Stag dirk progress...By-Spoon

[Mark E.]

Ok, it's been a while. In continuation of the previous posting concerning the fork, I have made some revisions to the spoon effort. First, NO COPPER. That stuff gets HOT. Second, brass didn't work so well-the stuff I had work hardened, and kept flaking and cracking after I bashed on it. SO.....I used a pewter spoon (casting). Era appropriate material in appearance of form, and very easy to work with. I bashed the handle flat, trimmed, and mated it into a roe deer antler to match the fork. Finish nails as cross pins, and VOILA! By-spoon. There is nearly no flex at the antler to bowl joint, and it is a handy size. I plan to flap wheel the pointy bits off of the antler grip later, and am still in a quandry as to what to do with the skull pieces still stuck to the crowns.













Next installment will likely be the by-knife. I am going to make it out of a hay fork tine. For now...Does anyone have exposure to the scabbards of the 16th to early 18th centuries, Scots or English? As this dirk is to have the history of a reused broken backsword, I would like to follow the trend with a re-used section of scabbard as well...

Mark