A scraggly old broken spring hook (tool “G” at this link), with the broken off end roughly resharpened to a point, served as a scratching tool for many years. Now, with the ability to neatly grind metal, and a little scrap of oak, it takes new form, a finished scratch awl. There’s really not much to it. I turned the handle in a small model making lathe. The awl itself is that old tool reground and polished. 3M microabrasive film is fantastic for polishing. The ferrule was donated by a self-sacrificing Pentel mechanical pencil. Finish is several coats of danish oil.
Yes, it is small. It fits the palm easily. As shown in this picture, I was using it to prick through a paper pattern to prepare for cutting a boat part.
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