damascus sgian dubh

**Joe Gondek** · 27th February 08, 10:06 PM

It has really been a long cold winter here in Eastern Utah.

It finally warmed up enough to use my shop, so with hope of curing my cabin fever I went out and put a handle on a blade I had bought from Rab Gordon.

I finished this one a little different than other crown antler handles I've done in the past.
I had to thin and reshape the antler so it would ride against the leg better
and used a Tea bath to stain the crown.

The bolster is poured pewter.

**James MacMillan** · 27th February 08, 10:09 PM

Really nice Joe - one suggestion. Make the part that you intend to be next to your leg flatter. One Sgian Dubh that I have, much like that, tends to dig into my leg after a few couple of hours.

**berserkbishop** · 27th February 08, 10:14 PM

Wow that is very nice!

BB

**Livingston** · 28th February 08, 11:18 AM

Looks great, Joe. Glad to see you could get out of the cabin for a while to do some work.

**JS Sanders** · 28th February 08, 11:25 AM

Damascus steel makes such beautiful knives.

**McMurdo** · 28th February 08, 01:48 PM

Very nice, but I am with James I find that if the sgian is not flat against my leg I just can not wear it.

**Sean_the_Kilted** · 28th February 08, 02:08 PM

Awesome looking. You did a great job.

**Joe Gondek** · 28th February 08, 02:55 PM

James MacMillan wrote

Really nice Joe - one suggestion. Make the part that you intend to be next to your leg flatter. One Sgian Dubh that I have, much like that, tends to dig into my leg after a few couple of hours.

McMurdo wrote

Very nice, but I am with James I find that if the sgian is not flat against my leg I just can not wear it.

I really appreciate everyones imput and experience and will take that into consideration when I make another sgian.
The off side picture doesn't show it well but the back side is fairly flat and contured so the crown doesn't touch the leg.

I wore it yesterday for about 4 hours without a problem but if it does start to bother me I'll just reshape it in some more.

Glad to see you could get out of the cabin for a while to do some work

Livingston ,
You don't know the half of it,
The snow is 4 foot deep from the house to my shop with 5-6 foot drifts along the back fence.

**BoldHighlander** · 28th February 08, 05:10 PM

Very nice Joe!

**PaulX608** · 28th February 08, 05:12 PM

That's a really nice looking blade, I really do appreciate some of the craftsmen on this site. My boss was in Vernal last week for a family funeral and was telling me about the current weather out there. I think his mother lives in Roosevelt and they're getting piled on too. Makes me glad to be here in VA where it was 20 this morning with 0 inches of snow!