Build a Custom Seax
The seax was the knife a Norse household actually carried. This page is a commission tool. You set the blade shape, the steel, the length and the thickness, the handle material, the collar and cap, the sheath and any marks cut into the steel, and the knife is made to that spec.
Once the order is placed, your spec goes to the workshop in the Czech Republic. The seax takes 4 to 6 weeks to make. It is then checked in North Babylon, New York and shipped from there.
Because a commission is built to your own spec it cannot be returned, the same rule that applies to an engraved piece. The lifetime warranty on defects still stands, with no end date.
How a commission runs
- You build the spec. Set a blade shape, a steel, a length and a thickness in the tool above, then the handle, the fittings and the sheath.
- You order. Every choice is written down and travels with the order. Nothing reaches the workshop until that order is confirmed.
- The workshop makes it. Your seax is forged, ground and fitted by hand in the Czech Republic, which takes 4 to 6 weeks. Blades are forged, never cast.
- It is checked and shipped. The knife comes in to North Babylon, New York, where it is inspected, engraved if you asked for engraving, packed and sent out.
Choosing the blade
The broken back seax is the shape most people picture. The spine runs straight and then drops at an angle to meet the tip, which puts the point low and gives you a strong straight edge to cut along. It is the profile that turns up most often in the grave finds.
The hadseax is the short everyday knife, four to six inches of blade, carried horizontally on the belt and used for food, cord, leather and everything else a day asked for. The Norse belt knife is plainer again: straight spine, small blade, no drama.
A narrow seax is long and slim with a straight spine, better at reaching into a cut than at prying. The leaf blade swells through the middle and tapers to a point at both ends of the taper, which puts mass where it does the cutting.
The langseax is the long one, twelve to sixteen inches, and at that size it stops being a knife and starts behaving like a short single edged sword. Order it long and it wants two hands behind some cuts.
Thickness matters as much as length. At 3 mm you have a slicer that goes through work with little effort. At 6 mm you have a blade you can lean on, heavier in the hand and slower through a cut, but far harder to bend or chip.
Handle, collar and cap
Ash, oak and birch are the plain Norse timbers. They are light, they take a finish, and they are what a working knife would have worn. Walnut and rosewood are darker and denser with more figure. Olive wood and wenge are the showiest of the woods here, one pale gold with strong grain, the other close to black.
Horn, bone and antler are the other half of the tradition. Ox horn is dark and translucent at the thin edges. Buffalo horn is heavier and blacker. Ram horn is ridged and no two pieces are alike. Stag antler has the rough natural outside left on and is the one people reach for on a hunting seax. Camel bone and bone are pale and take carving well. Stacked leather is washers pressed and turned down to shape, warm in the hand and quiet to carry.
A collar is the band where the blade meets the handle. Brass and steel ferrules seal that joint and stiffen it. A knotwork brass collar is cut with Norse interlace. A Damascus collar picks up the pattern of the blade. You can also leave it off entirely.
At the other end, a cap holds the peened tang and finishes the handle. Brass and domed steel are the plain options. A Mjolnir cap is cast as a hammer head. A carved antler cap is cut from the same material family as an antler handle.
Horn, antler and timber are natural, so color, grain and weight shift from one piece to the next. Variation comes with the material and is not a fault in the work.
Sheath and marks
A plain leather sheath is included at no extra cost. The Norse belt sheath is the horizontal carry the finds show, worn across the front of the belt with the handle to hand. Tooled Norse leather carries knotwork worked into the face. Rune cut leather carries Elder Futhark cut into it. Leather is offered in black, dark brown, light brown, tan and oxblood at the same price.
Marks are cut into the steel in the United States after the knife arrives, not in the workshop. A name, a date or a line of text is $19. An Elder Futhark rune band is $19. A Norse symbol, a Mjolnir, a valknut or an aegishjalmur, is $39. A family crest is $49 and we ask you for the artwork at checkout. A full knotwork panel is $59.
Questions
How long does a commission take?
4 to 6 weeks in the workshop. The seax is then checked in North Babylon, New York and shipped from there, so add transit time on top.
Can I return a custom seax?
No. A piece made to your own spec is not returnable, the same as an engraved piece. Read your spec back before you order. The lifetime warranty is separate and still applies: a defect in the steel, the fit or the workmanship is ours to deal with, with no end date on that cover.
Which steel should I pick?
Plain 1095 high carbon is hardened to 54 to 58 HRC. It takes a keen edge, comes back easily on a stone, and is the sensible choice for a seax that will be used. Damascus is forge welded from 1095 and 15N20 and runs 58 to 60 HRC, harder, with the layer pattern showing after etching. Random, twist, ladder and raindrop are four ways of working the same billet. Both steels are forged, neither is cast. Carbon steel takes a patina and will rust if left wet.
What length should I order?
4 to 6 inch is a belt knife you will actually carry. 8 inch is a heavier working seax. 12 and 16 inch are langseax territory and are mostly ordered as display and collection pieces.
Where is the seax made?
The blade, the handle and the sheath are made by hand in the Czech Republic. The finished knife is inspected and engraved in North Babylon, New York, then shipped to you.
Where to go next
If you would rather buy a knife that is already made, start with Viking knives or the wider Norse arms collection. For a bigger run, see wholesale and group orders. You can also build a custom Viking axe or a custom Damascus knife.