I just got my new sgian dubh, sporran and belt from Mike McRae on Saturday, and man -- am I pleased!

I met Mike (J. Michael McRae of Scotia Metalwork) at the Loch Norman Games a few years back, and really admired his work. He is a very skilled metalsmith, and has BEAUTIFUL dirks, sgians, and even swords. He does a fair bit of leather work, too, and jewelry. I've always admired his Rob Roy style sporrans. To me, they're so much more practical/comfortable/classic than the mass produced, small, boxy sporrans with chain straps.
He's a very nice guy, does great work, and is pretty quick, too. I would highly recommend his services, if you're in the market.

So - REVIEW time:
THE SGIAN: absolutely perfect. I sent him a whitetail antler from our farm, and he's crafted it into a perfectly balanced, beautiful little sgian. (w/ handstiched leather sheath for only $85) Price was a little cheaper than normal because I provided the antler, and gave him a few extras for future projects. Here are the "tech specs" from Mike: "The sgian was forged by my own hand on a two hundred year (plus) old anvil. It is made of 1084 Steel. The American Iron and Steel Institute characterizes the 10xx series as "simple steels", meaning they are made up of iron and carbon and trace elements. After forging, the blade was ground and hand sanded to a state of semi-completion and then heat treated. This entails heating the blade up to around 1500-1600 degrees an then quenching it in oil. It was edge-quenched only, hence the "temper line." From the edge to the top of that line the blade is quite hard, and from that point to the back of the blade it is much softer, and therefore much more forgiving. It will hold an edge for a considerable amount of work, but when it does need to be sharpened it will not require a diamond hone to bring the edge back. Please don't be afraid of using it."



SPORRAN AND BELT: The neat thing about the sporran and belt, is that I sent him a picture of my mahoghany-brown ghillie brogues, and he dyed them to match! The sporran is soft, supple w/ plenty of room, and came w/ it's own leather strap. The belt is, well, a belt, but the brass hardware/internal adjustment straps are great. These are hand crafted - not machine-cut-out, so some cuts aren't perfectly round / straight, but that kinda adds to the handcrafted charm. And, for only $65 (sporran/strap) and $40 (belt, no buckle), quite a deal, methinks.




Check out Mike's site at www.scotiametalwork.com
He's in Mint Hill, NC (near Charlotte)