Stonelark Hand Forged High Carbon Steel Viking Short Sword | 25 Inch Overall with 18 Inch Blade | Norse Collector Gift | RK-1303

The short sword earned its place in the Viking world as the blade a man could wear every day. It is handier than a full length sword on board ship, in a crowd or alongside a shield and spear, and it still carries the look of the bigger swords. This one has a Norse hilt: a brass guard cut with knotwork, a dark wood grip and a round brass pommel engraved with a triquetra knot. A first sword is easy to get wrong, and buying a first sword covers the traps.

This Viking short 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, straight and double edged with a broad shallow fuller and a tapering point, polished bright. The hilt is a dark wood grip with a brass ferrule, a knotwork engraved brass guard and a round brass pommel engraved with a triquetra knot, and the sword ships in a dark wood scabbard with a brass throat and tip cap. Shipping inside the United States is free.

Specifications

The point

The blade runs straight from the guard and tapers evenly to a sharp point, so it thrusts as well as it cuts. Take a little care when it goes back into the scabbard, because the last inch is the thinnest part of the blade.

Why high carbon steel and not stainless

This forge uses exactly two steels. Plain blades like this one are 1095 high carbon steel. Damascus blades are 1095 and 15N20 forge welded together.

On a straight double edged blade the choice matters more than most people realise. A straight double edged blade has no thick spine to hide stiffness in, so the steel itself has to do the work of being both hard at the edges and springy in the body. 1095 hardens deeply and evenly and tempers back to a reliable 54 to 58 HRC, which gives an edge that holds and a blade that flexes and returns straight. Stainless steel gets its rust resistance from a heavy chromium load, and those chromium carbides make the steel coarse at the edge and brittle in the body. In a thin double edged blade that is a genuine hazard. The trade with carbon steel is that it will spot if you leave it damp. Wipe it, oil it, and it will last generations. See Damascus versus stainless.

The grip and brass ferrule

The grip is a dark toned core, close to round in section and slightly waisted so the hand settles in the same place each time. A brass ferrule closes the front against the guard and a round brass pommel finishes the rear. Brass is used at the collar because it is soft enough to be fitted tight without cracking, and because it takes a warm patina that reads well against a bright blade.

Where wood is exposed at the collar or the pommel, keep it out of direct sun and dry heat and give it a small amount of oil once or twice a year so it does not shrink away from the metal. Our wooden handle care guide has the details, and the same advice applies to the wooden scabbard.

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. On a bright polished blade a cut inscription beside the fuller shows very clearly. See the engraving page.

Care and sharpening

A bright polish shows every fingerprint, and fingerprints are mildly acidic, so wipe the blade with an oiled cloth after handling. Store the sword out of the wooden scabbard if it is being put away for a season, because a close fitting scabbard holds humidity against steel. Rust removal and oil choice are covered on our steel care page.

Sharpen both edges symmetrically. Work one edge in short sections on a medium stone, counting passes, then match that exactly on the other edge, refine both on a fine stone and lift the burr with a strop. Follow the taper right out to the point so the profile stays even. See sharpening with a whetstone.

Made in the Czech Republic

This piece is made by hand in the Czech Republic, in a workshop that still works the old way. The steel is forged, ground, heat treated and finished by smiths who learned the trade from the people before them, and the wood, horn and leather are cut and fitted by hand rather than pressed out on a line. That is also why no two pieces come out exactly the same.

Ransack Viking is a United States company. We import these pieces ourselves, check every one when it lands and ship from our warehouse in Chicago, Illinois. Engraving is done here in the United States after the piece arrives, so your runes or your own design go on before it leaves for you.

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 and colour of the grip and scabbard, the tone of the brass, the exact width of the fuller and the way the polish reads in different light all vary, because everything is worked by hand from natural materials. The dimensions, the steel and the build are the same every time. The character is not, and that is the part worth having.

Frequently asked questions

Does it arrive sharp on both edges?

Yes. Both edges are sharpened and ready to cut. If you want a blunt sword for forms practice or display, say so in the order notes and we will supply it that way.

Is this a Chinese jian?

No. The knotwork guard and the triquetra knot pommel are Norse in style, and at 25 inches overall it is a one hand short sword. It suits display, slow drills and light cutting practice.

Can I have runes engraved on it?

Yes. Use the rune converter above for Elder Futhark or choose your own pattern in the engraving option, and tell us whether it goes on the blade or the grip.

Will mine look exactly like the photographs?

Dimensions and steel will match. The wood tone in the grip and scabbard and the shade of the brass will be slightly different on each one.

How does this compare with a full length Viking sword?

It is shorter and quicker in the hand. At 25 inches overall with an 18 inch blade it is easier to wear at the hip and fits a smaller wall when it is on display.

How long does shipping take?

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

What is in the box

• One hand forged 1095 high carbon steel Viking short sword, 25 inches overall
• One dark wood scabbard
• Care card covering blade oiling, storage and sharpening two edges
• Your Elder Futhark rune line or chosen pattern, if engraving was ordered
• Forged and finished in the Czech Republic

Explore the range

See the rest of the Viking swords and short swords, the Damascus swords, the full sword range and the falchions, or read the guides.

Other pieces in this group

In the same category sits the Valkwarden Viking sword, 37 inches overall. A near match for this one is the Brasslight movie sword, forged from 1095. Closest to this in the range is the Garnetward arming sword, 38 inches overall.

Fitting out further, the Gloomridge broadsword belongs with it. Nothing here exactly right, build one to your own spec on the design your own page.