Sgian Dubh

Thanks for the promised details. Truly a lovely blade. Glad it will be with you on the big day. Congrats on the knife. Congrats even more on the wedding.
 
Congrats on both counts pmew,that is a very fine traditional knife to carry on your wedding day,the blue & ebony are gorgeous together,but I'm sure it will be outshined by the bride.
 
Thanks everyone, it's been a pleasure to bring it to you all. Like a surrogate family.

Paul
 
Great-looking knife Paul, nice to see a Sheffield blade of that quality. I have a stag-handled custom sgian dubh (already promised to a friend) made from SF-77 vacuum hardened to RC57 and cryogenically treated. Do you know anything about the heat treatment? The Silver Fox steels have been made in Sheffield for some decades now. I came across a small historical detail about the naming I must dig out for you.

And of course, good luck with the wedding my friend :)
 
Really great to see more of this and something of its creation Paul, thank you for sharing.

I wish you all the best for the day sir....you just need something old & borrowed now ;)
 
SF-77 was what I used for my Jack Black Knives U1 knife in the early 1990's. Prior to that, it had been used as a cutlery steel, but for some reason British Steel didn't think it could be hardened beyond RC-53. I asked a specialist vacuum hardener, who were already familiar with SF-77 to give it a go for me, and the results came as a surprise to the Sheffield cutlers and to British Steel. I had plans to do another knife in SF-100, and received some samples, but for various reasons, those plans didn't come to fruition. SF-100 has a higher carbon content, but was barely used back then, and only available in limited quantities and 3mm width. I have been told that, once hardened, in use there's not any real difference between the two steels, but I always fancied giving the SF-100 a try and it's nice to see it being used.
 
All the best.
Thanks for sharing the sgian dubh.
It is unique and enduring.
plus you'll need a decent blade to hack off pieces of the wedding haggis.:p
Or worse-- defend yourself against the deadly bagpipe spider
timgraelochness.jpg
 
As any reader of D.C.Thompson's Beano and Dandy comics will tell you, the haggis, with two legs shorter than the others so that it can run round hills, can be an elusive quarry! ;)
 
Jack Black said:
The Silver Fox steels have been made in Sheffield for some decades now. I came across a small historical detail about the naming I must dig out for you.
Click to expand...

The steels are named after Samuel Fox, who founded the huge Stocksbridge steel works, which British Steel later took over. For a short period around 1840, Samuel Fox shared a wire drawing works with one William Rose at The Upper Coppice Wheel on Sheffield's River Rivelin. An ancestor of mine used to work one of the goits on the upper Rivelin, and I used to fish the Upper Coppice Wheel dam regularly as a kid. The Sheffield Directory of 1845 describes Samuel Fox as "Steel and Wire Drawer, Hackles & Gill and Hackles & Gill Pin Manufacturer", the firm also specialising in the making of umbrella ribs, but it was for its Silver Fox stainless steel that the firm gained its reputation. So Paul, your knife is made from a historic steel, as well as being a historic pattern :)
 
Jack Black said:
As any reader of D.C.Thompson's Beano and Dandy comics will tell you, the haggis, with two legs shorter than the others so that it can run round hills, can be an elusive quarry! ;)
Click to expand...

Jack I believe you speak of the McHaggis.
 
meako said:
All the best.
Thanks for sharing the sgian dubh.
It is unique and enduring.
plus you'll need a decent blade to hack off pieces of the wedding haggis.:p
Or worse-- defend yourself against the deadly bagpipe spider
timgraelochness.jpg
Click to expand...

I was chatting to a mate in an Invernesian pub a while ago and we overheard a group of english speaking tourists at the next table lamenting about their day. Apparently the evening before they had been in the same pub and had made arrangements with a couple of locals to meet up at Nethy Bridge for an afternoon of Haggis hunting in the forests of Abernethy. They had been waiting disappointed for some time before asking advice and learning of the jape. Poor buggers.

The wedding is the 31st Jan but I think it's first duties will be the Address on Burns Night the week before.
 
