Tried using a 1/8 inch awl for French link stitch and the holes are too big

I was binding a 200 page notebook with French link stitch, and my usual 1/16 inch awl was missing. I grabbed a 1/8 inch one instead, thinking it wouldn't matter much. The holes ended up so large that the thread has noticeable slack and the signatures feel loose. Has anyone else had this happen, and is there a good way to tighten it up now, or is it just a lesson learned?

2 comments

2 Comments

gavin6923d ago

Feel your pain, that's a classic "it'll be fine" mistake that never is. You could try running a second, tighter stitch next to the first with a thinner thread to pull things snug, but on a finished book it's tricky. Mostly it's just a solid lesson on awl sizes, sadly.

the_eric3d ago

Man, that's the worst. You could try what I did once, waxing the heck out of your thread and really yanking it tight on the next pass. It sort of gums up in the bigger holes and takes up some space. For a future fix, I keep a dedicated needle for my 1/16 awl, its eye is just a hair thicker and helps fill the gap.