Brazenmere Hand Forged 1095 Steel Flamberge Sword with Brass Ring Guard | 33 Inch Overall and 26 Inch Blade | Flame Blade and Leather Grip and Brass Pommel | Collector Gift | RK-2127

The Brazenmere is a flame bladed sword, a flamberge, with a hilt built entirely in brass. The blade is plain 1095 high carbon steel ground with a deep undulating profile so both edges run in a matched series of waves from the shoulder to the point. The guard is a brass bar that curves away from the blade on both sides and finishes in a closed ring at each end, with a downturned brass finger loop below. The grip is brown leather over wood with a section of tight wire wrap under the pommel, and the pommel itself is a faceted brass block. It ships in a brown leather scabbard.

Flame blades are one of the most misunderstood shapes in European sword history. They were real, and they turn up on two handed Zweihander swords carried by German landsknecht formations and later on the blades of rapiers and hunting swords, but almost every popular claim about why they were made that way is wrong. There was no poison groove, no tearing wound and no legal ban on carrying one. The reasons were rather more ordinary and are worth setting out properly. This sword is made by hand in the Czech Republic. Ransack Viking imports it, checks the wave profile, the brass fit and the peen, and ships it from our Memphis, Tennessee warehouse.

A wave cut edge is a display feature before it is anything else, and display or battle ready explains the difference. 1095 is the plain carbon steel we work in, and the steel glossary explains what the number means and why it takes an edge. Thrusting blades with the same kind of hilt sit in the rapiers.

Specifications

What a flame blade actually does

Three things, none of them dramatic. The first is edge length. Grind a wave into a blade and the cutting edge becomes longer than the blade it sits on, because a curved line covers more distance than a straight one between the same two points. More edge for the same reach is a genuine advantage in a draw cut.

The second is what happens when another blade slides along yours. A straight edge lets steel run smoothly down its length. A waved edge does not. It bites and releases in sequence, sending a judder up the opposing blade and into the other hand, which is unpleasant, breaks concentration and slows the slide. Fencing manuals of the period mention the effect.

The third is the one nobody talks about, which is that a flame blade is much harder to make. The waves have to match on both edges, the thickness has to stay even through every curve, and the whole thing still has to be straight when you sight down the spine. That is why flame bladed swords were expensive then and why they still read as showpieces now.

The steel and the brass

The blade is 1095 high carbon steel, hardened and tempered to 54 to 58 HRC, which is the right range for a long blade that has to flex rather than snap. It is left in a hand worked satin finish so the wave profile reads as shadow and highlight rather than glare, which is exactly how you want to see a shape like this.

The hilt is brass rather than steel, and that is a real difference in feel as well as colour. Brass is heavier than steel for its size, so a brass pommel of a given shape counterweights more effectively than a steel one, and the ring terminals on the guard add mass out at the ends where it steadies the sword. Brass also darkens on its own into a warm patina, which most owners prefer to a bright finish. If you want it bright again, a soft cloth and a little metal polish brings it straight back.

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. The Brazenmere carries no engraving as standard, so the flat of the guard, the brass pommel face and the scabbard are all open. Brass takes a cut line beautifully and holds contrast better than steel. See the engraving page.

Handling and balance

The brass hilt pulls the balance well back toward the hand, so despite the width of the wave profile the sword does not feel heavy at the point. The downturned finger loop below the guard is there to hook a forefinger over the crossbar, which was a common grip once blades started being used for the point as well as the edge, and it gives noticeably better control of the tip.

This is a hand finished collector and display sword. It is not sold as sparring equipment and no full contact claim is made. A flame blade is also unusually good on a stand, because the profile throws a different shadow from every angle.

Care

Carbon steel rusts, so wipe the blade after handling and leave a light film of mineral oil on it. Pay attention to the inside of each wave, since the concave sections are where a cloth skips and where moisture lingers. Brass needs nothing at all unless you want it bright, in which case use a metal polish sparingly and keep it off the leather. Do not store the sword sealed in the scabbard in a damp room, and feed the leather with balm once or twice a year. Our steel care guide has the full routine.

If it is going on a wall, hanging swords and axes safely covers mounts, fixings and what not to do.

Made in the Czech Republic

This sword is made by hand in the Czech Republic and imported by Ransack Viking. Nothing is drop shipped from an importer catalogue. Every piece is opened, checked and photographed before it is listed, then shipped from our warehouse in Memphis, Tennessee. Processing runs one to two weeks, which is honest for a blade that has to be ground to a matched wave on both edges. US shipping is free, 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 sword is made by hand, not machine made or bulk produced, so what arrives will not be a pixel for pixel copy of the photograph. The waves are ground by eye and by hand, so their exact depth and spacing shift a little from blade to blade. Brass varies in tone across a batch and darkens at its own pace. The brown leather on the grip and scabbard takes dye differently on every hide. The length, the steel, the heat treat and the build are the same every time. The character is not.

Frequently asked questions

Does the wavy edge do more damage

No, and that claim is a myth. The real effects are a longer cutting edge for the same blade length and a juddering resistance when another blade slides along it. Nothing about it was ever banned or considered dishonourable.

Is the hilt solid brass

The guard, the ring terminals, the finger loop and the pommel are brass. The tang running through them is steel, peened over the pommel.

Is the blade Damascus

No. It is plain 1095 high carbon steel in a satin finish. The pattern you are seeing is the wave profile catching light, not layered steel.

How do I sharpen a wavy edge

With a round or teardrop shaped stone or rod that follows the curve, not a flat bench stone. Work each wave separately and take your time. Our guides cover sharpening curved edges in more detail.

Will the brass go dull

Yes, and most owners let it. Brass darkens into a warm patina over months. A soft cloth and a little metal polish will bring it back bright whenever you want.

How long until it arrives

One to two weeks of processing, then free US shipping. Tracking goes out the day it leaves Memphis.

What is in the box

• One Brazenmere 1095 steel flamberge sword with brass hilt
• Fitted brown leather scabbard
• Protective oil film on the blade for transit
• Care sheet for carbon steel, brass and leather
• Hand made in the Czech Republic, shipped from our Memphis, Tennessee warehouse

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