Crownflute Hand Forged Damascus Longsword with Fluted Crown Pommel | Hand and a Half Grip | Downswept Guard and Steel Mounted Black Scabbard | Knightly Collector Gift | RK-2051

The Crownflute is a knightly sword of the high medieval type, built with a long grip that takes one hand comfortably and two at a push. The pommel is a faceted steel crown, cut into flutes that run from the collar to a flat top, and it sits above a black leather grip divided by a raised band at the midpoint. The crossguard is a slim steel bar that sweeps down toward the blade at both ends, with a small block of engraved knotwork at the centre where the blade passes through. The blade itself is pattern welded, broad at the shoulder and tapering along its whole length, with a small etched circular device just below the guard. It is supplied with a black leather scabbard mounted with a polished steel throat and a polished steel chape.

The raised band around the middle of the grip is one of those details that looks decorative and is not. On a long gripped sword the two hands do different jobs, the forward hand steers and the rear hand levers, and a riser gives the rear hand something positive to work against so it does not creep up the handle under load. Medieval grips were routinely built with a swell, a riser or a change of wrap for exactly that reason. This sword is made by hand in the Czech Republic. Ransack Viking imports it, checks the edge geometry, the hilt assembly and the scabbard fit piece by piece, and ships it from our Memphis, Tennessee warehouse. It arrives with the scabbard shown and with our lifetime warranty against defects in forging, grind, heat treat and fittings.

Long blades carry more legend than the rest, and the legend and what collectors buy separates the story from what people actually own. For how a patterned blade compares with a plain one in use, Damascus against high carbon puts the two together. For a grip that takes one hand or two, look at the bastard swords.

Specifications

What the fluted crown pommel is actually doing

A pommel on a European sword is a counterweight first and a grip stop second. Put too little mass behind the hand and the sword feels like a crowbar, put too much and it feels dead and slow to change line. The fluted crown shape is a way of packing that mass into a short, tall block rather than a wide disc, which keeps the weight close to the axis of the blade instead of spreading it sideways. That matters on a long gripped sword, because sideways mass resists the rolling motion the wrists use to change from one guard to another.

The flutes are cut rather than cast, and they do two useful things beyond looking the part. They break up the reflection so a polished pommel does not read as a featureless lump, and they give the heel of the hand a keyed surface to sit against when the rear hand comes up onto the pommel for a longer reach. The tang is passed through the pommel and peened over the flat top, which is the traditional assembly and the reason the hilt does not loosen with handling.

Pattern welded steel and the knotwork escutcheon

The blade is forge welded from alternating layers of 1095 high carbon steel and 15N20. The nickel in the 15N20 resists the etchant, so after polishing and etching those layers stay bright while the 1095 goes dark, and the folded billet shows as a long flowing grain down the blade. Because the billet is drawn out by hand there is no repeat, and the figure on your blade will not match the photographs. Hardened and tempered, the blade sits at roughly 58 to 60 HRC.

This blade is ground with a lenticular section and no fuller, which gives a stiffer blade for its width than a fullered one and suits a sword meant to be seen from across a room. The small block of interlaced knotwork at the centre of the crossguard is the medieval escutcheon position, where a maker or an owner would put a mark. Here it carries a woven knot, cut and etched into the steel, and the matching circular device below the guard repeats it on the blade.

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, the leather or the wood. 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 where it goes. Where a piece already carries an engraved design, your chosen engraving replaces it rather than sitting alongside it. On this sword a rune line usually runs down the blade below the guard, and the engraving is done here in the United States after the piece arrives. See the engraving page for placement options and lead time.

Handling and balance

The long grip and the heavy fluted pommel put this sword in the hand and a half family, which means it will drive from one hand and control much better from two. Point of balance sits a short way ahead of the crossguard. Held in one hand it feels quick in the wrist and slightly point heavy, which is what you want for a cutting sword. Bring the second hand up onto the pommel and the whole thing pivots noticeably faster, because the rear hand is now working on a longer lever.

This is a collector and display sword and a good reenactment prop for drill and photography. It is not built for full contact sparring and should not be brought edge to edge against another blade. If you hang it, take the weight on the scabbard or on a proper wall bracket rather than resting the edge on a hook.

Care

An etched Damascus surface is slightly open at a microscopic level, so it holds fingerprints and it will spot if it is left wet. Wipe the blade down after every handling session, then lay on a thin film of mineral oil or light gun oil and leave it. If a spot of rust does appear, lift it with oil on a soft cloth rather than with abrasive paper, which cuts through the etch and leaves a bright scar in the pattern. Our steel care guide sets out the whole routine.

The scabbard is leather over a wooden core. Feed it once or twice a year with a neutral conditioner, keep it away from radiators and direct sun, and do not store the blade inside it for months at a time in a humid room. Polished steel throat, chape and pommel all come back with a light metal polish and a cotton cloth.

Damascus wants oil more than plain steel does, because the etch that shows the pattern also opens the surface, and caring for a Damascus pattern covers what to use.

Made in the Czech Republic

Blade, hilt and scabbard are all made by hand in the Czech Republic. Nothing here is drop shipped from an importer catalogue with a label swapped over. Ransack Viking buys the pieces, checks each one in Memphis and ships from our own warehouse, with free shipping inside the United States. Processing takes one to two weeks, because every sword is inspected and any engraving is cut before it leaves. Returns are accepted within seven days. The lifetime warranty against defects in forging, grind, heat treat and fittings has no end date and needs no receipt.

A note on handmade variation

This sword is hand made rather than machine made or bulk produced, so what arrives will not be a pixel for pixel copy of the photograph. Every Damascus blade carries a different grain because the billet is folded and drawn by hand. The depth of the etch, the exact facets on the pommel flutes, the tone of the black leather and the fine profile of the crossguard sweep all shift a little from one piece to the next. The dimensions, the material and the build are the same every time. The character is not.

Frequently asked questions

Is this a longsword or an arming sword?

It sits between the two. The grip is long enough for two hands, which is the defining feature of a hand and a half or bastard sword, but the blade and the balance are close enough to a single hand knightly sword that it drives well from one hand.

Does the blade have a fuller?

No. It is ground with a lenticular section, which is a continuous convex curve from the central ridge to the edge. That makes it stiffer for its width than a fullered blade of the same weight.

Is the pattern real Damascus?

Yes. The blade is forge welded from 1095 and 15N20 and the pattern goes all the way through the steel, which is why you can see it on the edge bevel and on the spine as well as on the flat.

Can I get my own crest or initials on the guard?

Engraving goes onto the blade rather than into the small knotwork block on the guard, since that block is cut before assembly. A rune line, a date or a design of your choosing goes on the blade below the guard and replaces the circular device that is there as standard.

Will it hang on a standard sword wall mount?

Yes. The scabbard is a plain leather body with a steel throat and chape and no suspension rings, so it sits well on a two point or three point wall bracket. Support the scabbard rather than the blade.

How long does shipping take?

Processing is one to two weeks while the sword is checked and any engraving is cut. Shipping inside the United States is free and ships from our Memphis warehouse.

What is in the box

• One Crownflute pattern welded Damascus knightly longsword
• Matching black leather scabbard with polished steel throat and chape
• Elder Futhark rune engraving or your own Viking design where ordered
• Lifetime warranty against defects in forging, grind, heat treat and fittings
• Hand made in the Czech Republic, shipped from our Memphis, Tennessee warehouse

Explore the range

See more in longswords, Damascus swords and swords, or read the guides.