Notchfang Hand Forged Damascus Short Sword with Serrated Spine | Notched Steel Guard and Black Grip | Black Leather Belt Sheath | Fantasy Collector Gift | RK-2053

The Notchfang is a single edged short sword with a wide falchion style blade, a long run of saw teeth along the spine and a hilt stripped of ornament. The guard is a plain polished steel bar, arched across the top and cut with a shallow notch at the centre where the blade passes through, with the arms sweeping forward toward the edge. Above it the grip is a plain black cylinder with no wrap and no ribbing, which throws all of the visual weight onto the blade. That blade is pattern welded and etched, so the layered grain runs the full length of the belly and out to the upswept point. It is supplied with a slim black leather belt sheath that closes over the guard with a strap and a brass stud.

Saw backed blades have a longer history than most people expect. Nineteenth century pioneer and military knives were routinely fitted with a toothed spine as a camp tool, and the fashion for a sawback on a fighting blade came later, borrowed from those working patterns because it looks purposeful. On this sword the teeth run along the thickest part of the spine, well away from the cutting edge, so they change how the blade looks without touching how it cuts. The piece is made by hand in the Czech Republic. Ransack Viking imports it, checks the grind, the etch and the sheath fit one piece at a time, and ships it from our Memphis, Tennessee warehouse with our lifetime warranty against defects in forging, grind, heat treat and fittings.

Nothing here claims to be historical, and display or battle ready is worth reading before you decide what you want it to do. The pattern is real forge welding rather than a print, and five checks before you buy shows you how to tell. If you would rather have something historical at the same length, look at the claymores.

Specifications

What a notched guard and an upswept point are for

The notch cut into the top edge of the guard is a real piece of design rather than decoration. On a single edged blade the spine is thick and the edge is thin, so the slot the blade sits in through the guard is not symmetrical. Cutting a notch into the upper edge of the guard lets the smith seat a thick spine cleanly without making the whole bar deeper than it needs to be, and it also gives the thumb a natural place to ride when the blade is held for a controlled cut rather than a swing.

The upswept point does something similar at the far end. A blade with a straight spine and a curved edge ends its life at a point that sits below the centre line, which is fine for chopping and poor for anything else. Letting the spine climb toward the tip brings the point back up level with the axis of the grip, so the sword can be pushed straight forward as well as swung. It is the same reasoning behind the clipped point on a bowie and behind the raised tip of a kukri, arrived at from a different direction.

Pattern welded steel and the sawback

The blade is forge welded from alternating layers of 1095 high carbon steel and 15N20. The nickel in the 15N20 resists the acid used to etch the finished blade, so those layers stay bright while the high carbon layers go dark, and the folded structure of the billet becomes visible as a flowing grain. Because that billet is drawn out under a hammer by hand, there is no repeat and no two blades carry the same figure. Hardened and tempered, the steel sits at roughly 58 to 60 HRC, hard enough to keep an edge and tough enough not to chip out.

The saw teeth are cut into the spine after the blade is ground, and they are deliberately coarse. They sit on the thickest section of steel, which is the part of a single edged blade doing the least work, so the geometry of the cutting edge below is untouched. They are a styling feature and not a working saw. There is no set to the teeth, which is the thing a real saw needs to stop the blade binding in a kerf, so putting them to wood will only round them over.

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. This blade is left plain apart from its Damascus figure, so there is a clear run of steel on the wide flat for a rune line, and the sheath leather takes stamping well. The engraving is done here in the United States after the piece arrives. See the engraving page for sizes and lead time.

Handling and balance

Mass sits well forward on this blade, out in the widening belly, so the point of balance is further from the hand than on a double edged sword of similar length. That makes it feel eager in a cut and slower to stop, which is the trade a falchion profile always makes. The plain cylindrical grip is smooth rather than textured, so it wants a firm hand and a dry one.

This is a collector and display piece and a 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. Hang it or stand it where the sheath takes the weight rather than the edge.

Care

An etched Damascus surface holds fingerprints and will spot if it is left damp, so wipe the blade after handling and put a thin film of mineral oil or light gun oil over it. The saw teeth need particular attention, because water sits in the roots between the points and stays there. A cotton bud loaded with oil is the easiest way to reach them. If a rust spot appears, lift it with oil on a soft cloth rather than abrasive paper, which cuts through the etch and leaves a bright mark in the pattern. Our steel care guide sets out the routine.

The sheath is leather. Feed it once or twice a year with a neutral conditioner, keep it away from direct heat, and do not store the blade inside it for months in a damp room. The brass stud will dull with handling and comes back with a soft cloth and a trace of metal polish.

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 sheath are made by hand in the Czech Republic. Nothing here is drop shipped from an importer catalogue with a new label. 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 piece is inspected and any engraving is cut before it goes out. Returns are accepted within seven days, and 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 short 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. The Damascus grain is different on every blade because the billet is folded and drawn by hand. The exact spacing and depth of the saw teeth, the tone of the etch, the sweep of the guard arms and the colour and grain of the sheath leather 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 it sharp when it arrives?

It comes with a working edge rather than a razor edge, which is standard for a display and reenactment blade and safer in shipping. A fine stone will take it further if you want it there.

Can I cut wood with the sawback?

No. The teeth are cut for looks and have no set, so they will bind rather than saw. Treat them as part of the styling and keep them oiled.

Is it display only or can I use it?

It is a display and collector piece. It is a genuine hardened blade and it will cut, but it is not built for full contact sparring or for blade to blade contact.

What is the pattern on the blade?

It is real forge welded Damascus made from 1095 and 15N20. The pattern runs through the steel rather than sitting on the surface, so you can see it on the edge bevel and on the spine as well as on the wide flat.

Does the sheath fasten shut?

Yes. A leather strap crosses over the guard and closes on a brass stud, so the blade stays put when the sheath is worn on a belt.

How long does shipping take?

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

What is in the box

• One Notchfang pattern welded Damascus short sword
• Matching black leather belt sheath with strap and brass stud closure
• 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 short swords, Damascus swords and fantasy swords, or read the guides.