I created this sgian with Sculpey polymer clay – ‘coffee bean’.

The blade is of plain steel purchased from Atlanta Cutlery.

I rolled four roughly equivalent lengths of clay and braided them several inches. Not really pleased with the results, I shifted some of the lengths around so it didn’t appear so uniform. The guard was mixed from two clays for a contrasting color. I flattened it and shoved it against the handle portion. This stuff sticks to itself rather well.

If you’re unfamiliar with polymer clays, their unique feature is that they are ‘fired’ at low temperatures, 275 F in fact, for 25-30 minutes. The product is certainly plastic with a hardness that approximates the well-known soldiers we Y-chromosomers played with as children. After ‘firing’, the sculpture can be physically manipulated with carving, sanding, dremel tool, etc.

I shaped & squared up the guard and flattened the back of the handle with a belt sander so it would rest against my leg comfortably.

A hole was drilled to accommodate the blade’s tang, a little epoxy added, and I shoved it in and allowed to cure. Because the material is not as hard as wood or denser plastics, the tang adds rigidity.

A quick stitching of leather and a sheath was sewn.

Wee wifie compared the outcome to chocolate. Black clay may’ve looked better, perhaps mixed with the coffee bean to achieve an ebony-like appearance.

A search for ‘Sculpey’ or ‘polymer clay’ will provide a vast number of websites. This stuff comes in a variety of colors, and even those that resemble granite. Combining colors yields an even greater palette from which to create.

I don't see why cap badges, brooches, kilt pins, ad inf. couldn't be fashioned from this medium. Creating an appropriate mold from them and you could then cast in pewter.

Slainte yall,
steve