IN modern life It’s very rare that anyone has a good awl at home, unless of course it’s left over from their great-grandfather, grandfather or father. But in vain, this tool is very useful in the house, and not only in the house, for example, shoemakers or in the studio will definitely have a well-sharpened and convenient awl, and more than one, and in the hands of needlewomen this is practically an irreplaceable thing .
Here's what to use if, for example, you need to do additional hole in a leather belt or sew rubber together? Of course, many will say that you can use a knife or a nail to make a hole, but what quality will this work be and how long will it take you?
But not every needle will take such material as rubber, and if it does, it will take a lot of time and effort. And in such cases, an awl always comes to the rescue.
But it so happens that now this is not the most popular tool, and if necessary, it cannot be found on every counter. There is only one option left and today we will look at it, how to make an awl with your own hands. And then a very necessary thing will appear in your arsenal of tools.
Types of awls and where to use them
In fact, there is more than one type of instrument that is well known to us, and not even two or three, there are a sufficient number of them, but I would like to note only the three most important:
- An ordinary sharp one (most often called a shoe awl), this is an ordinary awl for punctures, which can be used to make any hole. This is the type of awl that is most often found in homes, and this type of awl was also used in the office before the advent of the modern hole punch.
- With a hook - this tool is popular in the shoe workshop; with its help you can not only make a hole, but also stretch thread, fishing line or wire.
- With an eye, found in the atelier, intended for sewing dense and thick material, similar to a regular sewing needle.
The remaining species that have not been described differ from the above only in size and there is no point in talking about them.
Materials for making an awl and methods for its manufacture
If you still decide to make at home, then you need to know what material you can make an awl from, because the quality and originality of your tool depends on the material:
- A long self-tapping screw is one of the popular options for what an awl is most often made from.
- A long nail - its material is softer than that of a self-tapping screw, which means it will need to be sharpened more often.
- Steel wire (bicycle needle, knitting needle) is another popular option, it doesn’t require much trouble, I cut it to the required length, sharpened it and that’s it.
- Electrode - in order to make an awl from this material, you first need to remove its coating and clean it sandpaper.
Regardless of the material from which the tip itself can be made, an important thing that still needs to be done is to make a handle. There is not much material for a handle, most often it is made from wood (birch, oak, beech), you can also use plastic, they even showed somewhere how to make a handle from a car adapter.
And if you want to find out what are the ways to make an awl with your own hands, then everything depends only on you, on your desire and capabilities. For example, there is a way to make an awl without a handle, or rather, not to make it from improvised material, but to make it from the same material as the awl itself (accordingly, it will no longer be a screw and a nail, but something longer, for example, a steel rod ), this method is more economical and will not take much time.
But there is another way, where, for example, the handle will be made in such a way that it will be possible to change awls in it. And for this awl, material and time, of course, you need much more than for the above tool.
By the way, this option is good for doing original pen for homemade sewing. I won’t list all the methods for you; it all depends on you.
Master Class
Well, almost everything has already been written, what types of awls there are and what material it can be made from, all that remains is to tell you how to make it. Let's look at the simplest and most time-consuming master class on how to make an awl with your own hands.
To make it we need:
- long self-tapping screw - choose a durable self-tapping screw so that it does not bend.
- a wooden block, the size of your palm, so that the handle fits well in your hand.
When the material is selected, we can begin to manufacture our tool.
Let's start with the handle. In order not to get splinters from the handle, the block needs to be processed and sanded so that the wood is smooth and fits comfortably in the hand.
If you are making an awl for yourself, then you don’t have to worry too much, you sand it and that’s it, the main thing is not to drive the splinters in, but if you want to make it, for example, for someone as a gift (like this original gift), then the handle must be original.
Make a comfortable handle, sand well. You can burn the inscription on the handle and cover it with varnish and your awl will have a completely different look.
Drill a hole in our almost finished handle, the hole should be of a length corresponding to the length of the thread on the self-tapping screw, and of course this hole should not be larger in diameter than our self-tapping screw, otherwise it will not hold. The self-tapping screw comes into play. Screw it into the hole in our handle so that it fits tightly and cannot escape anywhere. Well, we're almost done. Now you need to cut off the head of the self-tapping screw.
Finishing touch. Let's sharpen our awl. You can use a file to sharpen the tool. In order for the tool to pierce the things we need well and not break, do not sharpen it too thin and make the tip three or four-sided. After sharpening the awl, go over it with sandpaper to make it smoother. The awl is ready to go.
Well, it's all over. In this article we have discussed everything related to our tool, we even describe instructions on how to make a good awl. And as you have already seen, there is nothing complicated here, and not only men, but also women can handle such work gentle hands. Spend just a little time and you will have a lot useful thing in the house.
