{"product_id":"viking-seax-knife-8-inch-blade-stacked-leather-grip","title":"Viking Seax Knife – 8\" Blade, Stacked Leather Grip","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA hand-forged Viking seax knife with an 8-inch 1075 high-carbon blade, a grip stacked from leather washers, and plain brass bolster and pommel.\u003c\/strong\u003e Thirteen inches overall, sharp out of the box, carried in a tooled leather belt sheath. The blade flat and the sheath can both be engraved.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eWhat 1075 actually gets you\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e1075 is plain high-carbon steel: iron and about three quarters of one percent carbon, with nothing else doing the work. No chromium, no alloying tricks. That is the whole point of it. It hardens predictably, takes a keen edge, and comes back to sharp on an ordinary stone in a few minutes rather than needing diamond plates and patience. The trade is rust. Leave it wet and it will spot. Wipe it dry, keep a film of oil on it, and it will go dark and handsome instead.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eThe blade is period. The handle is not.\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe spine runs level out of the bolster, then falls away in one long straight clip to the point. Single-edged, no fuller, no etching. That is the seax silhouette, and it is why the knife reads as Norse from across a room.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe grip is a different story, and we would rather tell it than let you assume. It is built from stacked leather washers: dozens of thin leather discs threaded over the tang, compressed hard, then turned and sanded smooth. That construction is a twentieth-century military-knife idiom, not a Viking one. Excavated seax grips are wood, horn or bone. We use it here because it is genuinely excellent in the hand, it holds a grip when wet, and it takes weather far better than a period-correct handle would. It is a working choice, not a historical one.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eBrass, and only brass\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA plain polished brass bolster where the blade meets the grip, and a plain brass cap closing the butt. No carving, no lattice, no runes, no rivets on show. Brass darkens with handling, which is part of why it is used: the knife looks better in five years than it does out of the box, and a minute with a cloth brings it back bright whenever you want it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eMake it yours\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBoth the blade flat and the sheath can be engraved. A name, a date, a short line in runes. Engraving is hand-etched to order and adds a few days to dispatch. Choose it in the configurator above.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eThe sheath\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBrown genuine leather, stitched in cream thread with a scalloped border tooled inside both long edges. A snap strap closes over the grip and a wide belt loop on the back carries it on the hip. It is built to carry, not to sit on a shelf.\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\u003eThis is a hunting and collector's knife. It is not intended for kitchen or cooking use. 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\u003eWhat steel is the blade?\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHand-forged 1075 high-carbon steel. It is not stainless, so it takes a keener edge and sharpens more easily than stainless, but it will spot if left wet and will darken to a patina over time.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eHow big is this Viking seax knife?\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe blade is 8 inches (203 mm) and the grip is 5 inches (127 mm), so the knife measures 13 inches (330 mm) overall.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eWhat is the handle made of?\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eStacked leather washers: thin leather discs threaded over the tang, compressed and turned smooth, held between a plain brass bolster and a plain brass pommel cap. It is a modern construction rather than a period one, chosen because it holds a grip in wet hands.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eCan it be engraved?\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYes. Both the blade flat and the leather sheath can be engraved to order, hand-etched. Engraving adds a few days to dispatch.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eDoes it come with a sheath?\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYes. A tooled genuine leather belt sheath is included, with cream contrast stitching, a scalloped border, a snap strap over the grip and a belt loop on the back.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"VikingsBrand","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42821077237845,"sku":"VB-SX80-LTHBR","price":119.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0977\/2234\/files\/viking-seax-knife-and-sheath-mossy-boulder.jpg?v=1785781379","url":"https:\/\/vikingsbrand.co\/products\/viking-seax-knife-8-inch-blade-stacked-leather-grip","provider":"VikingsBrand™","version":"1.0","type":"link"}