Sgian dubh on the inside

[Urchurdan]

I claim no great knowledge of knives, but the shape of the blade of the sgian dubh just does not seem right as a skinning knife. I have watched skinning being done and a different 'curved back' cutting edge strikes me as being better. If the sgian dubh was a skinning knife, it must have been very awkward to use and cut many holes in the hide.

Regards

Chas

I would agree with this too, but it is generally believed that the present spear point shape is also a reatively new progression, I know that many earlier blades have almost a 'bowie' shape, possibly it used to resemble more closely a modern concept of a skinning knife? Who knows, as i said, most of the things we wear now, and how we wear them arose in later Victorian times.It is indeed believed that Colonel Bowie had the inspiration for his blade design from this early sgian, but maybe some of the knife aficianados can help us here?