Photos I sewed with my own hands
Shilo or Pokhodnaya sewing machine
Good day, Comrades!
While on vacation, I went into one of the airsoft equipment stores, and there I saw an unusual awl. The price tags said “Camping sewing machine.”
The price of this unit is 1600 rubles, hands went to the wallet, and the toad to the throat. The toad was losing and the brain came to its aid (yes, yes, sometimes it turns on for me). Well, he turned on and reminded me that my hands do not grow from my ass. And so, throughout my vacation I hatched a plan to manufacture such a unit.
The main problem was the cartridge for fixing the needle. After rummaging through boxes of junk, I found a flexible shaft from an engraver (Fig. 1). Due to its Chinese origin and price of 200 rubles, it lasted about a month. Then it started to wobble and vibbbbrrr terribly. 
I disassembled the shaft (Fig. 3). I sawed off the excess part of the shaft. 
For aesthetic purposes, it was decided to use a shaft housing. sawed off the required, rounded part (Fig. 4). 
In order not to ruin the thread of the cartridge and to temporarily fix it in the body, I insidiously and shamelessly expropriated a piece of plasticine from my son. I stuck it around the thread (Fig. 5), and then inserted it into the body (Fig. 6 and 7). 
I took out a package of epoxy glue (Fig. 8) and spread it.
I used a scrap as a handle plastic pipe. The cartridge entered with a gap of 1-2mm, which in principle is not critical. Having fixed the cartridge in the pipe with plasticine and placed the butt to the top (Fig. 9), I filled it with epoxy. I left the resulting structure overnight. 
Early in the morning, after noon, work continued. Having removed all the plasticine, I drilled four holes in the almost finished awl, screwed in four self-tapping screws, thereby additionally fastening the cartridge body and the pipe (Fig. 10). 
Again, to give an aesthetic appearance, I pulled it onto the structure heat shrink tube. It turned out nice (Fig. 11). At this point I was struck by ha-ha. Shiloh became vaguely similar to the satisfactory one I saw with one good friend. Only the one was larger and more pimply. 
Since the tube is hollow and very capacious, it was decided to use it as a kicker (Fig. 12). 
Since there were no large needles, I had to buy regular sewing needles. I took the set sewing needles on skin and dense tissues. I selected the collet according to size (Fig. 13). 
I refused the coil, it’s very inconvenient. The thread constantly unwinds and tightening the ties is inconvenient. I checked it, and in order not to confuse it, I decided not to post the process of installing the coil. In my case, the thread is clamped by a lid at the base of the handle.
The test drive was a great success! The thread did not get tangled or twisted, the ties were almost even (Fig. 14 and 15). 
That's all I have. Thank you for your attention!
Ready to receive your slippers!
It is a pointed metal rod, used for punching holes in dense materials.
A natural question arises whether it would be easier to use a drill for these purposes. The fact is that in some materials (leather, suede, rubber) it is difficult and sometimes impossible to drill a hole.
It is most actively used by shoemakers, leather cutters, joiners, carpenters, and office workers.
Kinds
There are many varieties of this instrument. However, there is no scientific classification of it by species. The most common awls are:
- pointed (more often called ordinary);
- with a hook at the end;
- having an ear.
It is the ordinary awl that is popular among home craftsmen; a tool with a hook is used by shoe repair shops, and a tool with an eye is used by leather clothing workshops.
Buy or make it yourself
Hardware and construction supermarkets, online stores offer enough big choice Shilyev, capable of satisfying the needs of many craftsmen. This does not eliminate the need to make the tool yourself.
The most common situations when such a need arises are:
- urgent need for a tool in the absence of the opportunity to buy or obtain it in any other way;
- the need to have a tool of a special design, taking into account the specifics of its application;
- the desire to have a tool “at your fingertips.”
Home craftsmen make two types of awls:
- ordinary;
- with replaceable nozzles.
Making a regular awl
An ordinary awl differs in that the pointed rod is tightly installed in it and cannot be removed.
To create it, you need:
- make a working part;
- make a handle;
- carry out the assembly.
Working part
It is desirable that it be made of durable hardened steel. High quality metal is mandatory when making an awl with a long shaft. Otherwise, it may bend at the most inopportune moment.
A short working part can be made of soft metal. In this case, the awl may require frequent sharpening.
Most suitable material is a self-tapping screw of the required length and thickness. It is not recommended to use screws as they do not go through heat treatment and therefore softer.
If the existing screws bend, you can harden them yourself. To do this, they are heated over a fire and then cooled in water.
To make a rod you can also use:
- nails;
- steel wire;
- electrodes;
- bicycle spokes.
