My first Sgian

[MacHenderson]

Well, a while back, Rab Gordon sent me a couple of very nice pieces of deer antler. One piece he sent to me for a sgian handle, and he threw in an antler tip for a kilt pin. But when I got the material in the mail and held it in my hands, I decided the antler tip would make a good sgian handle, while the other section would make a nice dirk handle. (That project is forthcoming...hopefully.) So I made a knife blade in my blacksmithing class.

I'm not real experienced at knife-making yet, that's why the tang looks kinda wierd. That's cocobolo, which I decided to use for the guard. Here's a picture of the guard after cutting it out and shaping it up:



I drilled a hole in the guard and handle, and used epoxy to secure all the pieces together. As an afterthought, I used some leather cord to make a nifty looking sheath. Here's a couple of pics of the finished product:


(That's Henderson Ancient btw, if you were wondering.)

It turned out about the same size as your standard Sgian, and fits into the kilt sock quite nicely. I gave it to my dad as a christmas present.

I was pretty happy with the way this turned out, except for one thing. I don't know if you can tell or not in the picture, but I wasn't able to finish the blade; it's still got a lot of markings on it. It does give the blade surface a primitive look and feel, which kinda fits the whole antler-handle thing. But for future references, do any of you know how to polish a blade?
Also, (I hope this question is okay.) for future references, in case I wanted to sell something like this on ebay or something, how much do you guys think a knife like this is worth?

[Bugbear]

Congratulations on making the blade and all. There are many knife makers here who would know how to polish a blade. Good luck.

[Sheep In Wolf's Clothing]

Hey that's a neat idea to use that end of the antler!!
I have just started knife making as well, so my knowledge is very limited. I used sandpaper to shine the ones I have made up (very rough at first, polished with a cloth, then I used a very very fine sandpaper). I also experimented with a few polishing stones and buffers for my Dremel but they made the blade a little tooo shiny.
Take a look back at some of the other threads about knife making on Xmarks, there are some real craftsmen on her that have much better advice than mine!
Have fun with the next one,
Sara

[O'Neille]

Stock removal from blades is commonly done with large sanding belts, files, or grindstones. In fact you can use all or one. Look at some of the knife forums for some advice. There's a language to be learned especially on the foreign sites so be patient and do a lot of searching and reading.

[Rab Gordon]

It's really nice to see how you used the antler.
When finishing a custom blade I use a belt sander and progressively finer grits - maybe ending up at 600 or 800 grit then a polishing mop and compounds. It really depends upon what sort of look you're after.
Then you might like to put a patina on it afterwards using mustard/vinegar/lemon juice or you can brown or blue it.

Rab

[Kid Cossack]

I like the design of the knife, and especially of the sheath. Well done! it looks very rustic (and I mean that in the best possible way).

[Brian F]

Very well done! I am jealous of those of you who have gotten around to making sgians. I have yet to make mine, but I want to have it done by the summer.

BTW, MacHenderson, you have a PM.

~Yeti

[TheSp8]

Well done. Is your blacksmithing class a general blacksmithing or focused on blades? I have seen smiths get a good clean smooth surface with their hammer. I never was that good and it's been years since I worked a forge. I generally draw file to get smooth then go with finer and finer sand paper till I get the finish I'm after.

YMOS,
Tony

[MacHenderson]

Thanks everyone. I might leave this particular blade unpolished, because it does add to the rustic look of the knife, but I'll definately use the methods you described on other knives.

Tony; it's a general blacksmithin class, but the instructor is pretty loose on what he allows us to do. He knows how to make knives, so he showed me how to do it. As a matter of fact, the knife wasn't even my project for the semester; I'd spent almost all of that time making a traditional viking helmet. I actually made the blade on the very last day of class!