Bronzeleaf Hand Forged 1095 Steel Leaf Blade Sword with Bronze Guard and Pommel | 27 Inch Overall | Burgundy Leather Grip and Etched Meander Band | Classical Collector Gift | RK-1723

The Bronzeleaf is a short sword in the classical leaf blade pattern, forged in 1095 high carbon steel with a broad waisted blade, a solid bronze guard plate and pommel ferrule, and a burgundy leather grip. A running meander band, the Greek key, is etched across the blade just above the guard. It comes with a fitted oxblood leather scabbard with a bronze mounted chape.

The leaf shape is older than Rome and older than Greece in iron. Bronze age smiths across Europe were casting waisted leaf blades by the twelfth century before the common era, and the shape survived the transition to iron because it works, not because it was familiar. What changed with iron was that the waist could be made narrower and the forward swell thinner, because iron and then steel will take a tension that cast bronze will not.

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

Specifications

The sweet spot, and why a sword rings when you tap it

Hold this sword loosely by the grip and flick the flat of the blade with a fingernail and it will hum. What you have set off is a standing wave running the length of the steel, and like any vibrating bar it has points along it that barely move at all. Those are the nodes. On a well made single hand sword there are two that matter. One sits in the grip, near where the base of your palm rests. The other sits in the forward third of the blade, usually five or six inches back from the point.

That forward node is what people call the sweet spot, and it is where you want to make contact. Strike with it and the blade does not vibrate, so no shock travels back into your hand and none of the energy of the cut is wasted shaking the sword. Strike three inches nearer the hilt and the same cut stings your palm. A smith moves those nodes by changing the distribution of mass, which is why the waist and the forward swell of a leaf blade are set where they are and why the bronze at the pommel end is not just there for looks.

The steel, the bronze and the meander

The blade is 1095 high carbon steel, forged, normalised, quenched and tempered to 54 to 58 HRC. On a short broad blade that hardness gives a keen edge with enough toughness that the wide forward section will not chip if it meets something hard. There is no chromium in 1095, so it polishes bright, it sharpens quickly on a stone and it will spot with rust if it is left damp.

The guard plate, ferrule and end cap are solid bronze, cast, filed and polished. Bronze is a copper and tin alloy and it was the correct furniture metal for a classical hilt because it takes a crisp filed line, works cold without cracking, and ages to a warm brown patina rather than corroding away. The meander band etched into the blade is the Greek key, a single continuous line folded back on itself, and it is one of the oldest ornamental motifs in Europe. It appears on Greek pottery, on Roman mosaic borders and on military fittings, and it is meant to read as an unbroken line with no beginning and no end.

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.

The wide forward third of this blade is a generous flat and takes a rune line cleanly along the centre. A short name sits well on the ricasso just above the bronze guard. The burgundy scabbard can be stamped along its length if you would rather leave the steel plain. Where you want your own design in place of the meander band, it replaces the meander. See the engraving page.

Handling and balance

Point of balance sits about three inches ahead of the guard. A twenty inch leaf blade is a genuinely fast weapon and this one feels much smaller in the hand than its width suggests, which is exactly what the waist behind the shoulders is for. It moves in tight circles from the wrist and the point comes back on line almost immediately after a cut.

The grip is single handed and short, with the bronze guard plate and the end cap closing on the hand so it does not slide. Understand what this is. It is a sharpened collector and display sword, hand forged and hand balanced by us. It is not a sparring weapon, it is not built for blade on blade contact and it should not be used on hard targets. Keep it in the scabbard when it is not in your hand.

Care

Wipe the blade with an oiled cloth after every handling. 1095 has no corrosion resistance and a fingerprint left on a polished flat in a humid room will etch itself in within days. Camellia oil, a light machine oil or a purpose made blade oil all work. Pay attention to the wide flats where hands naturally grab. There is more on steel care.

Do not store the sword sheathed for long periods, because leather holds moisture against steel. Store it oiled and out of the scabbard, and feed the scabbard leather twice a year with a neutral balm. The bronze will darken to a warm brown patina which suits the piece and which most owners leave alone. A metal polish on a cloth will bring it back to bright, kept off the leather and the blade.

Forged in Memphis

The blade is forged, ground, heat treated, etched and sharpened in our Memphis, Tennessee shop. The bronze furniture is cast, filed, fitted and peened here. The grip core is shaped and wrapped here and the scabbard is built over a carved wooden core here. Nothing on this sword is drop shipped from an importer catalogue and nothing arrives at our door with the work already done.

Each one is made to order, so current lead time is one to two weeks before it ships, with free US shipping. 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 waist and the forward swell of a leaf blade are ground by eye, so the exact curve of the profile shifts a little from one to the next. The satin from the final grind runs its own way every time. Bronze takes a polish at its own rate and each casting carries its own faint texture.

Burgundy leather is dyed on vegetable tanned hide and it takes the colour differently across a side, so the grip and scabbard can read anywhere from a bright wine to a dark plum. Blade length, overall length, steel, hardness and construction are identical every time. The character is what changes.

Frequently asked questions

Is this a gladius

It is the same family of leaf bladed short sword and it shares the geometry, but this one is dressed in the Greek manner with a bronze guard plate and a meander band rather than as a Roman gladius. If you want the Roman version we make one in damascus.

Is it sharp on arrival

Yes, keen along both edges and to the point. Treat it as a sharp weapon from the moment you unwrap it.

Can I do cutting practice with it

No. It is a sharpened collector and display sword and it is not sold for cutting drills, hard targets or any blade on blade contact.

Is a scabbard included

Yes. The oxblood leather scabbard over a wooden core with its bronze mounted chape ships with the sword and is fitted to that blade.

Will the bronze go green

Not in normal indoor conditions. It will darken to a warm brown patina, which is what bronze does. Green verdigris needs damp and salt, so keep it dry and away from a coastal atmosphere.

How long does shipping take

One to two weeks before it leaves us, since the blade is forged and the fittings cast and filed after you order. US shipping is free.

What is in the box

• One hand forged 1095 leaf blade sword with solid bronze guard and pommel ferrule
• One fitted oxblood leather scabbard with a bronze mounted chape
• 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 short swords, the gladius range, the wider swords, and the guides for more on balance and blade nodes.