My first sgain dubh

**SingleBarrelBourbon** · 29th December 08, 07:54 PM

This is my first attempt at making a sgain dubh. I found the handle at a shop in the Bayshore shopping center in Miami when I was on a business trip last October. It is a hippo tusk and the shop was called "Art by God". Last year my wife gave me the blade, from Atlanta Cutlery. It took that long for me to find a handle. I still have to polish it to remove some of the tool marks (I also managed to sctatch the blade.). I still have to make a sheath for it.

The discoloration on the tusk is natural, I did not do anything to it except mount the blade in it.

BTW, it is on a swatch of Polaris Tartan and that will be one of the next two kilts I purchase.

**Kerr the Walker** · 30th December 08, 04:06 PM

That'll look way cool stickin out the top of your hose!

How was the tusk to work with?

Great first effort! Careful, it's addictive!

**pipesndrumsnun** · 30th December 08, 04:15 PM

Congrats - nice work! And, I LOVE that tartan!

**SingleBarrelBourbon** · 30th December 08, 06:28 PM

The tusk was easy to work with. The inside was hollow so I used epoxy to secure the tang of the blade in the tusk making sure to leave a little space. After the epoxy cured, used card stock to make a mold for melted silver solder. After the silver solder cooled, I just roughed it out with a file. I will be polishing it to make it shine.

The tartan was designed by a commander of the submarine base in Holy Loch. I served aboard the USS Sam Rayburn based out of Holy Loch from 1973 until 1977. That is the picture I use as my avatar. She was a Polaris submarine. These submarines had two crews, gold and blue. The gold stripes represent the gold crew and the sky blue stripe represents the blue crew.

**Kiltman** · 30th December 08, 07:08 PM

Hope you make more, that looks really good.

**Standard** · 30th December 08, 08:51 PM

Very unique. Where does one go about aquiring hippo tusks?

**Glamrockdj** · 31st December 08, 06:51 AM

Looks as if it would be quite comfy in the hand, nice job!!

**SingleBarrelBourbon** · 31st December 08, 08:01 AM

As for finding the tusk, it came from a shop in the Bayside or Bayshore Shopping Center in Miami called Art by God.

Relatively inexpensive for the entire sgain dubh, less than $50 total for all materials.

I have relatively small hands. My thumb aligns along the top and my four fingers have a good grip on the handle. Very comfortable.

I plan on making more. I have a good friend who is a true artist. I tell him my ideas and he helps me get the work done. We are already discussing a very elaborate sgain dubh for formal occassions and other more casual ones.

Thanks to everyone for their compliments.