Macassar Ebony and African Blackwood Damascus Steel Sgian Dubh- sharpened, Scottish gift, Scottish, wedding gift, groom gift, mens gift

The Sgian Dubh is a ceremonial dagger that is traditionally worn (tucked into the sock) as part of Scottish Highland dress along with a kilt. The translation in Gaelic is dagger for “Sgian” and black for “Dubh”.
The slightly larger piece of wood on this two part Sgian Dubh handle is some sublime Macassar Ebony. This piece came for the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, is 87 on my list of worked Hardwoods and my 4th worked Ebony. As with all true Ebony woods, Macassar does not disappoint. It is mostly a mix of black and browns with some vibrant iridescent flashes and finishes to a very very high lustre. This wood is getting rarer and harder to source and is usually only available in small pieces. Using Macassar Ebony in my work is an absolute privilege and it definitely adds automatic class to any piece.
The slightly smaller piece of wood on this two part Sgian Dubh handle is some stunning African Blackwood. All the Blackwood i use is FSC 100% and comes from community-managed forests in Tanzania, 100% of the revenue from wood sales goes back to the local people involved. This true Rosewood has a beautiful grain, jet black streaks intertwined with dark iridescent brown. It also has a high natural oil content that makes it very resistant to moisture. African Blackwood is a very traditional wood to be used in the making of Sgian Dubhs fitting the bill perfectly for a “Black Dagger”. The wood is extremely hard (third hardest on the planet) and finishes to a high lustre and goes perfectly with the Macassar Ebony.
For a professional finish i have used some local Holly as a centre to lock the tang and the outer scales together. This particular piece came from a wind felled tree that grew on the banks of Loch Ness, 12 miles from my home in Inverness. Holly is one of the lightest local Hardwoods and is predominately cream in colour with tones of green and yellow. It is very hard and finishes to a fine lustre. For this deep dark Sgian Dubh i used the cleanest piece of Holly in my stock. It gives the perfect contrast against the Tropical hardwoods.
The blade is made of Damascus steel. Damascus steel was first made over 2000 years ago and has a legendary status, it is referred to as the steel of the Ancients. It is thought to have originated in or near Damascus, Syria. During the Crusades, the Crusaders where in awe of this steel that they witnessed slicing through their own lesser quality swords. The exact process of making Damascus steel was lost around 1750 AD but it became very popular again in the 1970s with various craftsmen claiming to have rediscovered the process. The process involves taking multiple layers of metal and folding them together and bonding them by forge welding. If done correctly the metalsmith will end up with a blade that is both hard and flexible and of course have the swirling Damascus steel pattern that is so sought after. Each blade has its own unique pattern, just like a finger print. I have sourced top quality 15N20 Damascus steel blanks, they have a higher Nickel content for extra hardness and are simply stunning to look at, an absolute must have for any collection. If Damascus steel is ground to sharpen then the pattern will disappear, to people unfamiliar with this metal, quite a distressing thing. After sharpening, application of hydrochloric acid will instantly make the pattern pop again. There is one draw back with Damascus steel, due to the high carbon content it will rust and rust quickly. If the blade gets wet it must be dried quickly and if stored for a period of time, especially in an environment that could get damp, simply rub a little clear oil onto the blade to protect it. I have set it in the handle so that it measures just under 3.5″ to comply with current UK knife laws. I have sharpened the edge of this Sgian Dubh.
To finish and protect the wood I first apply a sealer of Shellac and Cellulose Thinners, this brings out the true colours in the wood. I then apply to types of industrial wax, the same finish as I use on my antler pieces, this leaves a hard wearing satin sheen.
It comes complete with an attractive embossed black leather sheath and a black presentation box. The Sgian Dubh measures:
Overall Length 177mm x Width 27mm x depth of just over 11mm
Blade Length 87mm x Width 25mm
As with all of my pieces i have applied my company logo “UBC” with pyrography, in this case on the bottom rear of the handle.