Brassflame Hand Forged Damascus Flame Blade Short Sword | 27 Inch Overall | Brass Ring Guard and Faceted Pommel with Knotwork Panel and Brown Leather Scabbard | Collector Gift | RK-2112

The Brassflame takes the undulating flame blade profile and forges it in pattern welded Damascus, which is a considerably harder thing to do than it sounds. Every wave has to be drawn out and then ground symmetrically on both faces, and because the layers in a Damascus billet run through the steel, grinding into a curve exposes them at a different depth on each crest. That is why the pattern on this blade tightens at the peaks and opens across the hollows instead of running evenly the way it does on a straight blade.

The hilt is all brass. A gently curved crossguard finishes in small closed rings at each end, there is an engraved knotwork panel where the guard meets the blade, and the grip is wrapped in dark brown leather under a faceted brass pommel. The matching scabbard is brown leather with a brass locket at the throat and a brass chape at the tip. It is made by hand in the Czech Republic, imported and checked by Ransack Viking, and shipped from our Memphis, Tennessee warehouse.

If this is your first sword, how to buy a first sword covers what actually matters. Knotwork carried meaning as often as it was pure decoration, and our note on Norse symbols works through the recurring shapes. Thrusting blades with the same kind of hilt sit in the rapiers.

Specifications

What the rings on the quillons are for

The small closed rings at the ends of the crossguard are called quillon rings or finial rings, and on European swords of the sixteenth century they mark the moment when hilts started to grow. Originally they gave a fencer somewhere to hook a finger over the guard for point control, a technique that became universal once blades got long enough that wrist strength alone would not steer them. As hilts developed, those rings grew into the side rings and then into the full swept hilts and cup hilts of the rapier era.

On a short sword like this they are mostly a design signature rather than a functional necessity, but they do a useful secondary job. A ring at the end of a quillon catches a blade that slides along your guard rather than letting it run off the tip and onto your hand. It also stops the guard snagging on cloth, which is exactly why so many period guards ended in a ball, a ring or a curl rather than a spike.

Damascus, brass and leather

The blade is forge welded from 1095 and 15N20, folded to build the layer count, ground to the wave profile and then acid etched. Nickel in the 15N20 resists the acid and stays bright, the 1095 darkens, and the visible pattern is the layer stack exposed in cross section rather than anything applied to the surface. It is hardened to 58 to 60 HRC.

Brass rather than steel for the fittings changes the whole character of the piece. Brass is softer, so it takes engraving beautifully and shows a hand cut line much more crisply than hardened steel does, and it never rusts. It does oxidise, darkening from bright yellow to a deep honey over a few years of handling, and there is a real difference of opinion among collectors about whether to polish that back or leave it. The grip is leather over a wooden core, dyed dark brown, and the scabbard is the same leather with brass mounts at both ends.

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, so runes ordered for the guard panel take the place of the knotwork already cut there. Brass takes a rune line more sharply than etched Damascus, so the guard, the pommel facets and the scabbard mounts are the best surfaces on this sword. Engraving is done here in the United States after the piece arrives. See the engraving page.

Handling and balance

Brass is heavier than steel for the same volume, so a brass hilt pulls the balance back toward your hand. On a twenty seven inch sword that produces a piece that feels quick and light in the point, easy to hold at arm’s length and comfortable to hand round a room without tiring anyone. The leather wrap gives grip without needing wire, and the faceted pommel gives your palm a definite reference point so the edge alignment is easy to feel.

This is a hand forged sword with a real edge, sold for display, collecting and controlled cutting practice on soft targets. It is not a full contact sparring sword. The crests of a wave profile are where stress concentrates, so never cross it with another steel blade.

Care

The blade is carbon steel Damascus and it will rust, so wipe it after handling and keep a thin coat of mineral or camellia oil on it. Run the cloth along the blade rather than across, and take care over the crests where the edge stands proud. Brass needs no protection from corrosion, only a polish if you dislike the patina, and a brass cloth will not touch the engraved lines if you work with the grain of the cut. Feed the leather grip and scabbard with balm two or three times a year, and store the sword unsheathed for long periods. Our steel care notes cover rust removal and re etching.

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

The Brassflame is made by hand in the Czech Republic. Forging a wave profile into a pattern welded billet and then grinding it true on both faces is genuinely difficult work, which is why flame bladed Damascus is rare. Nothing here is drop shipped from an importer catalogue. Ransack Viking buys these outright, brings them into the United States, unpacks and inspects each sword for hilt tightness, symmetry and etch quality, and holds stock in our Memphis, Tennessee warehouse. Allow one to two weeks of processing before your order ships. Shipping inside the United States is free, 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

Hand made is not machine made or bulk produced, so what arrives will not be a pixel for pixel copy of the photograph. Two kinds of variation stack up on this sword. The Damascus pattern is unique to your blade and cannot be repeated, and the wave profile is set by hand so the depth and spacing of the crests differ from one sword to the next. The brass polishes to slightly different tones, the engraved knotwork sits a fraction differently, and the leather takes dye unevenly. The dimensions, the steels, the heat treat and the build are the same every time. The character is yours.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Damascus real pattern welded steel

Yes, forge welded from 1095 and 15N20. On this blade you can confirm it by eye, because the pattern changes density over the crests where the grinder cut deeper into the layers.

Why brass fittings rather than steel

Brass takes hand engraving far more crisply, it does not rust, and it shifts the balance back toward the hand. The trade is that it is softer and it will darken with time.

Does it arrive sharp

Yes, with a cutting edge. Tell us in your order notes if you would prefer it blunted for display and we will roll the edge before shipping.

How do I sharpen the waves

With a small round or oval stone, working each curve separately. Do not try to draw a wave profile across a flat bench stone.

Should I polish the brass or let it darken

Entirely your choice. A darkened hilt looks older and shows the engraving more clearly. A polished one looks brighter against the grey Damascus. Both are reversible.

How long does it take to arrive

One to two weeks of processing, then free shipping inside the United States, with returns accepted within seven days.

What is in the box

• Brassflame flame bladed short sword with a 1095 and 15N20 Damascus blade
• Brass crossguard with ring finials and an engraved knotwork panel
• Dark brown leather wrapped grip and faceted brass pommel
• Brown leather scabbard with brass locket and chape
• 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 the other short swords, the full Damascus swords range and everything under swords. Reading on steel and history is in the guides.