A bit of work to make Dirk!

[Panache]

I really enjoyed making my sgain dubh

http://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/s...ad.php?t=20820

I thought a matching dirk would be fun to make. I ordered the 12" dirk blade from Atlanta Cutlery


http://www.atlantacutlery.com/websto...tish_dirk.aspx


I then set to work cutting and polishing up another antler for the handle. When the blade showed up I went into my workshop to drill a hole into the handle for the tang and use two part epoxy to glue the whole thing together just like my sgian dubh. Easy right?

It didn't occur to me that the dirk tang was far longer and thicker than the one on the sgian dubh. Unless I wanted to cut the tang down to 2 inches there was no way to use the curved piece of horn for a handle. I stood there with the two pieces and thought to myself "Rab Gordon" doesn't have days like these"*.

I switched to Plan B. I cut a slim rectangle out of Austrailian Zebrawood and drilled a hole for the tang in it. Out of an extra piece of horn left over from my sgian dubh project I shaped a bolster. I dry fitted the two parts of the handle with the blade and using a belt sander shaped the handle. I then joined everything together with two part epoxy. Next using a dremel sander attachment and various sandpaper I smoothed the handle out. After staining the wood I glued the nickel acorns left over from the sgian dubh sheath and waxed the whole thing to a shine.

I didn't have the skill to make a traditional dirk handle so I didn't even try. I just worked with the wood and horn until I had something that felt good in my hands and looked attractive to me.

Completed Dirk



Closeup of the handle



The last steps will be to make a sheath and maybe have the thing sharpened. I had asked in another weapon related thread if it is tradition to use a dirk for cutting the Haggis at a Burns night supper. If so I will have it sharpened and wear it to our upcoming Northern California Burns Night. I certainly can't imagine carrying this thing around otherwise (it's just over 18 1/2 inches long!)

So what do you think?

Cheers


* I wound up using the finished antler for the handle of a walking stick that will be my Dad's Christmas present. I like the end result so much I made another walking stick for myself. So it wasn't such a bad thing after all