What do you use your awl for?

L

Leatherman4life

Joined
Jun 4, 2005
Messages
134
If you have a awl on your multi-tool or SAK and use it, what for?

I know how a awl is ment to be used, but I'm wondering how everyone puts theres to use, if it gets used at all.

I use the awl on my leatherman surge when I replace a whirlpool washing machine gearboxs. On top of the case is a breather hole that is painted over so the oil does not leak out durring shipping.

The paint has to be cleared from the hole before it gets installed. It's a small 1/8" hole or so. I take the tip of my awl and spin it around in the hole to clear the paint from it.

That is the main thing I use my awl for. It sure is nice having the awl to use instead of the tip of my knife blade.
 
A friend of mine is a locksmith an he uses the awl on his old LM wave alot for removing comercial door knobs .
 
I don't use mine TOO much, but generally I use the awl on my Leatherman (either the Supertool or PST) for scraping the mud/grass out of my shoe treads, and the very sharp Victorinox awl on my Soldier or Pioneer for boring extra holes in leather belts, chipping ice cubes that have fused together, and the sharp chisel edge mades a fine scraping blade on paper to remove stickers with my address on them from recyclables.
Jim
 
I use the awl (from the Vic Soldier or LM CS4) for scraping and prying since I wouldn't want to subject my knife blade to that and because I've yet to buy a prybaby or similar tool.
 
gatch said:
I use mine for starting holes in hard wood for screws.
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Me, too. Plus, I have used it for making an extra hole in leather belts, though I now use a twist drill for that.
 
For awl sorts of things.:D

Sorry.

Actually, I've drilled holes in hard plastic quite effectively, and used it as a scraper and for striking sparks from a flint stick. I once bored a hole in a cuttlebone to hang it in my daughter's budgie cage. I think most drills would have just broken it up, but by working slowly I made a pretty clean hole.
 
For the most part, I use the awl on my Explorer to pry up the can lids after I use the can opener, and I also put holes in my beer cans so they don't glug when pouring.
 
travis55 said:
Sounds like its a awl round good thing to have . lol
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Awl right!

Starting holes for wood screws, punching holes through leather, plastic, aluminum, cardboard and other materials, scraping mung out of boot sole grooves and as a probe. I use mine awl the time and wouldn't be without one. My big disappointment with the Leatherman Charge is that they included a useless tiny screwdriver bit instead of one. I want it awl. :D
 
I use the awl to stab, punch, scrape, scribe, ream, scratch, pry and whatever else i think it can be used to do. I think the awl is probably one of the tools i use the most.
 
I don't think I've ever really used the awl but I prefer it to the parcel hook. I can see potential uses for the awl but the hook is a waste of tool space.
 
I awlways wondered what it was good for... now I know... Only thing I ever used mine for was engraving my intials into the fire extinguishers metal plate, that has to be marked after each monthly inspection at work...
 
stevekt said:
I don't think I've ever really used the awl but I prefer it to the parcel hook. I can see potential uses for the awl but the hook is a waste of tool space.
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It's not an implement I use often, but on a few occasions the hook has been useful to snag twine or wire-wrapped bundles for carrying. Where it is located on my Swisschamp backspring, it doesn't really displace anything that would be more useful, I think.
 
With a little practice, the awl on a Vic Soldier does a fairly decent job of scoring cable jackets and stripping small guage wire. I wouldn't recommend throwing away a good pair of cutters or strippers, but it does work in a pinch (or when you're bored at work and sitting around with nothing to do!).
 
The reamer on my vic explorer “saved” my life. I used it to repair my overloaded luggage just a few hours before the taxi pick up me up to the airport for my 20+ hour journey back home.
 
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