Hi All,

After my first attempts in wihch the woodwork was pretty much conservative and limited to only shaping the handle I have begun practicing carving more ornate designs and patterns. I'm using a Dremel tool, hand files, and a selection of different grain sand papers. The wood I've used is Tamboti, and the pinkish one is Red Ivory. The Red Ivory, although not very "Dubh" for a sgian has a nice story and I thought I would start collecting "story wood" so to speak. It is a protected wood that requires a special permit for harvesting but this piece is from trees that were knocked down by elephants in private reserves in Northern KwaZulu-Natal (my province) and were subsequently given to the lumber company to collect. The stone in the Tamboti Thistle design handle is TigersEye - it looks a bit strange when looking at the knife as a whole, but is really stunning when only the very top of the handle is sticking out hose. I'm expecting my new blades anytime now, but felt the need to post these works in progress.