{"product_id":"viking-seax-knife-11-5-inch-rosewood-forge-finished","title":"Viking Seax Knife – 11.5\" Rosewood, Forge-Finished Blade","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA hand-forged Viking-styled seax with a 7.5-inch 1075 high-carbon blade, full tang construction and rosewood scales on three pins.\u003c\/strong\u003e Eleven and a half inches overall, 11 oz in the hand, carried in a stitched cowhide belt sheath. Both the blade flat and the sheath can be engraved to order.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eWhere the numbers land\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBlade 7.5 inches, handle 4 inches, 11.5 inches overall. The stock is 4.5 mm thick at the spine and the blade is hardened to 56–58 HRC. That is the working middle of the range for a plain carbon steel: hard enough to hold an edge through a day of cutting, soft enough that an ordinary stone brings it back instead of a diamond plate, and tough enough that the tip is not the first thing to go.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAt 11 oz on a short 4-inch handle, the weight sits back over the hand rather than out at the point. That is the full tang doing its job.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eWhy plain carbon steel\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e1075 carries about three quarters of one percent carbon and no chromium, so it behaves the way a smith expects: it hardens evenly, it grinds thin without chipping, and a few passes on a stone put the edge back. What it will not do is ignore water. Left damp it will spot, so dry it after use and keep a film of oil on the flats. The dark scale will deepen on its own with handling, and that patina is protection rather than damage.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eThe blade is finished in two halves\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe spine side keeps the black forge scale it came out of the fire with, rough and mottled, and only the bevel along the cutting edge is ground bright. The line between the two runs roughly parallel to the edge. It is a working finish rather than a mirror polish, so expect the black to vary from knife to knife.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe profile is a straight-edged seax: a level spine out of the handle with a single square step at the shoulder, then a long gradual taper to the point. No belly, no recurve.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eFull tang, rosewood scales\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe blade and the handle core are one piece of steel from the point to the butt, with the rosewood fitted as two scales and pinned through in three places. You can see the steel as a thin line all the way around the wood. There is no socket and no weld, so there is no join to work loose.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRosewood is dense and oily, dark brown through to near-black, and it takes a satin finish rather than a gloss. Grain and tone vary from piece to piece, so your handle will not match the photographs exactly. The butt swells into a hook that stops the hand sliding back.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eThe sheath\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCowhide, dyed dark brown, stitched in a contrasting tan thread with a tooled border running inside the seam. A single folded belt loop closes over the handle on one snap. It is cut for right-hand carry.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eMake it yours\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe blade flat and the sheath can both be engraved to order. A name, a date, or a short line in runes. Engraving is hand-etched and adds a few days to dispatch.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSee the rest of the \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/viking-seax\"\u003eViking seax collection\u003c\/a\u003e, or start with our guide to \u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/norse-news\/what-is-a-seax\"\u003ewhat a seax actually is\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eSold to adults 18 and over. This is a bushcraft and hunting knife, not a kitchen knife. Handle, store and carry it responsibly and in line with your local laws.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eFrequently asked questions\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eHow big is this seax?\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe blade is 7.5 inches (190 mm) and the handle is 4 inches (102 mm), so the knife measures 11.5 inches (292 mm) overall. It weighs 11 oz.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eWhat steel is the blade, and how hard is it?\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHand-forged 1075 high-carbon steel, 4.5 mm thick at the spine, hardened to 56 to 58 HRC. It is not stainless, so it takes a finer edge and sharpens more easily, but it will spot if left wet and will darken to a patina over time.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eWhat does full tang mean here?\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe blade and the handle core are one continuous piece of steel running from the point to the butt, with the rosewood scales pinned onto it in three places. There is no join to work loose, and the balance sits back in the hand.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eWhat sheath is included?\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA stitched cowhide sheath with a tooled border and a single snap closure over the handle, cut for right-hand carry.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eCan it be engraved?\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYes. Both the blade flat and the sheath can be engraved to order, hand-etched. Engraving adds a few days to dispatch.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"VikingsBrand","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42828442533973,"sku":"VB-SX115-RW","price":99.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0977\/2234\/files\/hf_20260805_130846_d2cb1f4c-d176-45e1-a2c4-d7df17e90ba4.png?v=1785945089","url":"https:\/\/vikingsbrand.co\/products\/viking-seax-knife-11-5-inch-rosewood-forge-finished","provider":"VikingsBrand™","version":"1.0","type":"link"}