Sgian Dubh question

[GreenDragon]

What's the proper way to wear a Sgian Dubh?

[RobertParker]

Sheathed (very important!) inside your strong-side kilt hose, with about half the handle showing. Lots of the pics on here show the most "appropriate" way.

Of course, if you want to carry it as it might be originally used, then carry it anywhere that it's easily concealed but easily retrieved. Sgian dubh meaning "black knife" probably from its intended purpose of being used as a concealed weapon for "black" deeds. I think the tradition is that carrying it openly in the top of the hose was a way of showing good faith because your weapons were in plain view and you had no intent of harm (but still able to protect yourself).

Anyway, this is generally frowned upon by law-enforcement these days, so I don't really recommend it.

[piperdbh]

To protect your sock, the knife should be in a sheath of some sort, which is then tucked into the top of the sock on your dominant side. If you're right-handed, use the right sock. If left-handed, use the left. It should stick out of the top of the sock enough to be easily gripable when the need for it arises, and, since many sgianan dubh have decorated grips and/or stones in the pommel, it should show enough to be seen.

Good enough?

Robert beat me on the draw.

[GreenDragon]

Thanks!

[JSFMACLJR]

Sgian dubh meaning "black knife" probably from its intended purpose of being used as a concealed weapon for "black" deeds. I think the tradition is that carrying it openly in the top of the hose was a way of showing good faith because your weapons were in plain view and you had no intent of harm (but still able to protect yourself).

Are you sure about this?

[Ryan Ross]

Are you sure about this?

...I always thought is might have been called black because the handles were commonly made of bog oak... or more likely, because the blades themselves may well have been black- moist, dark, and salty conditions will do that to a carbon steel utility blade.

[RobertParker]

Am I sure about that - no, not really. It just sounds more interesting. Maybe the dark color has less to do with intention to do something "black" so much as dark color makes it easier to conceal, especially in folds or shadows of your clothes. It's just something I read somewhere. I meant to make it clearer that it was just something I heard, but in reading my OP, it wasn't as clear as I thought.

[OC Richard]

What's the proper way to wear a Sgian Dubh?

For my eye, the way the Army (the Scottish regiments of the British Army to be exact) wears things always looks "right".

For sginean, the military always wears them in the right leg, at the 2 o'clock position (not directly at the side).

Most regiments have approximately half the handle showing, but not all!

The Black Watch in fact have the entire handle showing, perhaps because the regimental honour the Sphinx is placed at the bottom of the handle, and they want that Sphinx to be visible.

In the military, by the way, sginean are badges of rank or office, worn by officers and pipers.

For my eye, it looks odd when civilians wear sginean with the entire handle visible. It's a Black Watch thing and I'll leave it to them.

[Lallans]

I'll throw in the observation that a sgian carried with the handle half into the hose is a sgian that you will have at the end of the day.

[Bob C]

I'll throw in the observation that a sgian carried with the handle half into the hose is a sgian that you will have at the end of the day.

An excellent observation.