Broken Back Seax Knife, Hand Forged Carbon Steel with Rosewood Handle

A seax is the single edged Norse knife, and the broken back shape is the one most people mean. The spine runs level out of the handle, then breaks in a sharp angle down to the point. This one is a 12 inch blade in 5160 spring steel, 17 inches overall, with a rosewood handle between brass and a flat Norse sheath in tooled leather. Made by hand in High Point, North Carolina.

Specification

The blade

The steel is 5160 spring steel, tough under impact and easy to bring back on a stone. It is left dark gray from the forge with faint hammer marks across the flat, and the bevel is taken to a wide mirror bright band. The shape is the broken back one. The spine leaves the handle level, holds that line, then breaks in a sharp angle down to the point. The honest part is the steel. Carbon darkens as it is handled and rusts if it goes away wet.

The fittings

There is no guard on this pattern. The blade runs into a brass collar at the front of the handle, which closes the joint between steel and wood and gives the grip a hard front edge. A brass cap covers the butt. The tang is hidden, so it runs inside the rosewood rather than showing along the sides, and collar and cap hold the wood tight at both ends. The brass is polished and left to darken.

The handle

The handle is oiled rosewood, turned slightly barrel shaped so it swells through the palm and narrows at each end. It measures 5 inches. Rosewood is dense and dark, the grain running in bands of red brown and near black, and the oil brings it up rather than covering it. Wood is a natural material, so the figure and the depth of color shift from one handle to the next.

The scabbard

The sheath is the flat Norse style, cut for this blade and sewn along both edges with cream thread that shows against the dark leather. It hangs flat from two leather loops along the top edge rather than from a belt loop. Brass rivets sit at the throat where the leather takes the most pull. The face is hand tooled with Norse knotwork carved inside a carved border, cut and shaded by hand, not printed on. Most sellers stop at the words genuine leather.

Who it suits

This is the seax people go looking for by name, and rosewood keeps it quiet enough to leave out on a shelf.

• Collectors building a Norse shelf
• Anyone buying a first seax
• Buyers who prefer wood to horn or antler

What comes in the box

• The broken back seax
• The tooled leather sheath
• A care card

Every piece is different

Each one is forged, ground and finished by hand, so runs stay small and no two come out alike. The hammer marks, the rosewood grain and the tooling will differ from the photographs. Yours will be its own piece.

Looking after it

Wipe the blade dry after use and never put it away wet. The gray patina that builds on carbon steel is normal and protects the surface. A light coat of oil before storage is enough. Do not leave the blade in the sheath for months, and let leather dry slowly away from heat. Sharpen on a stone and strop. More sits on our knife care and sharpening page.

Put a name on it

Laser engraving is 20 dollars per piece and you add it here on the page. Around 30 characters fits on the blade or the handle. We send a proof image before the laser runs, and it adds 3 to 5 business days. Free on orders of 10 pieces or more. See the engraving page.

Questions buyers ask

What is a broken back seax? A single edged Norse knife with a level spine that angles down to the point.

Does it have a guard? No, the blade meets a brass collar at the front of the handle.

How does the sheath hang? Flat, from two loops along the top edge.

Will this steel rust? It can, so dry it after use and oil it before storage.

Will mine look like the photo? Not exactly, the finish, wood and tooling differ on every piece.

Is it legal to own? Long blade laws vary by state, city and country, so check your local rules first.

For a longer blade try the Damascus langseax in buffalo horn, and for antler the seax in stag antler. More sits in seax knives, historical blades and gifts for him.