Thread: Awls

They all look very good.

I myself have two awls I decided to make new handles for and this week after finishing a couple of other projects I looked around to see what I could scrounge from my junk pile of metal for the ferrules. What you have done looks great, but as brass hex plugs are solid, did you drill them out to make them like a sleeve over the timber handle then drill a hole for the spike?

I have in the past just used my wood turning chisels to turn brass, which as you mention is soft; this was my thinking after seeing your pictures.

Mick.

This is what I used, and it’s actually hollow so turn down to 12.5mm I believe and on she slips. I used my carbide tips as well but found much easier with a mill file.

Just a moment...

Brilliant, thanks for the lead, I'll pick up a couple and get into them probably next week.

Mick.

Originally Posted by Optimark

Brilliant, thanks for the lead, I'll pick up a couple and get into them probably next week.

Mick.

don’t forget to score the inside or rough up with emery paper to give the epoxy something to grip to.

Will do, I usually sandpaper the insides of 12.7mm copper pipe that I use, while the steel pipe I use for larger ferrules already has a rough surface.

Nice tips, thanks.

Mick.

Awls, handles and all that jazz

Yeah, addicting? Absolutely. I can waste hours fiddling around with handles and ferrules. I have a box [ aka milk crate ] full of would-be knife, file blanks etc . Lately I noticed its getting full I will have to either make handles or give some away, maybe both is the answer.


I really think I need to live forever

Fumbler

Your thread inspired me as I have had it in my mind to make a range of awls. However, I have not done that yet!

What I have done was work out an easier method of making up the brass ferrules. I have previously used old brass compression fittings. In the past I cut off the corners with an angle grinder and then rotated the fitting against the bench grinder by hand until round. I was after an easier, faster and less laborious method.

I have tried using my wood lathe to turn brass, but not very successfully. As the compression fittings have an internal thread, I looked at fittings to insert in them so I could use an electric drill, which in turn could be held against the wheel of the bench grinder. I have quite a few of these old fittings salvaged from gear thrown into a waste skip:

Ferrule 3.jpg

There were mainly two sizes:

Ferrule 1.jpg

I found a fitting shown below (reducer) that fitted the drill, but it didn't work as there was not enough material for the chuck to get a good grip. The combination of the grinding wheel spinning and the drill turning wrenched the fitting out of the chuck.

Ferrule 2.jpg

I realised I needed an arbor. I made one up by inserting a SS bolt into the fitting. The thread needed to be ground down so that it would fit. It was just on the verge of an "interference" fit.

Ferrule SS bolt.jpgFerrule SS bolt. 2.jpg

I made up an arbor for two different sizes. The reason it has taken me so long to post this is I couldn't find my SS welding rods. The bolt was welded in (I know..ugly welds) and the head of the bolt cut off

ferrule arbor.jpg

This is the arbor with the compression nut in place. I deliberately picked up a manky one, which was covered in verdigris to see how it would come up.

Ferrule in drill.jpg

A succession of grindings. The first one was a bit slow going with the drill on low speed. Then I twigged I was using the fine grinding wheel. It was quicker on the coarse wheel in the second pic. Then back to the fine wheel in pic three before polishing on a fibre wheel in pic four.

Ferrule 1st grind.jpgFerrule 2nd grind.jpgFerrule 3rd grind.jpgFerrule polished.jpg

The drill has to be rotated in the right direction to prevent the nut coming loose.

The end was still heavily coated with verdigris. About fifteen seconds on the fibre wheel and it too was respectable

Ferrule dirty top.jpgFerrule top clean.jpg

I did not get the ferrule absolutely round, but I was really only aiming to see how easy the process was. I could take the ferrule back to the grinder and easily get close to round just by hand. The hole could be drilled out further if required depending on the intended tool. The larger ferrule was ground down to 24mm and had an internal diameter of 19mm. It will glue with epoxy very well as the internal thread will afford good grip. While I did not time myself, I think it took about ten to fifteen minutes including walking the long way around my shed several times because of lack of room.

The irony of all this is that these ferrules are too large for an awl. I will have to use something else for them.



Regards
Paul