Leather Awl

This is one of the most simple useful items I have blacksmithed. This Awl it great for leather work, if it's punching holes in leather or scratching marks in leather it works great!

MATERIALS
Carbon steel square picket
Coal
Leather
Waxed thread

EQUIPMENT
forge
Hammer
Anvil
Belt sander
Sand paper

SAFTY EQUIPMENT
Safety glasses
Leather gloves

So I started this project with a scrap piece of 1/2" square stock about four feet long. The good thing about this length is I don't have to use tongs to hold the metal which makes it a little easier to work with. A 1/2" stick of stock means a little more hammer work to get it were I want but it is what I have so that's what I used. So once It gets up to heat I just start thinning the stock and making a point at the end.

So now that it is about 1/4" uniform squair stock with a point at end I flattened the end that is connected to the rest of the stock and after it's flat I begin to bend it around the horn of my anvil it's not a exact science but I'm pleased with the shape I came up with.

Now that the awl has a tip on one end and its flat on the other I take a sharp blade I made to cut hot metal with and cut it off the stick.

After I cut the awl off the rod I take and clean up the cut with my hammer and then close the loop around the horn of my anvil.

Now it is pretty much done all that's left is to shape then sharpen the awl. So to shape it I used my belt sander and started to grind the tip to a taper I also rounded the entire end about 3" up. Then I took a propane torch heated the very end of the tip red then quenched it in water.

I wanted this awl to be extremely sharp so to start I used coarse sand paper to shape it to a sharp tapering point then polished with 400 grit sand paper not only for looks but it seems to glide through leather better with a polished tip.

I finished this project off with a custom leather molded sheath. It is a pancake style sheath from three pieces of leather that I sewed together soaked it with water, put the awl in and then with a pice of deer antler formed the sheath around the awl. And that's it, I am extremely happy with how this turned out! If you would like to watch me do this I have a YouTube channel "knight16" that both the awl and leather sheath are on.
Link to channel- https://www.youtube.com/c/knight16