Sew Awl and bag

Re: Sew Awl and bag

Moses Yoder in White Pigeon, MI


>That's neat. Makes me want to dig out the sewing awl I got in the Edwardsburg antique store that was like new in the box with the original instructions for $2. The best leather to make tool rolls out of would be brain tanned and smoked, which of course leads to a whole new world.

Re: Sew Awl and bag

Randy Johnson Connersville, IN


>You must either be a buckskinner or, as I, and most of the guys I was in the sport with, an ex-buckskinner. I have never run into anyone else who knows what brain tanning is.

Re: Sew Awl and bag

David Barnett - SW Florida


>I made a couple chisel rolls from Kevlar cloth and thread with leather edging, although I prefer a two-needle saddle stitch. I had a chisel corner poke through a canvas roll and bite me. Never again.

Re: Sew Awl and bag

Bob Hackett


>If I had known that you needed instrudtions I could have scanned my set and sent them to you Todder.

My father used to use his(I have it now)to resew the elkhide moccasins he liked to wear.I have a pair that has double leather soles and use his old gear to repair mine now,that locked stitch is hard to beat.Hard to find even an old shoe repair place that will hand stitch anymore.I also use it to make sheaths for the knives I carry.I wear them out fast carrying them everyday.

As far as leather goes,vegetable tanned leather will work if you can`t get brain tanned and smoked.

I thought eveybody knew enough to save the brain to tan with.Next you`re gonna tell me folks don`t know enough to chew the buckskin to soften it.I can hear thousands of Native Americans spinning in thier graves as we speak.

Mainely,Bob

Re: tanning

Moses Yoder in White Pigeon, MI


>Friends of mine are really into vintage clothing and native american history and artifacts. She has made herself a very nice complete dress, incredible work, out of leather bought from a gentleman who really knows how to tan leather. I would love to make myself a jacket, but will have to save up my beads for quite a while to pay for the same quality leather as she found for her dress.

Re: Sew Awl and bag

Todd O. Cronkhite Maine Native now in Jax Fl.


>Ahhhhhhhhh well David, as much as I'd like to buy some sweet nice leather, I'll be searching the flea markets for for whatever heavy cloth, or light leather I can find--at least for now. No sense spending big coin on quaility leather until I've worked at making rolls for a bit anyhow. Just today I picked up a heavy canvas duffel bag for $2 that is destined to become several rolls.

Tell me more about this double saddle stitch you mentioned.

I think I'll be stopping by a Tandy store in the near future so see what they have in the way of leather, rivets, and snaps and such.

Todd O.

Double needle hand stitching (saddle stitch) *LINK*

David Barnett - SW Florida


>If you're going to Delcher's in Jax you can get a copy (or look at one) of Al Stohlman's "The Art of Handsewing Leather", which shows how to stitch flat sections, how to mould, and how to make 90-degree box seams. Delcher's (Tandy) also carries some adequate Osborne lozenge-shaped awls and you can turn or shape a hasp to fit your hand. Get some heavy thread, beeswax, and a few packs of harness needles while you're there and you're set for canvas, leather, whatever. Tandy hardware leaves much to be desired but sometimes you can find nice stuff (including Kevlar) at a good marine supply (heavy canvas remnants from sailmakers and chandlers, btw).

Leather can be more affordable than you might think, though. Peruse the scraps at Tandy or buy stuff from eBay. I like goat/kid and pigskin and find lots of good 5-7 sq ft skins for cheap.

A great resource for anyone interested in hand leatherwork is The Crispin Colloquy, the forum and archive of The Honourable Cordwainers' Company, makers of shoes and boots. Lots of handtools and handtooling. Lots of pics, too. Take a look at D.W. Frommer's awl hafts. You'll find double-needle hand stitching done with hog bristle (or monofil fishing line) instead of too-thick harness needles. Lots to learn. And hand stitching is a minimal cost activity.

Anyway, for dbl-needle stitching:

http://www.cuttersandcollectors.com/stitching.html

http://www.knifenetwork.com/workshop/tut_wrtc_burrows.shtml


Make holes in sturdy stuff & stitch it together.

Re: Sew Awl and bag

Mike Fitterling


>I used to use an awl like that to repair sail cloth back in the day. Doubt if I could remember how to do it these days.

Re: tanning

scott grandstaff


>Hey Hey

You guys are going -tooo- far! Brain tanned? Why I got a tanoak tree in my backyard and you tryin to cut my throat?? hee heh, kidding

If you need some brain, please help yourself to those deer in my yard, anytime!! Don't be shy, take several, please! Glorified goats.

But I recently did a new filebag. Not with a hand awl, I needed about 2 dozen slots to keep the files separated and hung up where they oughta be. Namely on the backside of the cupbord door right underneath my steel vice, where they work. This is three separate bags joined, really.

I used a vintage Singer sewing machine for this job. That's a whole other thing to get into and if you're a purist they made plenty of treadle and hand crank machines. Those treadles will sew thick enough material only a few others will and the hand cranks will do anything until the needle breaks!

I've used the hand awls, but mostly for impossible jobs like recovering those superb all-spring-frame bicycle seats they made in the 40's. Best ever seats as far as I'm concerned. But then my butt is way too wimpy to even contemplate that "perched and a sharp stick" seat many use.

yours, Scott

Nice Bag Scott.........

Todd O. Cronkhite Maine Native now in Jax Fl.


>Lets see it full o' file now.

Ran into a guy who had a treadle sewing machine at the flea market this weekend. He wanted $100 for it, which for the condition it was it was WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY high. Looked like it would still sew tho but for $100 I wasn't about to chance it. I pushed on without tryin to dicker for it as the seller was arrogant and annoying, so he can keep his POS sewing machine as far as I'm concerned. Man, this was a real piece of work. Yeah, a real charmer.

Todd O.