Brasswake Hand Forged 1095 Steel Medieval Sword with Brass Wheel Pommel | 31 Inch Etched Knotwork Blade | Oxblood Leather Grip and Brass Mounted Scabbard | Collector Gift | RK-1722

The Brasswake is a single hand medieval sword with a solid brass wheel pommel, a curved crossguard in a pale bone finish, an oxblood leather grip bound with brass wire bands and a fullered blade carrying a panel of interlaced knotwork etched just above the guard. It ships with an oxblood leather scabbard mounted in brass at the throat.

The wire bands on the grip are not decoration. Binding a leather wrapped grip with turns of drawn wire is documented on European swords from the twelfth century onward and it solves a real problem, which is that a smooth leather wrap becomes a smooth wet leather wrap the moment your hand sweats. The wire gives the fingers something to key against and it also compresses the wrap onto the core so the leather cannot creep or unwind at the seam.

Forged, ground, heat treated, hilted and sharpened in Memphis, Tennessee. It ships with the fitted scabbard and a care card.

Specifications

Distal taper, the thing you cannot see in a photograph

Every good sword blade is thinner at the point than it is at the hilt, and the rate at which it thins is called distal taper. It is invisible in a photograph and it is the single most important dimension in how a sword behaves. A blade forged at a constant thickness from shoulder to point may look right and will feel dead, because all that steel out at the far end has to be dragged through every change of direction.

Take the same profile and thin it steadily, from around five millimetres at the shoulder to around two at the point, and you remove weight exactly where it costs you the most leverage. The point of balance walks back toward the hand, the blade becomes quick to start and quick to stop, and the sword feels alive. It also stiffens the forte, the strong lower third, which is the part that takes a bind. Historic blades taper hard. Wall hangers made from bar stock do not, and that is the fastest way to tell a real blade from a decoration once it is in your hand.

The steel, the brass and the leather

The blade is 1095 high carbon steel, forged, normalised, quenched and tempered to 54 to 58 HRC. For a thirty one inch blade that band is where you want to be. It flexes and returns rather than taking a permanent set, it takes a keen edge and it will come back with a stone rather than needing a machine. Since 1095 contains no chromium, it is bright, it sharpens easily and it will spot if it is left damp or fingerprinted.

The pommel is solid brass, filed, drilled and polished, with a raised central boss to seat the peen. The crossguard is finished in a pale bone tone that sets off the oxblood of the grip and the scabbard. The grip is a shaped wooden core wrapped in oxblood leather and bound with turns of brass wire. The scabbard is leather over a carved wooden core with a brass throat mount, which is the historically correct construction. The wood carries the shape and protects the edge. The leather protects the wood.

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, the leather or the wood. 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 where it goes. Where a piece already carries an engraved design, your chosen engraving replaces it rather than sitting alongside it.

There is a full thirty one inches of blade here and the fuller will carry a long rune line down its length without crowding. The brass pommel takes a short mark on its face. The oxblood scabbard can be stamped, which is a good option if you would rather leave the steel untouched. If you want your own design where the knotwork panel currently sits, it replaces the knotwork. See the engraving page.

Handling and balance

Point of balance sits roughly four inches ahead of the crossguard. The blade is long for a single hand sword and the brass wheel behind the hand is doing real work to keep it that far back. In the hand it wants to be led from the wrist with the elbow following, and it recovers quickly from a cut because of the distal taper described above rather than because it is light in absolute terms.

The grip is a true single hand length at around four inches, with room to hook a finger over the guard or to rest the off hand on the pommel for extra leverage. Be clear about what this is. It is a sharpened collector and display sword, hand forged and hand balanced. It is not sold as a sparring weapon, it is not built for blade on blade contact and it should not be swung at hard targets. Keep it scabbarded when it is not in your hand and out of reach of children.

Care

Wipe the blade with an oiled cloth every single time you handle it. A bright 1095 flat will take a fingerprint and turn it into an etched mark inside a week in a humid room. Camellia oil, light machine oil or any purpose made blade oil is fine. Pay particular attention to the area just above the guard where hands naturally rest. There is more detail on steel care.

Do not keep the sword in the scabbard for long periods. Leather is hygroscopic and will hold damp against the steel over months. Store the blade oiled and out of the scabbard on a rack or a hanger, and feed the scabbard leather twice a year with a neutral balm. The brass will darken to a warm patina on its own. If you prefer it bright, brass polish on a cloth restores it, kept off the leather and off the blade.

Forged in Memphis

The blade is forged, ground, distally tapered, heat treated and sharpened in our Memphis, Tennessee shop. The brass pommel is turned, filed and fitted here and the tang is peened here. The grip core is carved, wrapped and wire bound here, and the scabbard is built over a carved wooden core here. Nothing on this sword is drop shipped from an importer catalogue.

Every one is made to order, so current lead time is one to two weeks before it ships, and US shipping is free. Our lifetime warranty against defects in forging, grind, heat treat and fittings applies with no end date and no receipt needed.

A note on handmade variation

This is hand made, not machine made and not bulk produced, so what arrives will not be a pixel for pixel copy of the photograph. The fuller is cut by eye and breathes slightly along its length. The satin left by the final grind runs its own way on every blade. Brass polishes to its own tone and no two pommels catch light identically.

The oxblood leather is the most variable element, because vegetable tanned hide takes dye differently across a single side. Yours may read a bright red brown or a deep burgundy, and the wire binding will sit with its own spacing because it is wound by hand. Blade length, overall length, steel, hardness, taper and construction are the same on every one.

Frequently asked questions

Is it sharp when it arrives

Yes, keen along the full length and to the point. Treat it as a sharp weapon from the moment you open the box and keep it in the scabbard when you are not holding it.

Can I use it for sparring or cutting practice

No. It is a sharpened collector and display sword. It is not sold or built for full contact bouting, blade on blade drills or hard target cutting.

What is the crossguard made of

It is finished in a pale bone tone to set off the oxblood leather. We describe the finish rather than claiming a material we cannot guarantee to you on every unit.

Does it come with a scabbard

It does. The oxblood leather scabbard over a wooden core with its brass mounted throat ships with the sword and is fitted to that individual blade.

Will the wire binding come loose

It should not. The brass wire is wound under tension and its ends are tucked and set under the wrap, so it compresses the leather onto the core rather than sitting loose on top of it.

How long does shipping take

One to two weeks before it leaves the shop, since the blade is forged and the hilt fitted after you order. US shipping is free.

What is in the box

• One hand forged 1095 medieval sword with a solid brass wheel pommel
• One fitted oxblood leather scabbard with a brass mounted throat
• Care card covering oiling, storage and leather feeding
• Lifetime warranty against defects in forging, grind, heat treat and fittings
• Forged and finished in Memphis, Tennessee

Explore the range

See the rest of the arming swords, the longswords, the wider swords, and the guides for more on distal taper and balance.