Pen
Its manufacture should be taken seriously if you plan to use the awl constantly: it should lie comfortably in the master’s hand.
Usually the handle is made of wood (birch, oak, beech). If possible, other materials can be used: textolite, plastic, thick plexiglass. However, to process them you need optional equipment, which greatly complicates the whole job.
Selected wooden blank(usually a block of the required size) must be processed using carpentry tools to give her the required form. The product must be sanded using sandpaper.
The work can be greatly simplified if you use part of the cutting as a blank for garden tools required diameter. In this case, all that remains is to round off the edges of the future handle where necessary and sand it down.
If you don’t want to bother yourself with work at all, you can use wooden handle from a file.
Assembly
To do this you need:
- drill a hole in the prepared handle;
- screw the self-tapping screw into the handle;
- sharpen the awl.
Diameter drilled hole should be less than that of a self-tapping screw. Otherwise, the awl rod will not hold well in the handle.
For convenience, it is advisable to secure the screw in a vice. After this, screwing the handle onto it will not be difficult.
Sharpening is done using available tools: a file, a drill with an emery attachment, using electric emery. It should be noted that processing a hardened self-tapping screw with a file or emery block is quite labor-intensive work.
During sharpening, the rod is given the required shape: round, triangular or tetrahedral. The turned metal should be treated with sandpaper.
When sharpening an awl, do not get carried away. Otherwise, the rod will be too thin and will break.
Awl with replaceable attachments
The main idea of creating such a tool is as follows:
- a channel is drilled in the bolt along its entire length (the working part of the awl should be inserted into it);
- a small threaded hole is made in the side of the bolt head, into which a small screw is screwed (it should secure the inserted nozzle);
- the bolt is screwed into the hole of a pre-prepared handle.
As can be seen from the description, the manufacture of such an awl requires not only special equipment, which not everyone has home handyman, but also the presence of sufficiently high professional skills.
A quick sew
There may be cases when an awl, which is very necessary at the moment, is not in the set of household tools, and it is not possible to acquire it in another way (buy, ask from a neighbor). In this case, you can make it from auxiliary materials. Their choice depends on the nature of the planned work.
To make a temporary awl you can use:
- screwdriver required thickness. It will take a few minutes to sharpen it;
- wire, nail, knitting needle, sharpening which also does not require much time. They can be used without a handle if the quality of the material in which the holes need to be made allows. If necessary, you can make a primitive handle. For example, placing a block on a nail convenient size; one end of the knitting needle can be bent and wrapped with electrical tape;
- needle file After sharpening, its handle can also be wrapped with insulating tape for safety and convenience.
There is a description on the Internet of making an awl using a failed car adapter. The craftsman installed a turned and polished self-tapping screw into it, like into a handle. It is clear that a hastily sharpened nail can be installed in such a handle.
To do or not
Everyone makes a decision on this issue for themselves. In any case, made by hand good tool not only replenishes the home workshop, but also gives satisfaction to the master.
In addition, if created with special care, it can be a good gift.
Shiloh is far from the best the right tool while hiking or cycling. However, sometimes it can be very useful. Somewhere you can poke a hole, fix shoes or something else. If you are not too lazy to carry an extra ten grams in your backpack, then after reading this article you will learn how to make an awl yourself.
First of all, let's decide what kind of awl you need. There can be at least two options: an awl with a hook and just a sharp awl. An awl with a hook allows you not only to pierce a hole, but also to pull thread or wire through it. This is a shoe awl and its main purpose is sewing shoes, leather and other dense materials.
The second option, without a hook, it was more likely not sewing, but picking)) Roughly speaking, a sharpened metal rod that will allow you to pierce something dense, like the same leather, or make a hole in a piece of wood.
How to make a simple awl
Let's first deal with with a simple awl without a hook. To make it you will need steel wire, an electrode or a long self-tapping screw. You can also use a regular nail, but it is much softer and such an awl will need to be sharpened more often.
If you use welding electrode, then it must first be cleared of outer covering. The easiest way is to put it on a strong metal base, tap it with a hammer, and then clean it with sandpaper.
The cleaned electrode or wire must be bent using pliers or a vice. Just make a loop out of it that will be comfortable for you to hold in your hand. Bend the tip of the loop around the main rod and tap it lightly with a hammer so that it does not dangle.
Then you need to shorten the rod, leaving a tip after the handle of 3-5 cm, which we will sharpen.
You can sharpen the awl with a finely cut file or sharpening machine. There is one nuance here. If you sharpen the awl like a needle, that is, round in cross section, then it will pierce well, but it will be difficult for them to make a hole in thick material. Therefore, it is better to give the tip of the awl a three or four-sided shape. With such a sharpening, you can easily make a hole even in a thick piece of wood or in a leather belt.
