Natural Sgian Brew, Sgian Dubh, Scottish knife, skene dubh, Scottish gift, wedding gift, groom gift, best man 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 knife or dagger for “Sgian” and black for “Dubh”. Sgian Brews have become a popular alternative, used perhaps in a non-knife friendly event or just as a talking point.
The antler i used in this handle came from a stag that roamed the hills above Lairg, Sutherland. This is an extremely rugged part of Scotland and I’m sure it makes the Stags and their antlers extra tough! Antler is one of these materials that is a joy to work, approximately the working hardness of Oak, it responds well to careful working with both machine and hand tools. My wood Sgian Brews tend to be very exacting in their shape where as antler, due to its flowing curves can offer a more natural handle which is exactly what has been achieved in this knife. I have been getting more and more requests for a more natural finish on my Antler Sgian Brews so have done as little finishing on the antler handle as possible to keep the natural look but, enough sanding to remove any harsh edges or lines and make the knife ergonomic to hold and comfortable being worn. Colour-wise, Antler tends to be predominately creamy white, sometimes with tones of pinkish brown and even some green.
I have capped this antler handle at both ends with some beautiful, highly figured Scottish Burr Wych Elm sapwood. I harvested this burr from a tree in Balmacara, West Coast of Scotland beside the Isle of Skye and have been waiting for it to dry for a few years now. I have used perhaps over a hundred burrs in my time and this one stood out due to the very clearly defined lighter sapwood to darker heartwood, quite a rare thing indeed. The sapwood is a creamy light brown with darker burr “eyes” and has lovely tones of golden iridescence. I sculpt the wood until in joins perfectly and seamlessly with the antler and again smooth off any sharp edges.
For a professional finish i have used some local Scottish Wych Elm as a centre to lock the knife tang and the outer scales together. This particular piece came from a tree that grew near Forres, East Coast of Scotland. Wych Elm is the highland cousin of European Elm, ranging from light to mid and dark browns, often with streaks of green and a golden iridescence. This piece is particularly dark making an eye-catching contrast with the Antler and Burr Wych Elm sapwood.
To finish and protect the handle I could not use polyurethane varnish as this would turn the antler yellow. So in this case i first apply a sealer of Shellac and Cellulose Thinners only to the wood centre, this brings out the colour. Then i apply two types of industrial wax, the same as used on my antler kilt pins. This gives a hard wearing finish and an attractive sheen not dissimilar to a polyurethane finish. The blade is Stainless Steel and measures under 3.5″ to comply with UK knife laws. It comes complete with an attractive embossed black leather sheath and a black presentation box.
The Sgian Brew measures:
Overall Length 171mm x Width 29mm x Depth 19mm
Blade Length 80mm x Width 25mm
As with all my pieces i have applied my company logo “UBC” with pyrography, in this case on the bottom rear of the handle.