Vinecrest Hand Forged High Carbon Steel Shamshir | 39 Inch Overall with 33 Inch Blade | Collector Display Gift | RK-1397

The Vinecrest is the largest shamshir we build, thirty nine inches overall with a thirty three inch blade, narrow and deeply curved in the Persian manner with a fuller running close under the spine and a point that lifts cleanly at the end of the arc. The grip is carved by hand in a vine scroll, which is not an invention: Persian and Ottoman hilt makers routinely cut foliate scrollwork into horn and hardwood grips, and on a sword that was as much a mark of rank as a weapon the carving was part of the point. The blade itself stays entirely plain, which is also correct. Persian taste put the ornament on the furniture and left the steel to speak for itself.

Forged and finished in Memphis, Tennessee. The blade is 1095 high carbon steel, hardened, tempered and taken to a mirror polish. The hilt is hand carved hardwood between drooping brass quillons and a hooked pommel. It ships in a brass mounted scabbard, with a care card, and shipping inside the United States is free.

Specifications

The fuller under the spine, and why it sits there

Most fullers run down the middle of a blade. On this one the groove is set high, close under the spine, and that placement is doing something specific to a narrow deeply curved sword.

A blade this slim has a problem that a broad one does not. It has very little width to resist bending sideways, and a deep curve means that every cut loads it slightly off axis, so the blade wants to twist as well as flex. Moving the fuller up toward the spine leaves a thicker, unbroken wedge of steel running from the groove down to the edge. That wedge is the part carrying the cut, and leaving it solid keeps the edge supported. Meanwhile the metal removed from just under the spine comes out of a region that was contributing almost nothing structurally but plenty of weight, and it is weight a long way from the hand.

The result is a blade that is stiffer where it needs to be, lighter at the far end, and less inclined to twist in a draw cut. It also produces the fine bright line running the length of the sword that you can see in the photograph, which is a by product rather than the purpose. Persian smiths worked this out empirically over generations and it is one of the details that separates a real shamshir profile from a curved bar of steel.

Why 1095 high carbon steel and not stainless

1095 is a plain carbon steel with just under one percent carbon and no meaningful alloying. On a long narrow blade that plainness is worth a great deal. It hardens fully and evenly through a thin section, its fine grain lets an edge come to a true apex, and tempered to 54 to 58 HRC it keeps enough spring to flex under load and return dead straight.

Stainless earns its corrosion resistance with chromium, and chromium ties carbon into hard carbides. In a short kitchen blade that is a fair exchange. In thirty three inches of slim sword it is a poor one, because those carbides give a crack somewhere to start and make chipping more likely. What you accept with 1095 is that it will rust if left neglected, which is a housekeeping matter rather than a defect in the steel. The case is set out in full on Damascus versus stainless.

The carved hardwood grip

The grip is hardwood, cut and shaped to the tang and then carved by hand in a running vine scroll that wraps the whole hilt including the hook. The carving is not stamped or pressed. It is cut with gouges after the grip is shaped, which is why the pattern flows with the curve of the pommel rather than being interrupted by it.

Carving a grip does more than decorate it. The relief gives the hand something to key against, so the hilt stays put under a warm palm without needing to be gripped hard, which suits a shamshir exactly. Persian and Turkish makers used carved horn, carved hardwood and fluted ivory for the same reason. The disadvantage is that a carved surface has more places for dust and skin oil to collect, so the grip wants an occasional brush out with a soft brush and a wipe of oil two or three times a year rather than one. Everything you need is on wooden handle care.

Engraving, runes and your own design

Use the rune converter on this page to turn a name, a date or a short phrase into Elder Futhark and we will cut it into the steel or the handle. If you would rather have a Viking pattern than a rune line, choose your own design in the engraving option above the add to cart button and tell us whether it goes on the blade or the handle. Where a piece already carries an engraved design, your chosen engraving replaces it rather than sitting alongside it. That applies directly to this sword: the vine scroll on the grip is a carved design, so if you ask for engraving on the handle we will cut your pattern in place of the vines rather than crowding both onto the same hilt. Engraving on the blade leaves the carving untouched. See the engraving page.

Care and sharpening

Wipe the blade after handling and keep a thin film of light oil on the steel. A mirror polish records fingerprints as etched grey marks inside a fortnight, and on a blade this long that is a lot of surface to repolish if you let it happen. Once a month with an oiled rag is enough indoors. Keep the sword out of the scabbard for storage, because leather holds moisture and tanning residue against steel. Take care not to work oil into the carved grip, where it will collect and go sticky. The routine is on steel care.

To sharpen, follow the arc. Work three or four inches at a time, keep the bevel angle constant and sweep the blade along the stone in the direction the edge travels in a cut. The fuller is a useful visual reference here, because keeping it parallel to the stone as you work tells you the blade is not rolling. Finish on a fine stone and strop it. See sharpening with a whetstone.

Forged in Memphis

This shamshir is made in our shop in Memphis, Tennessee. Nothing here is drop shipped from an importer catalogue and nothing is a bought in blank with our name added. We forge the blade and set the curve on the anvil, forge the fuller in hot, grind, harden, temper and polish, carve the grip, cast and fit the brass, and build the scabbard, all under one roof. A carved hilt is the slowest part of a sword like this and it is a large part of why the lead time reads as it does. On the rack, two to three business days. Made to order or engraved, two to three weeks. You will be told which before you pay.

A note on handmade variation

This shamshir is hand forged. It is not machine made and it is not bulk produced, so what arrives will not be a pixel for pixel copy of the photograph on this page. The vine scroll is cut freehand and no two grips carry exactly the same carving. The hardwood figure varies, the brass takes its own patina, the leather has its own grain, and the radius of the curve moves a fraction between blades because it is hammered rather than machined. The dimensions, the steel and the build are the same on every one. The character is not, and on a carved piece that difference is more visible than on anything else we make.

Frequently asked questions

Does it arrive sharp?

It arrives with a working edge rather than a razor edge, which is right for a sword of this length. Ask in the order notes and we will take it further before it ships.

Is the carving on the grip machine cut?

No. It is cut by hand with gouges after the grip is shaped, which is why the scroll follows the curve of the hook instead of stopping at it. Every grip is slightly different as a result.

Can I have my own design instead of the vines?

Yes. Choose your own design in the engraving option and it replaces the vine scroll on the handle rather than sitting alongside it. If you want both, put your design on the blade and leave the carving where it is.

What is the difference between this and a talwar?

This is Persian: narrow, deeply and evenly curved, with a cross guard and a hooked pommel. A talwar is Indian and always has a disc pommel, usually on a broader blade that flares near the point.

Can I use it for cutting practice?

Mats and bottles, yes. It is not a sparring sword, it must never be brought against another blade, and it should be kept away from hard targets.

How long does shipping take?

Free inside the United States. Two to three business days for a stock sword, two to three weeks for one made to order or carrying engraving.

What is in the box

• Vinecrest hand forged 1095 high carbon steel shamshir
• Leather covered scabbard with brass throat and chape
• Care card with oiling and storage instructions
• Certificate of hand forging
• Forged and finished in Memphis, Tennessee

Explore the range

See the rest of the scimitars, the whole swords collection, the engraved and personalised pieces and the sabres, or read the guides.