Hand Forged Viking Sword, Fullered Blade with Lobed Pommel

Drawn and laid beside its scabbard, this one shows its groove before anything else. A wide shallow fuller runs down both faces of 30 inches of 1095 high carbon, starting under the guard and fading out before the point. A heavy iron lobed pommel sits at the back. The flats are hand rubbed to a satin, the bevels left bright, so the groove reads as a dark line from across a room.

Specification

The blade

The steel is 1095 high carbon, hand rubbed along the flats with the bevels taken up bright. The shape is the Viking one, broad and near enough even in width until it rounds at the point. The fuller is the part worth talking about. It is a long groove down the middle of each face, and it takes weight out of the centre without making the blade narrower. Steel in the middle of a flat bar does less than steel near the edges. Carbon steel darkens with age and spots if left wet.

The hilt

The guard is a straight iron crossguard, plain bar, no shaping. The grip under it is a wooden core wrapped in dark brown leather cord, laid tight so the ridges give your fingers something to hold. The pommel is iron and lobed, a row of rounded lobes, heavy on purpose. Mass behind the hand settles a long blade. The tang runs through the grip and out of the top of the pommel, where the end is hammered until it spreads and locks the parts together.

The scabbard

The scabbard is a wooden core with tooled leather over it. The wood holds the shape and keeps the edge off everything else. The leather is what you look at, stamped in a basket weave. A brass throat closes the mouth, a brass tip cap closes the bottom, and the seam is stitched by hand. It is not a storage case. Leather holds damp against steel, so a wet blade stays out of it.

Who it suits

The fuller is something you notice with the sword in your hands. This one goes on a wall or a stand, never to anybody who means to cut with it.

• People who want to feel where the weight of a long blade sits
• Collectors who like plain iron fittings over brass
• Buyers who want the groove worked in by hand
• Anyone hanging a blade where it gets looked at

What comes in the box

• The sword
• The scabbard with its brass throat and tip cap
• A care card
• No stand is included

Every piece is different

Every blade is forged, ground and finished on its own, so runs stay small and no two come out the same. The fuller wanders a little in width from one sword to the next, and it is deeper on some than others. The lobes are filed by eye. Yours will not be a copy of the one photographed.

Looking after it

Wipe the blade with a soft cloth after handling. Fingerprints sit on satin steel and that is where spots start. Put a light film of oil over it before it goes up on a wall. No abrasive polish, since it lifts the satin lines and rounds the inside of the fuller. If it has been anywhere damp, leave it out of the scabbard. More on our knife care and sharpening page.

Put a name on it

Laser engraving is 20 dollars per piece. It goes on the scabbard rather than the blade, so the leather carries the words and the steel is left alone. Around 30 characters fits. We send a proof image before the laser runs. It adds 3 to 5 business days, and it is free on orders of 10 or more. See the engraving page.

Questions buyers ask

What is the fuller for? It takes weight out of the centre and leaves the width alone.

Does the groove change how it feels? Yes. Weight gone from the middle is weight your wrist is not holding.

Will it rust? It can. 1095 is carbon steel, so it darkens and spots if left wet. Wipe it and oil it.

What holds the pommel on? The tang, hammered flat over the top until it spreads. The peened end shows.

How long does shipping take? Most US orders arrive in 5 to 7 business days.

Can I own one? Laws on owning and carrying a sword differ by state, city and country, so check your local rules before you buy, and we cannot advise on that.

The same groove in pattern welded steel is the Damascus sword with a carved scabbard, and a narrower blade is the arming sword with an iron wheel pommel. Both sit in hand forged swords and historical blades, near every blade we make.