Gravewind Hand Forged High Carbon Steel Messer Sword | 27 Inch Overall with 18 Inch Blade | Collector and Display Gift | RK-1300

The messer started life as a big knife. German smiths of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries built it the way a knife is built, with wooden scales pinned either side of a flat tang, then gave it a sword hilt and a blade long enough to fight with, and it became a common side arm across central Europe. Gravewind follows that pattern: a single edged blade with a clipped point, a pinned wood grip, a straight steel cross and a flared steel pommel cap. For the sensible way to start, see buying your first sword.

This sword is forged and finished by hand in the Czech Republic. The blade is 1095 high carbon steel hardened and tempered to 54 to 58 HRC, single edged with a clipped point, with a knotwork panel and a rune line engraved into the steel just above the guard. The hilt is a straight steel cross, a pinned hardwood grip and a flared steel pommel cap. It ships in a leather scabbard, and shipping inside the United States is free.

Specifications

What the pommel is actually for

People look at a pommel and see a decorative cap. It is a counterweight. The blade puts its mass in front of your hands, and the flared steel pommel cap at the end of the grip pulls the balance back toward the cross, so the sword pivots close to your hands instead of dragging round in a wide arc. On a single edged blade with a clipped point that balance is what makes a quick cut and a fast recovery possible, and the pommel also gives the heel of the hand something to bear against on a hard cut.

Why high carbon steel and not stainless

Two steels are used at this forge. Plain blades like this one are 1095 high carbon steel. Damascus blades are 1095 and 15N20 forge welded together. That is the whole list, and it does not change.

A blade of this length has to be right the whole way through. It has to harden evenly across a wide section, temper back to a spring that returns straight after a hard cut, and take an edge fine enough to be worth having. 1095 does all three, which is why it has been a standard for large blades for over a century. Stainless steels use a heavy chromium content to resist rust, and those chromium carbides make long blades brittle and blunt the edge geometry. A long stainless blade is a decoration with a real risk of snapping. Carbon steel asks for a wipe of oil in return for a sword that behaves. Read Damascus versus stainless for the detail.

The hardwood grip

The grip is hardwood, nine inches long, pinned through the tang in the knife style construction that defines a messer, and closed by the steel cross at one end and the flared steel pommel cap at the other. Nine inches leaves room for a second hand when you need power and is still short enough that the sword handles cleanly in one.

Wood expands and contracts with humidity, so keep the sword out of direct sun and away from dry heat, and feed the grip a little oil once or twice a year to stop the grain shrinking back from the steel. Our wooden handle care guide explains what to use and how much.

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 handle. 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 whether it goes on the blade or the handle. Where a piece already carries an engraved design, your chosen engraving replaces it rather than sitting alongside it. That is worth reading twice on this sword, because it already carries a knotwork panel and a rune line on the blade. If you order your own inscription or pattern, yours goes in that place instead. See the engraving page.

Care and sharpening

Wipe the blade with an oiled cloth after every handling session and keep the sword out of its scabbard for long term storage, because leather holds moisture against steel. On a blade this size it pays to oil both flats and the edges properly rather than giving it a quick pass. Rust removal, oil choice and storage are covered on our steel care page.

Sharpening a long single edge is done in sections. Work six or eight inches at a time on a medium stone, keeping the existing bevel flat and counting your passes so both faces stay even, then repeat on a fine stone and strop the burr away along the whole length. Take extra care at the clipped point, where it is easy to round the tip. Our guide to sharpening with a whetstone has the method.

Made in the Czech Republic

Every piece we sell is made by hand in the Czech Republic. The smiths there work the way the trade has been worked for a long time, heating and hammering the steel, taking the bevels down by eye, and fitting the handle and the leather one at a time. There is no automated line anywhere in it, so small differences from one piece to the next are normal and expected.

Ransack Viking is a United States company based in Chicago, Illinois. We bring the pieces in ourselves, inspect them on arrival and ship them from our own warehouse. If you add engraving, that is carried out here in the United States before your order goes out.

A note on handmade variation

This sword is hand forged. It is not machine made and it is not bulk produced, so what arrives will not be a pixel for pixel copy of the photograph. The grain of the grip, the tone of the leather, the exact depth and spacing of the engraved panel and the way the polish runs down the length of the blade all vary, because every part is worked by hand from natural materials. The dimensions, the steel and the build are the same every time. The character is not.

Frequently asked questions

Is the sword sharp when it arrives?

Yes, it ships with a working edge along the cutting side. Blunt versions are available for stage combat and public display, just leave a note with your order.

Can it be used one handed?

It can. With the balance pulled back by the steel pommel it handles well in one hand, and the nine inch grip leaves room for a second hand on heavier cuts.

Can I replace the engraving with my own?

Yes. Use the rune converter above for an Elder Futhark line or choose your own Viking pattern in the engraving option. Your design takes the place of the panel shown rather than sitting next to it.

Will my sword look exactly like the photograph?

Length, width, steel and hardness will match. The wood grain, the leather colour and the small variations in the hand cut engraving will be unique to your sword.

What is the difference between this and a bastard sword?

A bastard sword is double edged with a symmetrical blade and a long grip for one or two hands. This is a single edged messer with a clipped point and a pinned grip. The bastard sword thrusts better, the messer cuts harder for its size.

How long does shipping take?

Shipping is free within the United States and stock pieces normally arrive five to seven business days after dispatch. Engraved swords add three to four weeks.

What is in the box

• One hand forged 1095 high carbon steel messer sword, 27 inches overall
• One leather scabbard
• Care card covering oiling, storage and sharpening a long single edge
• Your Elder Futhark rune line or chosen pattern, if engraving was ordered
• Forged and finished in the Czech Republic

Explore the range

See the other messers, the bastard swords and falchions, the full sword range and the Damascus swords, or read the guides.

Others in the same line

Worth putting side by side with this is the Wardenoak arming sword, 40 inches overall. In the same category sits the Pathstave arming sword, 35 inches overall. A near match for this one is the Slatewick arming sword, 36 inches overall.

For a different piece from the same family, look at the Northstave arming sword. You can have this made your way instead on the custom Viking sword page.

Training at a HEMA club? Look at the Nattvarn longsword trainer for drills and free play, and check our HEMA longsword range as well.