Astrodada said:
Can't recall whether anybody mentioned it......How about the shealth design ?
Or let the kamis decide themselves ?
That would be the sarkis, but we know what you mean. I don't intend to be quite that adventurous, so I'll be sending a sample sheath as well. It will be just a simple flat scabbard, no belt loops, frogs, chapes, or other usual sarki added accoutrements. This is, after all, a knife intended to be carried in your sock, boot top, or pocket.
Regarding something Dave (DWATTS67) mentioned concerning blade thickness. I've got three sgian dubhs made in Sheffield, England by different makers, and one that was made in Scotland. I measured them very carefully, then I went and pulled out a couple old sgian dubhs I made myself and measured them as well. The variation in thickness was practically unmeasurable, every single one of them is 1/8" thick at the spine. To those of us used to big honking khukuris, the sgian dubh, in it's traditional configuration, is a very small knife (3 3/4" blade). Saddling it with an overly thick blade will guarantee a lousy cutter, and a so so sticker. Still, the kamis have a well meaning tendency to "overbuild" things (just look at how thick they make dinky little karda blades) so I'll be plumb tickled if they can at least keep the spine thickness down to around 3/16".
More to come, I'm hard at work on research and design drawing, this evening I'll start carving models. Blade design is already fairly fixed, so why tinker with something that ain't broke? My intent is to carve three models representing three different handle styles. I'll post pics, open it up to discussion/input, and the style that gets the popular vote will be the one I work up a live steel "working" model from.
Regarding handles. Guys, I'm sure down the road the kamis will want to exercise a bit of artistic license by way of different materials, decorative carving, et cetera. However, for the initial batch it would be prudent to keep things as simple as possible. The sgian dubhs will be partial tang like the KPH/Sarge knives. The handles will be wood, and the only metal fitting will be a simple brass hilt plate at the blade handle juncture. What I've just described is the exact method of manufacture of the sgian dubhs I have out of Sheffield, England. Again, why tinker with what ain't broke?
Where these sgian dubhs will reflect their uniqueness is in the engraving on the blades. I'm thinking on one side should be the initials "R.S." over the inscription "200K". But that's just me thinking out loud, I'd very much like to have all your inputs on what's going to be engraved on the blade, with the understanding that any final approval rests with Aunt Yangdu.
Gotta make a quick run out east of here to pick up another sgian dubh at the Wee Scot's Shop in Salado. Research
. Just picked up a nice sgian dubh at the gun show this past Saturday, made by the William Rodgers company of Sheffield (they made commando daggers for the British military back in the "Big One"). I love the motto that accompanies William Rodgers' maker's mark "I CUT MY WAY" (that there is good stuff
). Why am I running around buying sgian dubh's? To look at one is one thing, to handle one another, but the real deal is subjecting it to testing in practical applications under various conditions. Said an old brewmaster once, "If a picture is worth a thousand words, a taste is worth a thousand pictures".
Sarge