Hey guys! I’ve been considering switching from chisels to pricking irons with an awl. I have 3.38 & 3.85 European irons, but I’m struggling to find details on what awl would work best with them. Does awl blade shape matter? Would an awl with a diamond blade change the profile of the holes to a Japanese look rather then European? Also, does the blade width matter? (2mm awl blade vs 2.45?) I’ve been looking at the titanium awl sold by RML (made by David Jerome) to match a set of Blanchard irons (8 spi). Is this a good setup? I’ve also considered the round awl 2.2mm by palosanto factory. Thanks!
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@brendon.m.crowe Hi Brendon! If you can, purchase an awl from the company that made your pricking irons if possible, normally they are designed to be pared.
If that's not possible, simply measure the width of one of the prongs in the lower third (most prongs get thicker and wider towards the top, so measure the area you are most likely to use).
Once you have this measurement you can search for a straight sided (non tapering) awl of the same width. You may need to contact suppliers to ask them.
Personally I have a different approach. I mainly use a pricking iron to set the spacing and the angle of the stitch, the final size is dictated by the awl that I choose for the task. That way I can use almost any pricking iron brand and get a similar or the same result.