Sgian Dubh Question(s)

[M. A. C. Newsome]

Hmmm...

From someone who imports and sells sgians dubh, I may be able to offer some perspective.

First of all, having them come dull like that has nothing to do with them being manufactured in Great Britian. I get sgian dubhs in all the time direct from the manufacturer in Scotland and they do have edges on them. That's not an issue.

Ron, the blade on yours actually sounds a lot like the blades my company puts on their children's sgian dubs. It's almost like an old butter knife. How large is your sgian dubh? If it seems smaller than it ought to be, maybe she bought you a child's model by mistake?

I'm wondering if the sgian dubh wasn't made by Charles Buyers. They are the manufacturer of the sgians we sell, and their packaging includes the phrase "the Sgian Dubh company," but that's not actually their company name. The way you describe it doesn't sound like any model that they make, though. Not that I am aware of anyway, and I'm pretty sure I've got their whole line.

Aye,
Matt

[Riverkilt]

Thanks Matt,

The thing is 7 1/4 inches long. Made from either a hard wood or a moulded composition wood-like material. I suspect the later due to the detail on one side which is a Scotsman with his targe, beard, bonnet with feather, rolled up sleeves, kilt with grooves to represent the tartan, sword, kilt hose, and sporan.

Sense if it was hand-carved would have been way out of my friend's price range. Back side of the handle is just an interlocking Celtic pattern that is repeated on the sheath. Sheath is leather.

Blade where you'd expect an edge is the same width as the top of the blade, less than 1/16th inch wide. On the bottom of the blade there's about two inches of sawtooth like grooves near the handle.

Hmm, thought I didn't have time to take a picture...could have by now. Maybe when I get back from running around.

Came in a black box with a black Sgian Dubh company logo imprinted in red.

The card explaining the knife was also black with red imprint on the outside.

Ron

[O'Neille]

When I asked Graeme about the dull blade he said the company told him that they (The Sgian Dubh Co. Scotland) were no longer making sharpened blades due to new regulations in GB. O'Neille

[Caradoc]

On the bottom of the blade there's about two inches of sawtooth like grooves near the handle.

The "technical" term for the filework is "jimping," and it's where you put your thumb to get more leverage and finer point control when using the knife. On a full-sized dirk, it's more decorative than on a sgian dubh - the jimping is actually useful on a sgian dubh, but on a dirk they usually cut the jimping too deep, too far apart, and far too high up the blade to be useful.

Some people will tell you it's for scaling fish. They'd be wrong.

[raindog]

The laws in Scotland may have changed (they recently banned people from selling swords) but the rest of Britain is unchanged. Only things banned are flick knives, butterfly knives, and knives designed to look like something else (lipsticks, buckles etc).


Jeff.

[Riverkilt]

Hey Raindog,

My father spent some time there in 1942 at the RAF Personnel Reception Center.
Have some very graphic descriptions of the place then. Can PM if you've an interest, as I should have this. Sorry.

And, as to the topic...sure look like fish scalers to me...or a saw...not sure I wanna put my thumb down there and put pressure on it....

Ron

[Caradoc]

And, as to the topic...sure look like fish scalers to me...or a saw...not sure I wanna put my thumb down there and put pressure on it....

In that case, the manufacturer has gotten too aggressive with the filework. Jimping is also common on skinners, capers, and other blades that require a bit more control and dexterity.

The correct tools for scaling a fish are a teaspoon, a butter knife, or a garden hose with a pressure nozzle on it.

[pig140]

Hate to bump this thread so late...but I have a question. I bought a sgian dubh from the Tartan's Museum. It's the Blackwood Sgian Dubh, about 4th down on the page. I also thought it would be sharp when I got it. It's anything but sharp.

Matt, I believe you carried this sgian dubh before. Can this one be sharpened?

[Abax]

On the bottom of the blade there's about two inches of sawtooth like grooves near the handle.

Is the shape of the unsharpened blade perhaps misleading? I think the jimping is actually supposed to be on top of the blade . . . the opposing edge would usually be sharp.

Abax