Tuesday, November 29, 2016

A Stunning New Dirk from Jesse Brennan

This Dirk is styled after the early period of Scot's Dirks with a very light weight, slender and sharp blade and an ornate handle of fossilized walrus bone. The color of the Fossil Bone that Jesse chose adds to the overall beauty of the handle and gives depth and context to the skillful fluting and carved knot work.

I have taken multiple photographs of this project as it started with a hand forged blade, a trip to Mark Knapp's knife maker's supply store for the handle material and the careful carving of the handle. Jesse has fabricated every item on this knife including the leather scabbard, the silver buckle and the Celtic Rose that adorns the pommel.

This Dirk establishes Jesse once again as a skilled artist and artisan of the first rank. I am proud to be able to add this beautiful piece to my collection.

Jesse wishes to express his thanks to James D. Forman whose excellent monograph "The Scottish Dirk" contained descriptions and photographs that inspired him to make this knife.



































Shape of things to come: A sgian dubh  is next on Jesse's agenda.

Here is a sneak peek at the blade - forged last night and annealed today.





These images of the finished Dirk show its length and final coloration but were photographed at the end of our 4 hours of daylight, on a day in the midst of a snowstorm and the color temperature is excessively cold. They do show more of the detail of the blade shape and the purpose made strap and buckle.