A leather scabbard sword arrives with the sheath made for it rather than as a bare blade you then have to solve. That matters more than it sounds. A sword without a scabbard cannot be carried, cannot be hung from a belt, and cannot be handed to somebody across a room without everybody in it becoming nervous.
What is on this tag
Arming swords at 36 inches overall with red set stones and etched knotwork bands, knightly arming swords with white leather grips and Celtic knotwork guards, blades with longship etching and brass ball pommels, and medieval arming swords with downswept crossguards and etched knotwork fullers. Steel is plain 1095 high carbon at 54 to 58 HRC or Damascus of 1095 and 15N20, forge welded and acid etched, at 58 to 60 HRC. Grips are leather wrapped over a wooden core.
Fit, and how it changes
A new scabbard is usually snug. Leather stretches slightly to the blade over the first few weeks of use and then settles, which is normal. If it ever goes properly slack, a wipe of leather dressing and a day of drying with the blade lightly oiled and in place will usually bring the fit back. What you cannot fix is a scabbard that has been soaked and dried hard, which is why they should never be left damp.
Storage, which is the part people get wrong
Vegetable tanned leather holds acid and moisture against steel. A carbon blade stored in a closed scabbard for a month will come out spotted, and this is chemistry rather than a fault in the leather. Keep the blade out for storage, or oil it first. Safe storage around a household is covered in the storage notes. Replacement leather is in the scabbards and sheaths, the medieval blades in the arming swords and the Norse ones in the Viking swords.
Wearing one
Most of these hang from a belt or a baldric rather than being carried in the hand. A sword worn on the hip sits at an angle and swings, which takes some getting used to indoors and around furniture. If the piece is going to be worn at an event rather than hung on a wall, check how the suspension attaches before you commit.
Free US shipping
On most pieces. Heavier and oversized ones carry a flat charge.
Hand Forged
Heated, hammered and ground by hand.
Engraving available
Names, dates or Norse runes on most pieces.
