Tools of the Trade

[nickb1]

Here's a small sewing awl made from a pin vice, actually a "lace pricker" which incorporates a small pin vice, and an embroidery needle. It's more comfortable in the hand than a pin vice and easier to drive through several layers with the rounded haft. This is part of a long lead-in to hand sewing some uppers, which itself will be a very protracted process I am sure...

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And some sewing on some knife covers at 10spi (top 2) then 14 and 16:

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The most difficult thing is I think controlling the position and look of the stitch on the exit side ie not the side where you put the awl in. Thanks to @das and @PhilipB1 for some tips on hand sewing. As per @dw's suggestion I'll also try filing a needle to more of a blade shape. Takes a surprising amount of effort to file the needles I find, which I had to do to get one into the collet, they seem to be made of half decent steel.

[nickb1]

Picked up this unusual awl haft at the sale of Michael Thompson's tools, who was a Maker for Lobb (St James St.) ... The extra knob at the bottom makes a great grip for holding the haft tennis racket style, but it is still small enough to use as a palm awl. Made of boxwood I think. Not sure if he made this himself but there are others for sale which he seems to have turned himself based on this design. The rest of the tools (over 500!) will I am told gradually be made available via the Carreducker website.

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[nickb1]

A mystery tool, in boxwood, from an ebay set of very old looking French cordwainer tools. It seems to be some kind of multi-tool. One end seems suited to edge slicking, and in profile looks like it could put a "wire" on the edge. Often it seems wooden lozenges like this with a screw comparment are used to store awls either for shoemaking or sailmaking. But here there are two screw compartments, and the larger one could only store very tiny needles, up to about 2 inches. The smaller one seems to have stored a white powder remants of which are still there, I'm guessing it could be white lead ("flake white") used to colour threadwax for sole stitching or stitching on covered heels. The larger one could have stored a grey powder or perhaps this is just dust. Perhaps @das would know about this kind of tool?

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[dw]

I wonder... maybe @das will know.

[das]

Looks like a needle or awl blade case to me. Sorry for my late email notifications just came back this a.m., so hadn't seen this before.

[dw]

I thought that myself. I do wonder what the almost burnisher looking apparatus on the end is for, however.

[das]

Never seen one with a "tool end", just the capped wooden tubes, including ones full of awl blades from old harnessmakers kits. Pretty sure the tropical hardwood (rosewood?) puts it well into the 1800s.

[nickb1]

thanks gents, will leave it filed as mystery tool then... will try slicking an edge with the tool end.