Jack Black said:
SF-77 was what I used for my Jack Black Knives U1 knife in the early 1990's. Prior to that, it had been used as a cutlery steel, but for some reason British Steel didn't think it could be hardened beyond RC-53. I asked a specialist vacuum hardener, who were already familiar with SF-77 to give it a go for me, and the results came as a surprise to the Sheffield cutlers and to British Steel. I had plans to do another knife in SF-100, and received some samples, but for various reasons, those plans didn't come to fruition. SF-100 has a higher carbon content, but was barely used back then, and only available in limited quantities and 3mm width. I have been told that, once hardened, in use there's not any real difference between the two steels, but I always fancied giving the SF-100 a try and it's nice to see it being used.
Click to expand...

I have not asked Mr Ferraby about the heat treat, I think I'll do that, thanks for that.

Jack Black said:
The steels are named after Samuel Fox, who founded the huge Stocksbridge steel works, which British Steel later took over. For a short period around 1840, Samuel Fox shared a wire drawing works with one William Rose at The Upper Coppice Wheel on Sheffield's River Rivelin. An ancestor of mine used to work one of the goits on the upper Rivelin, and I used to fish the Upper Coppice Wheel dam regularly as a kid. The Sheffield Directory of 1845 describes Samuel Fox as "Steel and Wire Drawer, Hackles & Gill and Hackles & Gill Pin Manufacturer", the firm also specialising in the making of umbrella ribs, but it was for its Silver Fox stainless steel that the firm gained its reputation. So Paul, your knife is made from a historic steel, as well as being a historic pattern :)
Click to expand...

In a way it's a little ironic, Sheffield steel for a highland blade, but I have Sheffiled roots too so it works for me. That's fascinating to read Jack, thanks for taking the time to put that up, I'm working night shifts at the minute but in a day or two I'll be on rest days and will have the opportunity to play with it and see how the steel performs. I'll let you know my impressions.

Paul
 
pmew said:
I was chatting to a mate in an Invernesian pub a while ago and we overheard a group of english speaking tourists at the next table lamenting about their day. Apparently the evening before they had been in the same pub and had made arrangements with a couple of locals to meet up at Nethy Bridge for an afternoon of Haggis hunting in the forests of Abernethy. They had been waiting disappointed for some time before asking advice and learning of the jape. Poor buggers.
Click to expand...

LOL! :D

pmew said:
I have not asked Mr Ferraby about the heat treat, I think I'll do that, thanks for that.



In a way it's a little ironic, Sheffield steel for a highland blade, but I have Sheffiled roots too so it works for me. That's fascinating to read Jack, thanks for taking the time to put that up, I'm working night shifts at the minute but in a day or two I'll be on rest days and will have the opportunity to play with it and see how the steel performs. I'll let you know my impressions.

Paul
Click to expand...

My pleasure Paul. I think the vast majority of sgian dubh blades have been made in Sheffield for the last couple of generations, many were finished there, but most were shipped to Scotland, where the knives where finished. In either case, Sheffield marks were only very rarely put on the blade, since many a Scot might be off-put by the thought of a sassenach blade. Commonly, sgian dubh's will have the words 'handmade' stamped into the blade, and that's commonly a sign of a machine-ground Sheffield blade. Numerous Sheffield cutlery firms and 'little mesters' turn them out, along with 'Scottish' dirks.

Jack
 
Abosolutley fantastic! Very much something to be proud of. A possible family heirloom in the making. Congatulations!
 
Jack Black said:
LOL! :D

My pleasure Paul. I think the vast majority of sgian dubh blades have been made in Sheffield for the last couple of generations, many were finished there, but most were shipped to Scotland, where the knives where finished. In either case, Sheffield marks were only very rarely put on the blade, since many a Scot might be off-put by the thought of a sassenach blade. Commonly, sgian dubh's will have the words 'handmade' stamped into the blade, and that's commonly a sign of a machine-ground Sheffield blade. Numerous Sheffield cutlery firms and 'little mesters' turn them out, along with 'Scottish' dirks.

Jack
Click to expand...

That is absolutely true. I'm not familiar with any cutlery steel manufacturers north of the wall, the reason I had this made is because almost all the ones available to buy are tourist tat.

J Buck said:
Abosolutley fantastic! Very much something to be proud of. A possible family heirloom in the making. Congatulations!
Click to expand...

Thanks I hope it ages well.
 
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