Wynthorn Hand Forged 1095 Steel Arming Sword | 37 Inch Overall with 31 Inch Blade | Blackened Curved Guard and Oxblood Leather Grip and Matching Scabbard | Knightly Collector Gift | RK-2121

The Wynthorn is a single handed arming sword in plain 1095 high carbon steel, finished with a satin polish rather than a mirror so the grind lines and the long taper of the blade stay readable. The crossguard is blackened steel that sweeps down toward the blade at both ends, the grip is oxblood leather laid over wood with a raised riser at the middle edged in thin wire, and the pommel is a heavy faceted block of blackened steel peened over the end of the tang. A small etched triquetra sits at the ricasso. The blade is broad and nearly parallel along its length, with no fuller, and finishes in an angled clipped point.

The arming sword is the one people picture when they picture a medieval sword, and it stayed in service for roughly four hundred years with very little change to its basic layout. The reason is that it was the sidearm rather than the main tool of war. A soldier of the period carried a spear or a polearm into the field and wore the sword at the hip for close work, for guard duty and for the parts of a campaign where a twelve foot shaft is a nuisance. Everything about the proportions follows from that. This sword is made by hand in the Czech Republic. Ransack Viking imports it, checks the grind, the peen and the scabbard fit, and ships it from our Chicago, Illinois warehouse. It arrives with the oxblood leather scabbard shown.

A single handed sword of this class is the usual first purchase, and how to buy a first sword covers what matters. 1095 is the plain carbon steel we work in, and the steel glossary explains what the number means and why it takes an edge. The medieval helmets are the obvious thing to hang beside it.

Specifications

What the raised riser under the leather is for

Run your thumb along the grip and you will feel a raised band at the middle, edged with thin wire. It is a cord laid over the wooden core before the leather was stretched on, one of the oldest useful tricks in hilt making. It gives your hand a physical index, so you can feel where you are on the grip without looking down, and it stops the leather sliding as a unit when your hand is damp or gloved. A smooth grip of this length becomes slippery quickly. A risered one does not.

Set at the centre, the riser splits the grip in two, so the hand finds the same place for a cut every time while the heel of the palm still rests against the pommel.

The steel and the finish

The blade is 1095 high carbon steel, hardened and tempered to 54 to 58 HRC. That range is deliberately a little softer than a small knife blade. A long blade takes bending and shock loads a knife never sees, and steel run too hard in that length becomes brittle and prone to taking a set or cracking rather than flexing back. At this hardness the sword takes a keen edge, holds it through normal use and returns to true after a flex.

The satin finish is hand worked rather than buffed to a mirror. It hides fingerprints better, it shows the geometry of the grind honestly, and it is far easier to maintain, because a scratch can be blended back in with fine abrasive instead of needing a full repolish. The blackening on the guard and pommel is a controlled oxide finish, not paint. It will soften and warm over years of handling, which is what you want.

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 leather. 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. On this sword the broad flats near the ricasso and the face of the scabbard are the natural places for a line of runes. See the engraving page for depth, placement and how many characters fit.

Handling and balance

The heavy faceted pommel pulls the balance point back toward the hand, which is the whole reason it carries that mass. The sword feels lively rather than tip heavy, changes direction easily and recovers quickly from a cut. Hold it loosely, let the pommel rest against the base of your palm and you will feel the blade want to return to centre on its own.

This is a hand finished display and collector sword. It is not sold as sparring equipment and no full contact claim is made for it. Handle it, hang it, draw it for guests, and keep it away from edge to edge contact with other steel.

Care

High carbon steel will rust if you leave it alone. Wipe the blade after handling to get skin salts off it, and put a light film of mineral oil or gun oil on before it goes away. Do not store the sword long term inside the scabbard in a damp room, because leather draws moisture and holds it against the blade. Feed the leather grip and scabbard with a small amount of leather balm once or twice a year and let it soak in before buffing. The blackened fittings need nothing beyond a dry cloth. Our steel care guide has the full routine for rust spotting and removal.

If it is going on a wall, hanging swords and axes safely covers mounts, fixings and what not to do.

Made in the Czech Republic

This sword is made by hand in the Czech Republic and imported by Ransack Viking. It is not drop shipped from an importer catalogue. Every piece is unpacked, checked and photographed before it is listed, then held and shipped from our warehouse in Chicago, Illinois. Expect one to two weeks of processing, because these are built in small runs rather than stacked in bulk. US shipping is free, returns are accepted within seven days, and the lifetime warranty against defects in forging, grind, heat treat and fittings has no end date and needs no receipt.

A note on handmade variation

This sword is made by hand, not machine made or bulk produced, so what arrives will not be a pixel for pixel copy of the photograph. Leather is a natural material and the oxblood dye takes differently on every hide, so your grip and scabbard may run lighter or deeper than the one shown. Grain, hammer texture, the exact depth of the blackening and the fall of the file marks all vary. The length, the steel, the heat treat and the build are the same every time. The character is not.

Frequently asked questions

Is this sword sharp out of the box

It comes with a working edge. It is not shaving sharp and does not need to be for a display and collector piece. If you want a finer edge you can take it further with a stone, but do it deliberately rather than casually on a blade this long.

Is the blade Damascus

No. This one is plain 1095 high carbon steel with a satin finish. If you want a pattern welded blade in the same style, look at the Damascus swords category linked below.

Will the blackening on the guard wear off

It will soften with handling at the high points, which is normal for an oxide finish and looks better with age rather than worse. It is a chemical finish in the metal surface, not a coating that peels.

Does it come with the scabbard shown

Yes. The oxblood leather scabbard in the photograph ships with the sword and is fitted to this blade.

Can I get runes cut into it

Yes. Use the rune converter on this page for Elder Futhark, or send us your own design through the engraving option. The flats of the blade near the guard and the scabbard face both take a line of runes well.

How long does shipping take

Processing is one to two weeks, then free US shipping on top of that. You get a tracking number the day it leaves the Chicago warehouse.

What is in the box

• One Wynthorn 1095 steel arming sword
• Fitted oxblood leather scabbard
• Protective oil film on the blade for transit
• Care sheet for carbon steel and leather
• Hand made in the Czech Republic, shipped from our Chicago, Illinois warehouse

Explore the range

Browse more in arming swords, swords and Norse arms, or read the guides on choosing your first sword.

If this one is not it

In the same category sits the Knotwarden arming sword, 37 inches overall. A near match for this one is the Crimsonhilt arming sword, forged from 1095. Closest to this in the range is the Discthane arming sword, 38 inches overall.

Fitting out further, the Silkmoon scimitar belongs with it. Pick the steel, the length and the fittings yourself on the custom Viking sword page.