Bronze dagger with salmon scabbard

[Dreadhead]

This week I've gone back to the bronze age making this bronze dagger for myself. The stunning blade is made by Bronze Age Swords. I've put a yew and horn handle on it and made a scabbard from yew with antler strap mount, lined with sheepskin, and all wrapped in salmon fish leather monikieman of this parish tanned.

This was a big learning curve, with plenty of mistakes and rough areas, and lessons learned. But as a wee treat for myself, I'm chuffed enough

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[Janne]

I give you 10/10. Minimum!

Fantastic job, and the inner layer of sheepfur is ingenious!

Does it cut well?

 

[Dreadhead]

Thanks

I've not put a finished edge on it yet, but from the feel of it and my experience with bronze I doubt it will be much of a tool. It's definitely a thrusting weapon. I'll definitely be testing it when I get round to sharpening it though

I still have a sword blade I need to handle and scabbard, and I'm going on a bronze axe head course in a week so that will be fun

I give you 10/10. Minimum!

Fantastic job, and the inner layer of sheepfur is ingenious!

Does it cut well?

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[crosslandkelly]

Another work of art Hamish, that's stunning..

 

[Toddy]

Nice

I have a bronze knife that PatrickM made for me. I found that there is a way to get an edge on it, if you peen harden it first.
Just take your time so that you don't end up with a kind of serrated edge though.

Your's just looks so right; we reckon that the first ones were as much bling as they were cutting tools.

M

 

[John Fenna]

Wow!

 

[Muddypaws]

That is amazing work! Simply stunning!

 

[Dreadhead]

Aye Neil has already peen hardened the edges on it, I just need to file/sand it to a proper edge. It's a beautiful wee blade and I'm sure it will cut, but it's definitely a thruster first and foremost

Nice

I have a bronze knife that PatrickM made for me. I found that there is a way to get an edge on it, if you peen harden it first.
Just take your time so that you don't end up with a kind of serrated edge though.

Your's just looks so right; we reckon that the first ones were as much bling as they were cutting tools.

M

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[Toddy]

It's surprisingly effective (mine's the same shape, traditional I suppose, just nowhere near as ornate as yours) at dismembering birds and rabbits. Damn all use on vegetables though. I'm told they're not quite right for fish before they're cooked.

M

 

[Dreadhead]

Aye, I just never see a double edged blade as a tool as you can't press on the spine. When I get it sharpened I'll have to run some tests. I've always thought it would have been more economical to still use flint knives for sharpness even through the bronze age, as it's just not as good at fine cutting and slicing. Great for hacking humans apart though

It's surprisingly effective (mine's the same shape, traditional I suppose, just nowhere near as ornate as yours) at dismembering birds and rabbits. Damn all use on vegetables though. I'm told they're not quite right for fish before they're cooked.

M

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[Janne]

I think it is the shape of the edge that is the problem, it is flat. Is somebody able to make a Bronze blade with a curved 'belly' ?

Maybe even a belly on both sides, so oblong / elongated lozenge shape?

Only one could be sharpened, and the other one kept blunt for the time being, and sharpened and used in case the first edge gets chipped or badly damaged.

Strangely enough, the expected use/efficiency is as a thrusting/stabbing weapon/tool. NOT a slashing tool/weapon. ( my point on another thread)

 

[snappingturtle]

As long as it cuts cheese and ham its a proper dagger! come to think on it. It would make a fine feasting dagger! love the salmon skin, think I would just put that on everything.

 

[Robson Valley]

I would not be at all surprised to learn that the Neolithic use of flint blades lasted well into the bronze age.
Those bronze blades would have been well beyond the economic reach of most of the population.

Yet, the image comes to mind of attacking a watermelon with Dreadhead's blade. What fun!

I've got some "first strike" flint blades that I go back to for cutting raw meat.
Amazing edges that no steel can ever match.

 

[Janne]

An idea: try to source some tanned Ray skin.
Ray skin is very anti slippery, used for centuries to cover the handle on swords, sabres and such.
Would look really good on a knife handle!

Unfortunately our Stingrays got protected 2 years ago, so we can not fish them anymore!

 

[Toddy]

RobsonValley, you're right. Flint use did continue, but then folks didn't go to bed one night in the Neolithic and then wake up the next morning and it's all change into the Bronze Age. It's a slow acculturation of ideas, resources and skills.

Janne, I'm told that it was usually shagreen from dogfish used for a grip.

 

[Dreadhead]

Janne you're absolutely right about them being thrusters foremost.

When it comes to the leather materials, I wanted something in keeping here in Scotland, and the salmon leather is just beautiful to work with. Sadly it would take too much for the sword so i'll go with goatskin or deerskin for that i reckon

 

[Janne]

It can be both, ray and shark. Ray has tiny hard protrusions.
I have a small collection of mil (officers) long arms, and most have ray skin.
Yes, Salmon must be a very local, traditional resource. I am sure they used the skins in the past, just like across the North Sea!

A project I personally have is to make a handle on a flint blade ( that a Norwegian flint knapping expert made, been delivered to a friend in the village) using raw hide.
Full thickness fresh hide I have sourced locally

Sword? Interesting!

Any chance of getting the details / email of the person who cast the dagger?

 

[Dreadhead]

It can be both, ray and shark. Ray has tiny hard protrusions.
I have a small collection of mil (officers) long arms, and most have ray skin.
Yes, Salmon must be a very local, traditional resource. I am sure they used the skins in the past, just like across the North Sea!

A project I personally have is to make a handle on a flint blade ( that a Norwegian flint knapping expert made, been delivered to a friend in the village) using raw hide.
Full thickness fresh hide I have sourced locally

Sword? Interesting!

Any chance of getting the details / email of the person who cast the dagger?

My dagger and sword blade were both cast by Neil of Bronze Age Swords, he's a true master of the art and the finish on his blades is superb. I did a sword casting course with him last year which i posted up on bcuk here

 

[Robson Valley]

European contact here in the Americas did quite the opposite = snapped the First Nations from Paleo to iron in very few years. Very few.
Never was any such thing in the Americas as a "Bronze Age." Horses arrived with the Spanish Conquistadors as did firearms.
Took the better part of 2 centuries for those things to become distributed across the whole continent. Two centuries is no time at all!

Smallpox fast became the cultural genocide of the day. Estimates claim the Haida ware 150,000 strong and less than 10,000 in a decade.

Pacific Northwest First Nations had access to small amounts of iron rubbish which came across the Pacific in the Japan Current.
That's a matter of documented record (fish hooks & small blades) as is/was the ceremonial use of local copper metal.
Their Fukushima crap is still coming.

 

[Toddy]

For Bronze Age Scotland, think inshore waters.....not 600m deep. The dogfish is common along the shorelines.