Skin and Bones - - and Metal

[James MacMillan]

I got the title of this thread as I was working the last few days making a few sgian dubhs from: Skin – Leather; Bone - Antler; and Metal – Blades.

While I am not even close to the artists that sometimes post in the DIY section, I thought that some of your would enjoy the process to make a stacked leather sgian.

Over the years I’ve made several hunting and skinning knives with this method, but I never tried a sgian dubh. Now that I’ve done it, I will definitely be doing another.

The process is very simple if the blade has a threaded tang. Simply put something at the blade to stop the leather from falling off, punch holes in some leather, cut the leather to size, and then stack the leather washers on the tang. Place something for the pommel, put the nut on top and tighten down.

Next figure out something to cover the nut. In my case I had a hunk of green plastic or resin that I had scrounged from somewhere that I thought would polish up into a fake emerald. With my dremel tool, I gouged out a place for the nut to set, and then used epoxy to hold it on.

After everything is hardened, and cured, you can begin to shape the handle. I went to a friends house and used his belt sander, but it could be done by hand. Then back home and onto the buffing wheel. First you use the cutting compound to further shape the handle then the buffing compound to give it a shine.

I like the finished product.

I also had been given some elk antler pieces, so I also cut, drilled and shaped a few pieces for a couple of antler handles. Then I buffed the bone too, and glued the blades in place with epoxy.

The tools I used were a dremel set, sand paper, wood rasp, razor blades, belt sander, and buffing wheel. Sure they are not professional grade, but they will be used by me (Oh, one goes to a fellow X-Marker – he doesn’t know which one, and won’t till he opens the package.) so I’m not so picky – strickly function over form.

Materials used were: Leather from an old belt, Scrape aluminum, Elk antler pieces, Blades from Atlanta Cutlers, Epoxy and Elbow Grease.

Blade and leather pieces.

Stack the leather on the tang.

Tighten the nut and inspect the work.

Don’t like it, take apart, re-stack, re-tighten.

Get something to cover the nut. Carve out a place for the nut.

Cover the nut and epoxy in place.

Shape handle.


Finished products.

[McMurdo]

Nice work, someone is about to be very lucky.

[IrishGodfather]

Very nice, now you got me wanting to make my own now. You going to make sheaths to go with them?

[michaelbeeman]

Wow! Very well done, Jay. Thanks for posting the photo essay of its construction, thats very helpful.

[DWFII]

I assume the blades in the antler handles were the same as the one in the leather handle--had the same threaded tang. ??

If so, how, exactly did you mount the blade in the antler? Did you just thread the antler on? Is there a trick to it?

[James MacMillan]

I assume the blades in the antler handles were the same as the one in the leather handle--had the same threaded tang. ??

If so, how, exactly did you mount the blade in the antler? Did you just thread the antler on? Is there a trick to it?

Yup - The Sgian Dubh blades from Atlanta Cutlery ..here.. are all threaded tang. For Antlers it's really easy!!!

Cut up the antler into handle sized pieces. Hack saw works. Rough sand to the shape that fits your hand. Drill a hole the size of the tang. Use a dremel tool to further shape and refine the hole. Mix some epoxy. Glop it into the hole and on the tang. Push it into the antler piece. Let cure.

Then further shape and sand, and finally buff.

[DWFII]

Thanks. I have some antler laying around here somewhere...might be a little old and oxidized but it gets the wheels turning.

[SteveB]

Very nice handle work to the blades. I can imagine the creative juices in action on the scabbards.

[george7]

Great post! Could you post more details on shaping the leather?

[Big Homestead]

Your the man, thats awesome.