{"product_id":"langseax-hand-forged-stacked-leather","title":"Langseax, Hand Forged 11 Inch Blade, Stacked Leather Handle","description":"\u003cp\u003ePick 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eSpecification\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003ctable\u003e\u003ctbody\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eBlade length\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e11 inches\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eOverall length\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e16.5 inches\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eHandle length\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e5.5 inches\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eBlade steel\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e1095 high carbon\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eBlade finish\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eDark forged spine, bright bevel\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eBlade shape\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eLangseax, a long straight edged seax with a low point\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eTang\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eHidden tang\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eHandle\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eStacked leather washers, brass ferrule and brass butt cap\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eSheath\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eStamped leather sheath, hangs flat from two top loops\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eEngraving\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e20 dollars per blade\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eMade in\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eForged and finished by hand in High Point, North Carolina.\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eWarranty\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eLifetime warranty against defects, free sharpening for life.\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/tbody\u003e\u003c\/table\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eThe blade\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eThe handle\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eThe leather sheath\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eWho it suits\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFor the buyer who owns a sensible short blade and wants the other end of the range.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePeople who want the long one and know why\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAnyone who likes a straight edge and wants more of it\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBuyers happy with a handle that changes with use\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSharpeners who do not mind a long flat bevel\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eWhat comes in the box\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe langseax\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe stamped leather sheath\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA care card\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eEngraving details\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eEvery piece is different\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEvery 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eLooking after it\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWipe 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 \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/knife-care-sharpening\"\u003eknife care and sharpening page\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003ePut a name on it\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLaser 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 \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/engraving\"\u003eengraving page\u003c\/a\u003e covers the rest.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eQuestions buyers ask\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHow long does shipping take?\u003c\/strong\u003e Most US orders arrive in 5 to 7 business days.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWill it rust?\u003c\/strong\u003e It can. 1095 is carbon steel, so it darkens with use and spots if left wet. Dry it, oil it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat is a seax?\u003c\/strong\u003e An old northern European blade shape, single edged, with a straight or nearly straight edge. A langseax is a longer one.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIs 11 inches too much blade?\u003c\/strong\u003e 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDoes a stacked leather handle last?\u003c\/strong\u003e 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCan I carry it?\u003c\/strong\u003e 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe same length in pattern welded steel is the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/damascus-langseax-stag-antler\"\u003eDamascus Langseax with a stag antler handle\u003c\/a\u003e. If 11 inches is more than you want, the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/seax-knife-buffalo-horn-handle\"\u003eseax with a water buffalo horn handle\u003c\/a\u003e is shorter. The rest sit in \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/seax-knives\"\u003eseax knives\u003c\/a\u003e, \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/historical-blades\"\u003ehistorical blades\u003c\/a\u003e and \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/high-carbon-1095\"\u003e1095 high carbon steel\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Viper Edge USA","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44144668901494,"sku":"VEF-SAX-HC-1304","price":199.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0710\/2427\/9670\/files\/seax-04-carbon-stacked-leather_1a65ffc5-b30b-48cc-8710-384196f92e32.jpg?v=1788841984","url":"https:\/\/viperedgeforge.com\/products\/langseax-hand-forged-stacked-leather","provider":"Viper Edge USA","version":"1.0","type":"link"}