Crowsfoot of Orkney

Crowsfoot of Orkney Sgian Dubh and a range of other products handmade from scratch in Stromness, Orkney.

Sgian Dubh and knives of all sorts handmade from scratch in Stromness, Orkney. All my products are designed and made in Scotland from top quality materials for people who appreciate good design, quality and dependability.

18/03/2026

I admit it.
Sometimes I take living by the sea for granted.
But not today.
Clambering over rocks in search of seaweed until the sun begins to set and the waves reclaim the rock pools.

Custom friction folders fresh off the bench.Believe it or not each one has 22 individual components most of which are ma...
18/03/2026

Custom friction folders fresh off the bench.

Believe it or not each one has 22 individual components most of which are made from scratch with a few modified from off the shelf components (e.g. washers and other fittings):

1 off blade in 14C28N with stamped makers mark and custom laser engraving.
2 off exotic hardwood scales (aligned across the grain just to make things a bit more difficult).
2 off brass liners
1 off brass back spacer
2 off M2 x 6mm countersunk screws
1 off 6.3mm dia brass lanyard tube
3 off 3mm dia brass pins
2 off 0.2mm thick brass washers
2 off 0.1mm thick stainless steel washers
2 off M3 washers
2 off M3 large headed stainless steel machine screws
1 off custom phosphor bronze pivot pin.

Some enormous and fabulous old carbon steel Sabatiers in for sharpening this week. Not touching the patina. Am re-establ...
18/03/2026

Some enormous and fabulous old carbon steel Sabatiers in for sharpening this week.
Not touching the patina.
Am re-establishing the edge geometry to give them a new lease of life ready for many more years service in the kitchen.
Sound on for the obligatory sharpness test on an old copy of The Orcadian…

Merry Christmas everyone 🎄🎅🏻🥳
25/12/2025

Merry Christmas everyone 🎄🎅🏻🥳

Oh yes, and these rather splendid things are available to preview on the website. They go on sale on Sunday….
10/12/2025

Oh yes, and these rather splendid things are available to preview on the website. They go on sale on Sunday….

Not much left on my (freshly tweaked work in progress) website but if your significant other might appreciate a Crowsfoo...
10/12/2025

Not much left on my (freshly tweaked work in progress) website but if your significant other might appreciate a Crowsfoot Crofter’s sgian dubh for Christmas then you’d better get a wriggle on or not even Santa will be able to get it you before the big day…

On the sharpening bench today….Some of these high hardness 62+HRC Japanese blades are prone to damage of the cutting edg...
05/12/2025

On the sharpening bench today….
Some of these high hardness 62+HRC Japanese blades are prone to damage of the cutting edge and are painful to sharpen let alone re-profile by hand. That’s where the right sharpening equipment really earns its keep.

Some custom leatherwork on the bench this morning. Having the capability to make my own stamps makes custom embossing on...
03/12/2025

Some custom leatherwork on the bench this morning. Having the capability to make my own stamps makes custom embossing on leather a possibility even for one offs or limited runs.

“Chef’s knife and petty with groatie buckies” currently at the Pier Arts Centre Annual Open Exhibition in Stromness. Wel...
02/12/2025

“Chef’s knife and petty with groatie buckies” currently at the Pier Arts Centre Annual Open Exhibition in Stromness.
Well worth a visit with stunning exhibits from hundreds of local makers and artists.

01/12/2025

‘How long does it take to make a knife by hand?’ Is one of the most common questions I’m asked when talking about my work.

My response is invariably, “It depends, but probably longer than you might think”.

To illustrate my point here are 8m 45s of polishing one side of a small kitchen paring knife to take out deep scratches left from the initial grinding of the bevels. This needs to be repeated several times at progressively higher grits till the whole thing is shiny… and then the other side needs doing too.

So, there you go. Possibly the dullest thing available to view on all of the internet (although be warned, there are a couple of thrilling moments when I accidentally knock the camera and everything gets a bit wobbly)

Thistle patterned friction folder…
11/11/2025

Thistle patterned friction folder…

Address

Victoria Street
Melrose

Telephone

+447531742747

Website

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