Another Damascus Sgian Dubh

[O'Neille]

Another sgian has been completed. This was a little different because I made it from supplied materials and not materials that I had selected to make a sgian. I was bound by finite possibilities of the materials at hand.

The blade is from Atlanta Cutlery (AC) and the antler was sent by the recipient. I only added some elbow grease and a bit of walrus ivory. The blades from AC are much less substantial than any I have used before, they seem almost delicate when comparred to my other sgian blades. However, They are a good match for small deer antler. The finished product is still more substantial than any mass production sgian I have seen.

Here we go with the quick build tour:

blade, crown antler and bit of ivory



Mock up



After rough shaping









And after epoxy final shaping and buffing. No finish is used just grey rouge and a slow wheel.





I had to whip out a quick scabbard to get it in the mail before the Holiday. I understand it was received today.

[ehiker]

So is the process for setting the tang into the antler to just drill a hole of the appropriate size and then epoxy it into place?

If you had a more uniform tang (and were using wood instead of antler) would you consider splitting the wood in half and routing a groove for the tang?

Can you take a close-up of where the blade meets the walrus ivory? Do you recess the blade at all into the ivory? Or does it just butt up to it?

I'm interested in giving sgian dubh making a try in the near future...

[James MacMillan]

That is one beautiful Sgian Dubh! I am SURE that the recipiant cherishes it!

Great craftmanship!

[McMurdo]

Nice work on the sgian, the talent on this board never ceases to amaze me.

[Arizona Scot]

It looks like a really well made knife, thanks for sharing.

[McFarkus]

Beautiful! Anyone would be proud to wear it.

[Panache]

It looks very nice O'Neille. I really like the simple horn handled sgian dubhs (they are fun to make to boot).

I'm not sure if it's just the picture on my monitor or not, but there doesn't seem to be much contrast in color between the antler and the antique walrus ivory. I think maybe a darker material bolster would look even sharper, or simply shape the antler at an angle as it nears the blade. Just my two cents. Frankly everything you make looks great.

Cheers

Jamie

[O'Neille]

So is the process for setting the tang into the antler to just drill a hole of the appropriate size and then epoxy it into place?

If you had a more uniform tang (and were using wood instead of antler) would you consider splitting the wood in half and routing a groove for the tang?

Can you take a close-up of where the blade meets the walrus ivory? Do you recess the blade at all into the ivory? Or does it just butt up to it?

I'm interested in giving sgian dubh making a try in the near future...

In this case it's just a drilled hole and epoxy. On a wood handle I'd probably use a mechanical fastener to put some tension on it, nobody wants a wobbly blade. On my others (previous DIY threads) you can see that the tang is a large rectangular extension of the blade because they are much more robust blades. In those cases I either drill and file a rectangle receptacle or I use two pieces for the scales. It all depends on the material. On the Ivory I usually butt them together unless I have a fit problem that requires some filing work. I just start building and see where it leads me. After all it's a knife not an airplane.

[Alan H]

I am not getting motivated to crank out my next kilt, though I am making progress on my pastors sash. Maybe I should tackle a sgian dubh. I do "need" a formal one with a black handle.

[Raptor]

Nice work as usual! I'm a big fan of the antler crown sgians.