Design Your Own Knife or Axe
Pick a builder, set the spec yourself, and the piece is made to that spec rather than pulled off a shelf. You choose the profile, the steel, the length, the handle or haft, the sheath and any engraving, and you see the price move as you go.
Every commission is made by hand in the workshop in the Czech Republic, which takes 4 to 6 weeks. The finished piece is then checked in North Babylon, New York and shipped from there, with any engraving cut in the United States before it goes out.
Pick a builder
Six builders, all made to order in the same workshop.
If the shape you want is not on any of these lists, draw it yourself instead. Pick a Norse shape, set the measurements in inches, write on the drawing, and a smith prices it.
- Custom Damascus knife. Twelve profiles from a broken back seax to a kukri, six patterns from random to feather, fourteen handle materials. Forge welded from 1095 and 15N20 at 58 to 60 HRC.
- Custom hunting knife. Eight blade profiles, six steels, blade lengths from 3.5 to 7 inch, four thicknesses, a guard if you want one and a leather sheath cut to fit.
- Custom seax. The Norse belt knife. Six blade shapes from the hadseax to the langseax, blade lengths from 4 to 16 inch, fourteen handle materials in timber, horn, bone and antler.
- Custom Viking axe. Eight head profiles from bearded to Dane, 1095 or Damascus, seven haft timbers, five haft lengths and a leather head cover.
- Custom sword. Fourteen types from the Viking sword to the katana, blade lengths from 20 to 40 inch, your own crossguard, pommel, grip wrap and scabbard.
- Custom Norse arms. Nine heads across spears, hammers, maces and polearms, five shaft timbers and shaft lengths from 36 to 72 inch.
How a commission runs
- You build the spec. Every choice is priced as you make it, so there is no quote to wait for and no surprise at the end.
- You order. The spec travels with the order, so nothing is retyped or guessed. If something you asked for is not workable, we come back to you before any steel is cut.
- The workshop makes it. Allow 4 to 6 weeks. Nothing is cast, and nothing is a stock piece with your name added afterwards.
- It is checked and shipped. The piece is inspected in North Babylon, New York against your own spec, engraved in the United States if you asked for engraving, then shipped.
What engraving costs
The rates are the same as everywhere else on the site, and they are charged per piece, not per order.
- A name, a date or a line of text, $19
- Elder Futhark runes, $19, with your words transliterated rather than letter swapped
- A Norse symbol, $39, from Valknut and Vegvisir through to Fenrir and the longship
- A family crest, $49, and we ask for your artwork at checkout
There is more on what can and cannot be marked on the engraving page.
Before you commission anything
A piece built to your own spec is not returnable, the same rule that applies to an engraved piece. Read your spec back before you pay. The lifetime warranty is separate and still applies, so a defect in the steel, the fit or the workmanship is ours to put right with no end date on that cover.
If you want a larger run for a shop, a club, a wedding party or a company, the wholesale and group orders page is the better route. Pricing and lead times for volume are given against the actual order.
Questions
How long does a commission take?
4 to 6 weeks in the workshop, then the piece is checked in North Babylon, New York and shipped from there. Add transit time on top of that. If you have a date to hit, tell us before you order.
Can I change the spec after ordering?
Within 12 hours of buying, yes. After that the work has started to your spec and the build is fixed.
Can I return a commission?
No. A piece made to your own spec is not returnable, the same as an engraved piece. The lifetime warranty against defects still covers it, with no end date.
Where are the pieces made?
By hand in the Czech Republic, in workshops that still work the old way rather than on an automated line. Engraving is done in the United States. Orders are checked and shipped from North Babylon, New York.
Can I order something that is not on these three pages?
Ask. Put what you want in the notes on the nearest builder, or use the contact page. If the workshop will not take it on we say so rather than take the money and work it out later.
Where to go next
If you would rather buy something already made, the engraved and personalized collection is the closest thing to a commission without the wait. Damascus knives, Viking axes and swords cover the rest of the catalogue.