My new Sgain

[Huhwhat?]

A Sgian Dubh is a boot knife carried when wearing a kilt. This one is my first Zachariah Busch custom knife, but not my last. It's a elk antler hilt and brass. I'll be making a wood scabbard - probably oak - for when I wear it with my kilt. The scabbard it came with is gorgeous, but not suitable for sticking in the top of my kilt hose.

 

[Rumrunner]

Pretty cool.

 

[GunnyGene]

A Sgian Dubh is a boot knife carried when wearing a kilt. This one is my first Zachariah Busch custom knife, but not my last. It's a elk antler hilt and brass. I'll be making a wood scabbard - probably oak - for when I wear it with my kilt. The scabbard it came with is gorgeous, but not suitable for sticking in the top of my kilt hose.

Beauty! I think I'd go with something other than oak for a wood sheath tho. Hard maple or Mesquite would be my choice. I have some of each I could send you if you like. Also some other species you might like. PM me if you want.

 

[GLASSMAN]

Very nice

 

[don44]

Looks nice!

 

[Huhwhat?]

A Sgian Dubh is a boot knife carried when wearing a kilt. This one is my first Zachariah Busch custom knife, but not my last. It's a elk antler hilt and brass. I'll be making a wood scabbard - probably oak - for when I wear it with my kilt. The scabbard it came with is gorgeous, but not suitable for sticking in the top of my kilt hose.

Beauty! I think I'd go with something other than oak for a wood sheath tho. Hard maple or Mesquite would be my choice. I have some of each I could send you if you like. Also some other species you might like. PM me if you want.

Thank you for offering, but I have access to whatever I need.

 

[Huhwhat?]

Eventually, I'll pick up some of this guy's serious artwork...

I'd post a link to his stuff, but right now it's all on Facebook. He is working on redoing his website, so I might be able to post some stuff later. He intensely dislikes selling over the internet. He prefers to deal with each and every customer personally. Some of his works are not just in the thousands, they are in the tens of thousands of dollars.


Here are pics of a few of his custom pieces...

 

[Highstandardguy]

WOW! I'm not even sure I can afford to look at the pictures. :shock:

 

[Mike Armstrong]

Beautiful boot knife but not a skean dubh, or at least not a traditional one.

As I understand it the original ones were single edged and guardless, usually with a fuller and a thick back, sort of a miniature of the long Celtic dirk that was carried openly. They were often made from the front end of a broken dirk or broadsword. Lots of these larger traditional Scottish weapons were destroyed during the hard times under the German kings after Culloden, and some of the tips recycled into these concealable weapons.

Yours is less concealable, but would likely serve the original purpose even better than the originals: a very handsome little "surprise." (No good Scot feels really complete without a "sticker in his sock"!).

 

[WendyZXZ]

That is a beautiful knife there!

 

[Huhwhat?]

The originals were usually single edged, but not always. The touristy ones today do match your description. However, if you check the customs, a lot of them are are sharpened on both edges.

If we assume the originals were made from pieces of broken weapons, which I don't necessarily agree with, just that fact alone would tend to preclude them being of a given design.

In short, today, a Sgian Dubh is a small, concealable knife that is traditionally carried in the top of the kilt hose. They tend to be a straight blade and may be sharpened on one or both edges. Anything beyond that is open to debate, even historically. I'll make a new scabbard for this one that is more suited to carry in my kilt hose, and keep the leather one for belt carry, assuming I ever do carry it on my belt - not likely. It's a dress knife.


The other thing I'll do when I'm ready is send it back to the knife maker for some custom carving. As soon as I decide what I want for carvings, and can afford to get the work done.

 

[Mike Armstrong]

True, there is a lot of debate about what a "real" Skean Dubh was like. Given the poverty of the Highlands after the British occupation, I suspect there is some truth in the "recycling" legend. And some of it is like the stories about Pancho Villa's many handguns--"MY skean was once the business part of Bonnie Prince Charlie's broadsword...."

I like your "dual carry" options. Just don't carry it in CA. Double edged carry has been illegal since about the Gold Rush here. Perhaps a precursor of our gun @#$%&&!!! gun laws.

 

[Huhwhat?]

Why on earth would I want to go to California. I didn't even go there when my brother lived there. Now he's moved, so I have even less reason to go to California. I'll stay in AZ, where I can carry guns concealed with no permit, let alone knives.