Highland Dirk and Rings by John Archer

John Archer  is the Canadian that really deserves a medal for over 2800 miles of driving to get to and from the Tennessee Kentucky Rifle Show. David Rase deserves one as well for the same amount of driving miles.

These images are of a Highland dirk and four Celtic penannular brooches that John recently forged.

Materials used: 

Dirk: 1084 steel, brass, and English walnut. The blade is 14 ½ inches long. 

The sheath: Basswood, leather, and brass. 

The penannular brooches: mild steel and copper. ( Isle of Skye tartan ) 

The dirk is an interpretation of dirks from the 1740’s…used for fighting with a targe shield. They were banned after 1745 and came back into the highland formal wear late in the century when the law was repealed. Sadly they had become bejeweled ornaments. The dirk and sheath have been artificially aged.

The red material showing through the piercings in the end cap represents a snippet of cloth cut from a slain British soldier’s redcoat…showing that the dirk has been blooded.

Photos and copy supplied by John Archer.