How to make a shoe awl
For sewing shoes, the awl will be almost the same, with the only difference being that you need to make a hook at its tip.
You also first need to bend the handle with a loop, secure and shorten the rod to the required length. Then you need to slightly flatten the end of the awl with a hammer.
Having stepped back 5-7 mm from the very tip, you need to use a file to make an oblique cut about half the thickness of the rod, so that a hook is formed. To prevent it from cutting the thread when sewing, you need to carefully smooth out all sharp edges with a needle file.
Any good master, who repairs shoes, has in his arsenal a shoe hook, which you simply cannot do without in this matter. Such devices may have different thickness and length. But the services of a master cost money, so many people decide to repair their favorite boots, sandals, and boots on their own. Possible in finished form purchase such a hook or make it yourself from scrap materials. In this article we will give several examples of how to make a hook for sewing shoes with your own hands.
Steel wire shoe hook
At home, you can make a hook for sewing shoes with your own hands from reliable steel wire. You just need to check if it is suitable for this purpose.
Important! Try bending it a little:
- if it does not bend, it means you have found the necessary material;
- If it breaks, you can throw it away immediately.
Such a simple device, at first glance, has some secrets. It is very important that the hook is strong and capable of holding the thread without damaging it as it passes through the material.
Materials and tools required for work:
- Wire.
- Sandpaper.
- Hammer.
- File.
- Wooden handle.
- Electric sharpener.
Scheme for making a plantar hook:
- For work, prepare a spring wire with a diameter of 2.5-3 mm.
- It is necessary to rivet one edge with a hammer, but this should be done evenly. The riveting area should be no more than 10-15 mm, but keep in mind that the tip will still have to be refined using an electric sharpener or a file. This way you will reduce the diameter of the wire to half its thickness.
- Clamp the workpiece in a vice, then, at a distance of 5-7 mm from the end of the edge, which we riveted in the previous step, make a cut at an angle of 45 degrees. It is necessary to reach half of the rod.
- Use a thin file to file all edges and sharp edges.
Important! If this tool is not at hand, you can use fine-grained sandpaper.
- Then check the quality of the processing using a shoe thread; you need to hook it and pass it to the place of the cut, then pull it with force, simulating sewing. If the thread does not fray, then everything is fine and you can move on to the next stage.
- Sharpen the point using an electric sharpener or file. As a result, you should end up with smooth transition from flat to rectangular section.
- Use sanding paper to remove all scratches.
- Place a wooden handle on the rod.
Important! When using such a hook to repair shoes, you, of course, cannot insure it against breakage, since everything depends on the intensity of its use and the quality of the selected wire. But for homework such a tool is quite sufficient.
DIY shoe repair awl
In modern construction stores, such a simple tool as a shoe awl is becoming increasingly rare. It must have a comfortable handle and a head for clamping a temporary tip or a special attachment, hook or spatula. Having everything you need at hand, you can independently make a tool that will serve you for many years, in just ten minutes.
For work you will need a set that includes:
- A piece of sandpaper.
- Wooden handle.
- A bolt 4 cm long with a diameter of 8 mm with a head of at least 4 mm.
- Bolt 1 cm long with a diameter of 3 mm.
- An adjustable wrench that matches the size of the bolt head.
- Drills with a diameter of 6 and 2.5 mm.
- Drilling machine or drill.
- 3 mm tap and driver.
- A bicycle spoke.
- A whetstone or sharpening machine.
The procedure for making an awl looks like this:
- Take the handle and sand it well to remove all sagging, cracks, and ribs.
Important! Remember that in sewing this is the most important part. Any burrs can damage your hand while working. Therefore, carefully twist the pen wrapped in paper.
- Take the bolt and drill two holes in the head with a 2.5 mm drill. One hole should have the depth of the bolt itself, the second - about 2-3 cm, but cannot be drilled all the way. In this case, the second should be located perpendicular to the first. If you were unable to make everything clearly perpendicular, do not be discouraged, because the main thing is that these two holes do not intersect.
- Then drill a hole in the handle with a diameter of 6 mm and a depth equal to the height of the bolt. Lightly tap the bolt onto the handle, then use an open-end wrench to screw the bolt into it.
- Use a tap to cut the threads on the bolt head.
- Cut the required piece of steel rod from a bicycle spoke and grind it using an abrasive stone. Insert the finished rod into the handle, then tighten it with a bolt.
Important! If necessary, you can make a whole set of replacement hooks, then decorate the awl with them, soaking the handle with drying oil or painting it with paint.