Langseax, Hand Forged 11 Inch Blade, Stacked Leather Handle

Pick it up and you notice where the weight sits. The blade is 11 inches of 1095 high carbon, long enough that the balance lives out past your fingers. The handle is stacked leather washers, warm and a little soft under the hand. It does not behave like a belt knife. Your shoulder gets involved in a way a five inch blade never asks for.

Specification

The blade

The steel is 1095 high carbon, with dark forged skin along the spine and the bevel taken back to bright. The edge runs straight and the point sits low, close to the line of the edge. A straight edge is a push cutting edge. You lean into it, or draw it along a board and it holds contact the whole stroke instead of rocking off. The low point does the small controlled work. Carbon steel darkens into a grey patina with use, and it spots if you put it away wet.

The handle

The handle is stacked leather washers, threaded onto the tang and turned to shape. Leather is warm and gives a little under a damp palm. It settles, taking the print of the hand. The tang is hidden, running inside the stack rather than showing at the sides, with a brass ferrule at the front and a brass cap at the butt closing both ends against grit. At 5.5 inches there is room to move your grip forward for control or back for length.

The leather sheath

The sheath is vegetable tanned leather, cut and hand stitched here, with a stamped face and a welted edge so the stitching sits inside the seam where the blade cannot saw at it. It is cut to this blade's own outline, which matters at this length. Two loops sit along the top edge instead of one at the back, so it hangs flat against a belt rather than pointing down a leg.

Who it suits

For the buyer who owns a sensible short blade and wants the other end of the range.

• People who want the long one and know why
• Anyone who likes a straight edge and wants more of it
• Buyers happy with a handle that changes with use
• Sharpeners who do not mind a long flat bevel

What comes in the box

• The langseax
• The stamped leather sheath
• A care card
• Engraving details

Every piece is different

Every blade is forged, ground, heat treated and sharpened by hand, so runs stay small and nothing comes out twice the same. The leather stack takes its finish its own way, so color varies between handles. The dark spine lands where the fire left it. Yours will not match the photographs exactly.

Looking after it

Wipe it dry after use, every time, the whole length of it. Do not leave it in a wet sheath overnight, that is how spots start. Before it goes in a drawer, put a light coat of oil over the steel. Never store it in the sheath for months, because leather holds damp against steel. Sharpen on a stone, finish on a strop. More on our knife care and sharpening page.

Put a name on it

Laser engraving is 20 dollars per blade, added on this page. Around 30 characters fits, so a name, or a name and a date. Plenty of flat on a blade this long. We send a proof image before the laser runs, and it adds 3 to 5 business days. Engraving is free on orders of 10 or more. The engraving page covers the rest.

Questions buyers ask

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

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

What is a seax? An old northern European blade shape, single edged, with a straight or nearly straight edge. A langseax is a longer one.

Is 11 inches too much blade? Depends what you do. Past ten inches the weight moves forward and the work comes from the arm, not the wrist. If your cuts are all small, buy a shorter one.

Does a stacked leather handle last? It does, if you keep it out of long soaks. The washers are compressed hard and closed at both ends with brass, and it takes the shape of your hand.

Can I carry it? Laws on carrying a fixed blade differ by state, city and country, so check your local rules before you carry it, and we cannot advise on that.

The same length in pattern welded steel is the Damascus Langseax with a stag antler handle. If 11 inches is more than you want, the seax with a water buffalo horn handle is shorter. The rest sit in seax knives, historical blades and 1095 high carbon steel.