the process . If 2000 grit is available it will make the final polishing of the blade a lot easier. Check that the cross section of the blade still appears as a symetrical diamond shape.
You are now ready to polish the blade. Directly on the surface of the timber apply a small amount of abrasive. I use a special honing compound but have seen a lot of other abrasives used to good effect. Abrasives such as household metal polish, motor vehicle alloy wheel polish, abrasive household cleaners and even some of the more aggressive stain removing tooth pastes.(I hate to think what they do to the tooth enamel).

The action is the same as with the abrasive paper , except when a groove starts to form in the wood move to a fresh part and another flat of the blade. The wood has enough rigidity to produce an almost flat surface but enough give or compression to soften the edges so they are smooth but not cutting sharp. This is a piercing tool not a cutting tool. Finally I apply a small amount of polish to a scrap of leather for a final polish then apply a smear of oil to the blade as some abrasives are slightly corrosive to ferris metals . When mounting the blade in the handle/haft I place a 3/16 inch diameter circle of soft leather at the base of the blade buy piercing it with the awl and retaining it in place with the smallest amount of contact adhesive, this prevents marking the project when you run the awl all the way through (and you will).

The blade is now ready to be used and using it will do a few things , improve your stiching, improve the blade and stop the blade rusting.

Remember the blade is massively strong when it is used to pierce leather with the force applied straight along its axis and will withstand moderate twisting about its long axis (When sewing heavy harness leather a 1/8 backward twist of the awl will aid in the withdrawal of the awlblade from the leather) . But only a small amount of lateral force will result in a broken awl blade..