Sgian dubh Build-along

[auld argonian]

I'd also like to contribute this link to an interesting site:

http://www.knifenetwork.com/workshop...er_hearn.shtml

...found this a little while ago and this tutorial is pretty interesting. It's easy to see how it might be applied to a Sghian Dhub.

Best

AA

[Tartan Hiker]

I don't know about MAP gas. It's temp and volume...you have to be able to bring the entire blade to cherry red all at once...that takes a pretty substantial flame. Judging by the MAP units I've seen, they wouldn't be capable of this.

[auld argonian]

Just thought that you might know offhand about MAPP (I spelled it wrong...shows how much I know about it!) gas.

I looked up a table on a site about welding and the temps are as follows:

Acetylene: 3160C Propane: 2810C MAPP: 2927C

Don't know if that qualifies MAPP as useful...all I know is that it's more of a hardware store stock item around here as opposed to Acetylene.

Best

AA

[MacMullen]

Revisiting this thread with another question.

Looking through my Atlanta Cutlery catalog a couple of weeks ago, I noticed that they have Damascus blanks for the Sgian Dubh. Do these need to be heat treated in the same way as the carbon blanks? I assume they do, but I thought I'd ask before I went to a lot of trouble doing it, only to find out that I needn't have bothered.

Also, does anyone have any tips on making the sheath for the blade?

[Alan H]

ABSOLUTELY OUTSTANDING THREAD.

Thanks, everyone who contributed, and Tartan Hiker, I think your knotwork-handled sgian is VERY nice indeed.

WELL DONE.

[Rab Gordon]

You may find that they're already heat treated, if not just then treat the same as carbon steel.

Rab

Revisiting this thread with another question.

Looking through my Atlanta Cutlery catalog a couple of weeks ago, I noticed that they have Damascus blanks for the Sgian Dubh. Do these need to be heat treated in the same way as the carbon blanks? I assume they do, but I thought I'd ask before I went to a lot of trouble doing it, only to find out that I needn't have bothered.

Also, does anyone have any tips on making the sheath for the blade?

[MacMullen]

Probably a stupid question, but how can I tell if it's already heat treated?

[Rab Gordon]

It's a good question, you can compare how hard the steel is to mark / sharpen and how springy the blade is - but you could end up breaking or bending the blade while finding out ! Most Damascus blanks I've seen and used are in a quite useable state however.

Rab

Probably a stupid question, but how can I tell if it's already heat treated?

[turpin]

Also, does anyone have any tips on making the sheath for the blade?

Here are a couple of tutorials on sheathmaking, loaded with pics. not specific to sgian dubh, but principles are applicable.

http://www.britishblades.com/home/ar...showarticle=76

http://www.britishblades.com/home/ar...showarticle=42