DAGGER CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS
one of the characteristics that makes The SA dagger a desirable collector is its elegant appearance. The handle is sleek and simple but very elegant. The earth toned colors are nicely complemented by the silver metal accessories. The SA round symbol match very nicely the wooden handle in which it is embeded.

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The handle of the dagger was manufactured of beech, cherry, fruitwood, plumbwood and oak (Some of the light colored SA dagger handles were produced from this material). The metal accessories (pommel, handguard, eagle, scabbard throat and tip) are made of nickel silver or zinc. Nickel silver is a metal alloy of copper with nickel and often but not always zinc. It is named for its silvery appearance, but contains no elemental silver unless plated. Other common names for this alloy are German silver, paktong, new silver and alpacca (or alpaca).

The color of the scabbards can be applied either anodized or painted. Anodizing, or anodising, is an electrolytic passivation process used to increase the thickness of the natural oxide layer on the surface of metal parts. Anodizing increases corrosion resistance and wear resistance, and provides better adhesion for paint primers and glues than bare metal. A couple of interesting things to note is that the NSKK (transportation) dagger was identical to the SA dagger except that the scabbard was of black color. The SS dagger also shared the same appearance as the SA dagger but it was all black, had a different eagle and had an SS round insignia replace the SA round insignia in the upper portion of the handle.

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It is recommended that a special tool be used to take off the nut. Otherwise a risk of leaving marks on the body of the nut is taken. Sometimes the tang of the blade will have manufacturer markings. This is not always the case. The picture to the right shows two variations of the material from which the tips are constructed. The center tip is made of Zinc. The other tips are Nickel-silver. A weight is added to the inside of the tip area. This extra weight maintains a better position for the dagger when it is worn.

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The item featured in this photo is an NSKK dagger. However, the anatony is identical to an SA dagger. Two runners are a part of the throat section. The apply pressure to the blade of the dagger keeping it from falling off during physical activities or simply when the dagger is turned upside-down. The runners can be bent for creating a better fit. Over time the bend is lost and the blade may loose its fitting to the scabbard. Attention must be paid not too adjust the runners too much because they could scratch the blade of the dagger. Some daggers may have blades in such good condition that the only worn discernable is that created by the runners. Luckily, this damage is reversible most of the time. The photo shows the two runners. The screws that secure the throat area are laying on the ground.