Tod's Stuff Scottish Dirk with Buffalo Horn Grip
Original: Scottish, first quarter of the 18th century
While we often think of
Scottish dirks as having wooden grips carved with interlaced knot-work, plenty of surviving dirks have grips made of other materials, including solid brass, pewter, and horn. A large dirk in the Museum of Antiquities of Scotland possesses a grip made of horn with no knot-work whatsoever, and a pommel cap of brass decorated with grooves. Its blade is made from a cut-down backsword blade.
Leo "Tod" Todeschini of Tod's Stuff made this dirk for me based on the Museum of Scotland piece. It is not an exact recreation, but one that captures the spirit of the original as well as the creativity of its modern maker. The long fullered blade is made of steel and is engraved with the Wallace clan motto
Pro Libertate. The grip is made of horn that is mostly black but with a hint of gray on one side. The brass grooved pommel cap is topped with a square pommel nut with concave sides. The peened tang is shaped to match.
The sheath is made of two layers of leather and is dyed black. The leather is tooled with lines and dots much like a dirk sheath also housed in the Museum of Antiquities of Scotland. The locket and chape are made of brass and feature filework. A suspension ring, also of brass, is attached to the locket.
See our
hands-on review for more information on this dagger.
Overall length: 20.25"
Weight: 1.25 pounds
Width at lobes: 1.75"
Blade: 15.5" long; 1.5" wide tapering to .5"
Grip and pommel: 4.75"
Maker:
Tod's Stuff of Oxford, United Kingdom.
Based on an antique specimen found in the Museum of Antiquities of Scotland.
Click to enlarge
Based on an antique specimen found in the Museum of Antiquities of Scotland.
