Protecting Kilt Hose from Sgian Dubh Damage.

[Tobus]

If I tried to draw the sgian, the whole thing would come out of my hose instead of just the blade. My garters couldn’t hold the scabbard tight enough.

With most sgians, they should be worn far enough down in the hose that the garter is holding the handle, not the scabbard. If the garter is just holding the scabbard, there will be a lot of handle poking out the top, and the balance will be off. Generally speaking, you should only have the last inch or two sticking out of the hose. At most, half the handle.

I'm of the opinion that the scabbard should come out with the blade. Otherwise, when you put it back in, you have to either fish the scabbard out, or try to gently guide the blade back into a hidden opening, whilst trying to hold the scabbard from pushing further down into the hose and trying not to catch the hose with the tip of the blade.

[OC Richard]

For sure sginean that have this sort of sheath (which many do) can be problems



It's happened to me.

The sheath mount has sharp bits that beg to be caught on the threads of the hose.

What I did was to wear my vintage sgian with a new plain leather sheath, which had nothing to snag.

[Crazy Dave]

Do you know what its history is?

Dave

[kilted Mnementh]

I hand made a sheath for my sgian dubh, using a thicker 8oz for the rear with a lighter 4oz at the front. I coated the blade with vaseline ( petroleum jelly) to protect it while wet forming the front of the sheath to the blade and left to dry. The sheath also accepts the first in of the handle.
Yes it's thicker and heavier than the stock sheath sent out wi the sgian dubh, but it sits flat to my leg and stays in place.
If anything, I get greater damage from the garter than the sgian dubh

[Katia]

Isn't velcro going to hurt the hose? I know I cringe every time my scarf or mitten get caught on the velcro of my coat and I have to rip it off... pulling little bits of threads with it. Eventually (pretty quickly) you'll get a fuzzy spot of damaged threads.

[imbrius]

I'm of the opinion that the scabbard should come out with the blade. Otherwise, when you put it back in, you have to either fish the scabbard out, or try to gently guide the blade back into a hidden opening, whilst trying to hold the scabbard from pushing further down into the hose and trying not to catch the hose with the tip of the blade.

I learned this the hard way. I ruined a pair of cotton (not-really-kilt-)hose by missing the scabbard with a very sharp blade the day of a wedding. My wife immediately sewed the hole but the pattern was trashed and I ended up tossing them (they were $8/pair so no great loss). Then again, that'll teach me to use pointy things to make a point. ;)

[Braw Cathairneach]

Thank you all for a lively, entertaining, and an especially useful and informative commentary. I never contemplated that what I assumed would be a simple matter could generate such diversified and thoughtful comments. All’ya’all’s viewpoints are much appreciated.

[OC Richard]

About jabbing your leg, the sgian I showed has the typical traditional sheath where the mounts have points, but those points are just on the front of the sheath. The backside of the mounts, the ones in contact with your leg, go straight across without points.

So your leg is safe from getting jabbed, but as I said those points (one going up, one going down) seem special-made to catch in the yarn of your hose, both putting the sgian in your sock and pulling it out.

It does make one wonder why those pointy mounts are so very common in old sginean.

Anyhow a plain leather sheath is what does it for me- there's nothing to catch in the sock.

BTW other features seen in many traditional sginean that pose dangers for socks are the nail-heads and the little badges. Some regiments wear their sginean high in the sock so that the entire handle is exposed. Others put the sgian halfway down in the sock, so that the tips of St Andrew's cross and the various nail-heads can snag your hose.