When grinding down a few old drill bits to make other tools, I noticed that the spiral on a point was quite lovely. This inspired me to produce this design. This is a scratch awl, for leather and woodwork. The awl itself is made of M2 tool steel. The handle is ash and leather with a stainless steel ring. The grip by the way, is wonderful. I am tempted to make several gouges and chisels with this grip.
The awl is made from a large metal cutting drill bit. This was first parkerized in zink bearing phosphoric acid. Then it was blued with Oxpho Blue. Afterwards it was ground down to a point leaving the spiral in dark blued steel as a contrast to the polished M2.
I love making awls, but I must admit to having more than enough of them. So, I put it up for sale on my Etsy Page. This way, if it sell, I can get a bit more leather to learn on.
Bob
A page Dedicated to My Writing
very cool!
I wonder if it has any potential as a gimlet?
Sadly it has no potential as a gimlet, it does not drill at all well. It will do a pretty good job of removing burrs from a drilled hole. It does however scribe wood and leather really well. 🙂