Sgian Brew, Sgian Dubh, Scottish knife, kilt knife, 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 in perhaps a non-knife friendly event or just as a talking point.
I have made the primary outer handle of this Sgian Brew from some beautiful African Bubinga. This tropical hardwood is very hard and very heavy. The heartwood is a warm reddish colour and the outer sapwood is a creamy gold. It has a truly beautiful grain with a mesmerising iridescent ripple running throughout that catches the light and sparkles and shimmers. This ripple runs from red into cream as you go into the sapwood. There are even a few worm holes which add to the character.
For a professional finish i have used more African Bubinga for a centre to lock the knife tang and the outer scales together. I have reversed the direction of the Bubinga and have the sapwood towards the rear of the Sgian Brew, opposite to how i have set the outer scales. I love the contrast that this brings to this Sgian Brew, very unique. First time I’ve done one like this and i am more than happy with how its turned out.
To finish the wood i first apply Shellac and Cellulose thinners which brings out the colour and provides a stable base. I then apply two types of industrial wax with leaves a hard wearing satin sheen. 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 168mm x Width 28mm x Depth 12.2mm
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.