Putting together a sgain dubh - Step by step

[Drac]

Hi all,

With your advise I'm putting together the sgain dubh.  I'm doing this from a perspective from a hobbyist knifemaker.  If I get into to much detail let me know.  I've been making knives for about 10 years and I sometimes get a bit carried away.  I also know that there are several makers who are way more skilled than I am but I figure than most hobbyists like me are always looking for new tips.  Excuse the mess it's a shop not a kitchen:D

I started a new thread for the journey on it's way -

I wanted a hunting style sgain dubh so I decided to go with an antler handle.  I know sambar stag has very little pith.  While I want something to go with a outfit for Ren Fairs I'm not an absolute slave to period correctness so I will dress it up a little with some spacing materials.  I started with a stainless since I have a kiln to do my own air-hardening heat treat.  I chose ATS-34 since it's a good steel, not to expensive and will more than hold up to the limited use this nice

Here's the main equipment of my shop (the garage).  The main work horses are the bandsaw, 12" disc and 2"x72" belt grinder.

The bandsaws, a metal and wood cutting -



My 12" disc sander.  I order special metal cutting discs from a supplier.  The ones from Sears are for wood and don't last more than a couple seconds on steel.  I do a lot of roughing and flattening on this.  The tool on the table is a magnet used for holding the steel. Three stitches and a lose of a pint of blood taught me a valuable lesson there -



The machine that is central to most makers is a 2x72 belt sander.  Mine is a KMG, one of the few designed specifically for knifemaking.  Here is it with the platen attachment.  This is the platform I use for my blades as I flat grind vs. hollow grinding on wheels-



Here's some of the other attachments for it.  A small wheel for tight areas and a slack belt for soft curves -



A couple miscellaneous tool.  My kiln I use for heat treating and a specialized vise for holding the blade during sanding -

[Drac]

Here's the roughed blade with the pending handle material, a tine.



Here's step 2.  Since it cost's a fortune to start the kiln I normally do a batch.  Here is the current group -



Between each gives a good idea of all the steps from bar to heat treat.  The top right (GP Hunter) is ready for the heat treat.  It's a commission with the ebony.  The three smaller ones around the middle are ready to have the blades ground.  Pearl with the top small one (a Gent's EDC) and stag and micarta for the sqian dubh.  Not sure what I'm going to use on the dagger but I have some materials coming in as trade.  The one on the top is going to be a dress drop point hunter (Classic Loveless) with seraphinite gem stone.  This is where I just got it cut out from the bar stock.  The last one on the right is another of the hunters just scribed on the bar stock ready to cut out.  This is going with some ironwood burl.  Dressy but still very usable for a handle.

Back to the sgain dubh.  Here is a up close of the sgian dubh ready to grind.  I like cleaning them up before grinding making it easier to finish after the primary bevel is ground.  The shoulders have been squared up and the tang narrowed.  While looking for a hunting style one I will be dressing it up somewhat with spacing material at the top.  Probably will be two pieces of the ivory micarta with some thin black spacing material between each of the pieces between the hilt and the handle.

[Drac]

Here's the blade with the first grinds done.  Hogged (to remove the bulk metal) with a 60 grit belt, the yellow one on the above machine.  It's a special grit made out out ceramic material that lasts longer on metal and is almost a requirement for some of the harder new steels.  Than it to a unusual belt made by 3M that was orginally designed for polishing turbine blades.  It's whats called a structured grit.  It doesn't remove metal no matter how coarse the grain but it works wonderfully for removing the coarse marks from the hogging belt.  Since the hogging belt isn't structured it's an average grit, some big some small can leave some major gouges in the metal.  Since the "gator" belt as it's called, is structured it removes the scratches but leaves a very even finish.  Problem is they glaze over very easily and need to be gouged every so often to expose new grit.  Not a lot of makers use these because of that.



Not much more info here but a view from the top with the layout for the file work I plan to do on it.  If everything goes well it should be a vine pattern so that it will look fancy from the top but the side will have notches that are close to the traditional blades.



More to come.

[Drac]

Here is the filework I'm trying.  I wanted something modern but still give something to the side not to far from the classic.  I decided to give vine work a try.  Again try as this is only the second time I try my hand at filework and the first at this pattern.  It is a kind of rough somewhat recognizable success.  Sort of.  I'm just glad it was on a piece for me and not a commission.  Please excuse the poor photography.

These are the tools.  A couple files and my knife vise -



The first run done one side -



The 2nd run -



The thorns added.  I sorry you can see them very well but they should be easier in the next shot -



The piece after final shaping and awaiting cleanup work -



From the side -



The shape (and mistakes) are pretty much set in.  Now starts the sanding on both the file work and the primary bevel.  A lot of sanding.  Than it's off to heat treat.

[Drac]

Getting ready for heat treat.  Used sandpaper through 400 grit on the filework and than moved on to the sides.

Here my secret for a quick but nice finish, die maker's stones.  Tim Herman introduced me to them.  They last longer than sandpaper and make very quick work of flat grinds.  For S30V I wouldn't even try it without them.  They run a bit more than sandpaper but they are well worth it -



Here's the blade ready for heat treat done to 400 -



And a view from the top -



Drac

[Butch]

Wow, that really looks great!  Do you leave the tang annealed, or are you going to epoxy the handle on?  I can't wait to see how it turns out, I really enjoy seeing the progress in this thread.  The vinework on the spine looks great.  Do you add a mark to the ricasso, or bury it in the tang?

Great seeing this!

[brier patch charlie]

Very Nice work Drac, love the vine work also. I've never done the heat treatment to any blades, thats something I'll have to learn when I get my new shop.