Sgian Dubh in African Blackwood and Red Deer Stag Antler/Holly, Kilt knife,antler gift,Scottish gift, 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 knife or dagger for “Sgian” and black for “Dubh”.
This is part of my new range of Hardwood/Antler Sgian Dubhs. I have always tried to offer the most original and eye catching Sgian Dubhs on Etsy so really wanted to push the boat out for this new range. Both my Wood and Antler knives sell really well so why not combine the two for those of you that can’t decide which one is for them.
I have made the primary outer handle of this Sgian Dubh from some stunning African Blackwood. All the Blackwood is 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 Knife”. The wood is also extremely hard and finishes to a high lustre.
The antler 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 those 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. I have sanded down the antler as it was very rough so it now blends perfectly with the African Blackwood. There was a lovely smell of pine resin when working this piece, most of the dark colour on antler is from thrashing about in pine forest.
I chose Blackwood to use with the antler for a beautiful and eye-catching contrast.
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 also one of the hardest Scottish Hardwoods, brilliant for carving and finishes to a fine lustre.
I have carved the overall handle shape to a traditional Sgian Dubh design and taken it a little further on the recesses for extra comfort. This piece has taken far more time than my other Sgian Dubhs but the finished result is, in my humble opinion, absolutely stunning!
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, this brings out the true colours. 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, i have set it in the handle so that it measures just under 3.5″ to comply with current UK knife laws. I have left the blade unsharpened as Sgian Dubhs are mostly ornamental. It comes complete with an attractive embossed black leather sheath and a black presentation box. The Sgian Dubh measures:
Overall Length 174mm x Width 29mm x Depth 15mm
Blade Length 85mm 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.