Glenmorangie Whisky Cask Oak and Wild Cherry Sgian Dubh, Scottish gift, whisky gift, Scottish knife, 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”.
This knife is made from an Oak barrel that had been used at Glenmorangie Distillery, Tain, North of Scotland. When working the stave i wanted as clean wood as possible so removed all stained and charred wood burnt at the Cooperage. One thing there is no getting rid of is the smell, essence of Distillery, this has permeated right the way through. I have worked a fair bit of Oak but this piece is particularly pretty, not sure if the soaking in the “wreck the hoose juice” had anything to do with it, but possibly. It is a vibrant golden brown with Oaks characteristic Medullary Rays showing as unique lighter coloured dashes across the wood, very eye-catching especially in sunlight. I did give the wood an extra fine polishing as i wanted to show it at its best and to be honest, i couldn’t be happier with the end result. As with all my wood Sgian Dubhs i have cut a traditional Sgian Dubh design and carved the curves a little further for maximum comfort.
For a professional finish i have used some local Wild Cherry (Gean) as a centre to lock the knife tang and the outer scales together. This piece came from a tree that grew on the Black Isle, just North of Inverness. Like most Cherrys, Wild Cherry is a lovely wood. It has a complex grain pattern, is orangy brown with streaks of green and a golden iridescence. I used this wood in some of my early knives and loved it so have been waiting very patiently for this piece to dry for the last couple of years. These two hardwoods go perfectly together.
To finish and protect the wood I first apply a sealer of Shellac and Cellulose Thinners. This brings out the colour and provides a stable base for the next finish. I then apply 3 coats of a tough polyurethane. From my experience this is the hardest wearing finish available for wood. The blade is Stainless Steel and measures under 3.5″ to comply with 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 28mm x Depth 12.5mm
Blade Length 85mm 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.