New Sgian Dubh

**Hirsty** · 18th January 17, 10:55 AM

After a lot of searching I finally pulled the trigger on a new Sgian Dubh for black and white tie affairs. I know I really should have a stone topped Sgian Dubh for white tie but I think this has enough of a presence to pull it off.

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I have to say that I am rather happy with it. The blade came pretty sharp out of the box but I did have to knock a minor burr off it.

It also came with two sheaths - one rather which and heavy duty, the other slimmer but easier to draw the Sgian Dubh.

It has a decent heft to it and is about 7 inches total length.

**KiltingandPiping** · 18th January 17, 01:53 PM

A very regal selection!

Very nice!

**David Dubh** · 18th January 17, 09:07 PM

That looks great. Is that from the Sheffield cutlery company?
I've been trying to decide on a quality sgian dubh that would have a sharp blade and useable for most occasions, I already have a dress sgian dubh with the resin handle.
Would you recommend their products
Thanks David

**Hirsty** · 19th January 17, 03:35 AM

Originally Posted by David Dubh

That looks great. Is that from the Sheffield cutlery company?
I've been trying to decide on a quality sgian dubh that would have a sharp blade and useable for most occasions, I already have a dress sgian dubh with the resin handle.
Would you recommend their products
Thanks David

It is from the Sheffield Cutlery Shop.

It is pretty in real life and it has a good edge to it. I cannot comment on whether it would keep the edge as I have just got it and, although I do like my Sgian Dubhs to be sharp, I rarely use them for anything more than decoration so they do not get the usage of my Leatherman, for example. I did draw it along a piece of paper and it sliced through no problem.

As for build quality - it is great. All the fittings are solid with no wobble, give, looseness, etc. The stag horn is genuine and has been treated with care when fitting the blade. It fits nicely into the hand.

The silver pommel cap has stags adorning it but they are too faint to be visible to the casual viewer when it is in the hose.

I cannot fault the craftsmanship and I cannot wait to have an excuse to wear it.

**javankrona** · 19th January 17, 09:22 AM

I'm curious about sharpening ... ha ... creating an edge on a sgian dubh. The one I have, typical of one coming from the The Sgian Dubh Company and those found at Highland events have an edge that is so thick, I'm not certain it can be sharpened; does anyone have experience creating an enge on such a blade? Thanks.

**Hirsty** · 19th January 17, 01:56 PM

I've sharpened up my day wear Sgian Dubh using my diamond hones. I used the coarse grade hone to get an edge followed by the fine grade hone to finish it off.

It took a couple of hours but it has kept a good edge.

**MNlad** · 19th January 17, 03:02 PM

I'm not certain it can be sharpened

With the right implements, sharpening is not the problem—keeping an edge is. Costume sgians are all over the board as far as the quality of their steels. I once bought a Damascus sgian blade for a project. The finished project looks great but the steel is so soft it won't hold an edge past a few cuts. If you want a functional blade, check the composition and heat treatment of the steel before you purchase so you don't make the same mistake I did.

**Taffy Jack** · 19th January 17, 11:49 PM

Originally Posted by javankrona

... I'm not certain it can be sharpened; does anyone have experience creating an enge on such a blade? Thanks.

If you're smooth and steady-handed, you can grind a fresh edge onto it with a standard grinding wheel, but be careful: it's easy to draw the temper from the blade by overheating it, and darn hard to re-temper a blade that already has its handle installed.

You can also grind an edge on with hand tools, but it takes eternally long. On the good hand, it's nearly impossible to "lose your temper" with a file or a handheld slipstone.

You can put an edge on any flat strap of metal, if you're of a mind to.