Signal Awl Sharpening

[in_sympathy]

Greetings, gents 

So I mentioned previously that I tend to like Vix awl a tad more than the one LM adds to a Signal. Maybe it's due to Vix' awl seems sharper to me. So I've been thinking of maybe sharpening the one on the Signal.

Has any of you sharpened an awl on a Leatherman? What's the angle? Can it be done using Lansky guided sharpening systems? Has sharpening made an awl better for you?

[Max Stone]

It should be simple to sharpen the blunt edge (with tool removed from the Signal), but the curve on the reverse edge will be difficult to fabricate if you want to follow the SAK design. Maybe look for a drop-in replacement? I see a few offered online...

[in_sympathy]

It should be simple to sharpen the blunt edge (with tool removed from the Signal), but the curve on the reverse edge will be difficult to fabricate if you want to follow the SAK design. Maybe look for a drop-in replacement? I see a few offered online...

Hi, thanks for your reply. The awl on a Signal is a tad different from those on Rebar and Surge/SuperTool MTs and it does not have that curving you'll find on a SAK. It just feels quite dull to me and I'm not sure whether I should keep it that way to prevent it from being damaged when I'll be drilling some wood or should I sharpen it in order to make it actually capable of making nice holes in leather and such...

[Max Stone]

One of my favorite tools is the inline awl on the Alox Pioneer. Great for making holes in plastic, wood, leather, just about anything. The Signal’s awl is as blunt as a bag of wet mice, so you really can’t go wrong sharpening it up a little for more effective cutting when rotating in a material.