farmerfalconer wrote:Okay. Thats a pretty tight curve. I guess bristles are a must? What did you make the awl from?
THanks for posting this.
Cody
I made the awl from another awl that I had broken the tip off of. If I recall correctly, I heated the tip of the awl, bent it and then heated it again and quenched it. Nothing scientific...I think I got lucky because it is near perfect--not brittle but not subject to bending.
I do use and advocate bristles...when the tip of a nylon bristle hits the side of the hole or the surface of the lining as it is being fed, it tends to deflect slightly and follow the path of least resistance. Usually that's the hole. When a steel bristle hits the same spot it tends to balk.
I have used steel bristles for inseaming--both the great old fine diameter soldered bristles that Geotz used to carry and hand made guitar wire steel bristles. But particularly around the heel where you're stitching especially blind, I really appreciate the nylon bristle.
Each to his own, however. At the end of the day when we get done sweeping up the scraps, if the work is clean and tight...it doesn't really matter that much how you got there.
DWFII--HCC Member
Instagram
Without "good" there is no "better," without "better," no "best."
And without the recognition that there is a hierarchy of excellence in all things, nothing rises above the level of mundane.