Daywear Sgian Dubh???

[Braw Cathairneach]

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(BTW, I think you meant King George IV, not VI, didn't you?)

Mea culpa, Aye that I did. My fact checker is over due for an employee evaluation...

[David Thorpe]

Is there a reason for deviating? The sgian of today may be used by those of us who wear the kilt as a pocket-knife is by those who wear trousers, but not as some sort of weapon.

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The sgian dubh is a component of traditional Highland attire. One's choice should therefore be made with respect for tradition as a primary consideration. Otherwise, just stick your weapon of choice in your sock and call it whatever you like.

[nagod]

older ones were not normally double edged or weapons.they were utility oriented.

[Braw Cathairneach]

Everyone’s input has been edifying and is appreciated. The consensus as I understand it is that wearing a back-up knife in lieu of a sgian dubh despite any similarities may be inconsistent with tradition, can be considered at best a gros faux pas, at worst an unnecessary and preventable enticement to the constabulary.

Thank you all for providing the input that I solicited with this thread.

[Dale Seago]

The consensus as I understand it is that wearing a back-up knife in lieu of a sgian dubh despite any similarities may be inconsistent with tradition, can be considered at best a gros faux pas, at worst an unnecessary and preventable enticement to the constabulary.

Pretty much.

That said, however, I wouldn't altogether discount the idea of pressing other sorts of knives into service as a daywear sgian dubh. With a different sheath, for example, a traditional Finnish puukko could work very well in this role:





Of course it doesn't "deviate" all that much from early forms of the Scottish sgian dubh. . .likely because it came about for similar purposes.

[Zardoz]

Everyone’s input has been edifying and is appreciated. The consensus as I understand it is that wearing a back-up knife in lieu of a sgian dubh despite any similarities may be inconsistent with tradition, can be considered at best a gros faux pas, at worst an unnecessary and preventable enticement to the constabulary.

Thank you all for providing the input that I solicited with this thread.

Sometimes a knife is just a knife.

[OC Richard]

Nowadays it's "anything goes" but I find it interesting to read, for example, my 1936 William Anderson & Son catalogue and its many admonitions as to was is "correct".

About sginean it says

Highland Dress in the Evening

Skean Dhu. A skean dhu of evening pattern is correctly worn in the stocking.

Highland Dress in the Daytime

Skean Dhu. A day pattern (as distinct from evening pattern) should be worn in the stocking.

However, only silver-mounted sginean are illustrated.

In later Anderson catalogues, from the 1950s, there appears a photo of six different "skean dhus" three with carved black wood handles and ornate silver fittings (on both knife and sheath) called "evening pattern" and two with staghorn handles (and plain silver mounts on sheath) called "day pattern".

About the sixth skean dhu the catalogue says "Youths' Pattern for Day or Evening, Staghorn Handle, Silver Mounts" but the skean appears to be identical with the adult "day pattern" knives.

In any case, that's the "tradition" as it was by the 1930s, a staghorn-handled sgian for Day Dress.

[Mither Tap]

I gathered that some older sgian dubhs didnt always follow the "spear point with fuller and filework" pattern that we always see today. I'm sure I've even seen a clip-point example somewhere.

But as far as Cold-steel double edge daggers and other "tacticool" designs. Im not a fan. Not when you can have a nice tradition, functional, organic handled knife in it place. In my opinion, a Puuko or similar would be fine.

Life is too short for ugly kit.

Chris S

[creagdhubh]

I like to wear a sgian dubh with a genuine stag horn handle (lighter coloured stag horn from Perthshire) with a coronet hilt for day wear, but I also sometimes wear a ball-top sgian dubh made of sterling silver and ebony. I tend not to wear a sgian dubh with a stone of some sort (cairngorm) inserted into its hilt, I restrict the use of this style of sgian dubh for evening occassions when stones are more commonly worn.

Cheers,

[sailortats]

Boy, I don't know about this site. I am beginning to dread opening it up each day. For some time now I have been perfectly content with my one and only sgian dhu. Now I find that to be proper I should have one sgian dhu for daywear and one for evening wear. Will my wallet ever recover?
I am 4 weeks into jonesing for my next kilt and, of course, before it gets here I have to buy a new kilt hanger and kilt pin for it. It's an endless cycle. Oh well, what is money for if not to spend.