Sgian dubh Build-along

[sav]

Wow! This is a cool thread, thanks for posting, everyone!

[Splash_4]

Agreed, Great thread and marking for future reference, I am in the process of making one in purple heartwood

[McMurdo]

This is a great thread I keep coming back to it. At the moment the only sgian dubh that I have is a cheap one that I got off ebay for about $2.00, and for what it cost it's fine, however I may just have to try making my own. Thanks for this Tartan Hiker.

[haxtonhouse]

If you are going to make your own sheath, remember to put an extra layer of leather where you sew it together or the blade will slice through the stitching.

[Mr. Woolery]

A couple of ideas to contribute here, in no particular order.

Heat-treating can be done with propane (MAPP is hotter, though and works faster) if you have a good way to contain the heat. If you take one soft firebrick and drill a hole about 1" in diameter for about 6 inches deep, then another 3/4" hole from the side, you can blow the torch in the side and the whole thing turns into a micro-forge. Look for Wayne Goddard's book The $50 Knife Shop at a library for details. I've heat-treated several blades in one of these and it does work well.

When you are hardening a blade, use a magnet to determine whether it is ready to quench. When the magnet no longer sticks, the blade is ready to dunk.

I use a mixture of vegetable oil and parafin for my quenchant. It is semi-solid at room temperature, but gets the blades hard.

Knife making is not all that complicated, but the devil is in the details. Just as anyone who can run a sewing machine can make a kilt-like garment, anyone who can work a file and hacksaw can make a knife that cuts. However, making a nice kilt or a fine knife will take a bit more work and some real experience. What impresses me about this project is that it look so much better than most first knives (or tenth knives, really). I think it was a great thing to do and a wonderful thing to share.

-Patrick

[Mr. Woolery]

Double post, sorry!

[haxtonhouse]

So is heat treating a different step than hardening? If so whats the difference?

[Archangel]

So is heat treating a different step than hardening? If so whats the difference?

Hardening makes the steel brittle. The next step is tempering which adjusts how much of the blade and where do you want it to stay that hard. A cold chisel, you'll want very hard and with the design you don't need much flexibility, maybe a little softer where you hit it with a hammer. That's why safety glasses are so important. A chisel chip will fly out with force. A sword blade, by contrast will have a hard edge and a soft centre. That way it can cut and also take the shock. A knife will be in between and depends on what you want to use it for.

Heat treating is the whole process.

[Tartan Hiker]

How curious that this old thread has resurfaced today! I just glued the butt cap onto my latest sgian...the first time I've done any knife work in at least 7 months. I've been wanting to do a poured pewter bolster ever since seeing several threads here on how to do that. I was given a box full of pewter scraps from a local artist and made my first poured bolster today. I'd take a photo to post, but it's in the vise while the epoxy sets, so I'll have to wait 'til later.

[Alan H]

I remember reading, recently about heat treating a blade in the oven. I assume you set the oven on "broil" with the blade as close to the heating element as you can get it. After doing so, you then pull it out and quench in motor oil.

Any comments?