Medieval Arming Sword, Hand Forged with Iron Wheel Pommel

Lay it next to its scabbard and follow the edges with your eye. They are not parallel. The blade is 31 inches of 1095 high carbon and it narrows the whole way, wide at the guard, down to a point that arrives where you expect it. At the back sits a flat round iron wheel pommel. Hand rubbed flats, bright bevels, and a narrow groove running out from under the guard.

Specification

The blade

The steel is 1095 high carbon, satin on the flats and bright on the bevels. The shape is a medieval arming sword, so the taper is the whole idea. Width goes out of it steadily from the guard on, and there is less steel at the far end than a broad blade of this length carries. A narrow fuller runs two thirds of the way down. That groove takes weight out of the centre without narrowing the blade, and it stops where the blade is thin anyway. Carbon steel darkens and spots if left wet.

The hilt

The crossguard is long, straight and iron, a plain bar drawn out either side. The grip is a wooden core wrapped in black leather cord, wound tight. The pommel is an iron wheel, a flat round disc, working against the taper by putting mass behind your hand. The tang runs the length of the grip and out through the top of the pommel, where the end is hammered until it spreads over the disc. That peened end shows, and it holds the hilt together.

The scabbard

Tooled leather over a wooden core. The wood does the work, holding the shape and keeping the edge off things, and the leather is what you see. The face is stamped in a basket weave from the throat to the tip. There is a brass throat at the mouth, a brass tip cap at the bottom, and hand stitching down the length of the seam. It is a scabbard, not a case to store a damp blade in.

Who it suits

Taper is felt rather than read. Pick this up after a broad blade and it wakes up quicker. It lives on a wall, never with anybody who means to cut with it.

• People who handled a broad blade and wanted less at the tip
• Collectors putting a narrow shape beside a wide one
• Anyone who likes plain iron and black cord
• Buyers who want a point that looks like it belongs

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

Each blade is forged and ground on its own, so runs are small and no two match. The taper is filed by eye, so where the width starts coming off moves from one to the next. The fuller ends where the person cutting it decides. Yours will not be the one photographed.

Looking after it

Wipe it with a soft cloth when you have handled it, since satin steel keeps fingerprints and spots start under them. Then a light film of oil over the blade before it goes up. No abrasive polish, because it dulls the hand rubbed lines. If the sword or the leather has been anywhere damp, keep the two apart until both are dry. More on our knife care and sharpening page.

Put a name on it

Laser engraving is 20 dollars per piece and goes on the scabbard rather than the blade. Around 30 characters fits, so a name, or a name and a year. We send a proof image and nothing runs until you approve it. Add 3 to 5 business days. Orders of 10 or more are engraved free. The engraving page covers the rest.

Questions buyers ask

What does the taper change? It moves weight back nearer your hand. A blade that holds its width feels heavier at the tip.

Is it narrower than the broad shapes? At the point, yes, by a lot. At the guard, less so.

Why does the fuller stop two thirds along? The blade is already narrow past there. The groove takes weight out of the wide part.

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

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.

In pattern welded steel there is the twist pattern sword with a Brazil nut pommel, and longer again the two hand grip longsword. Both sit in hand forged swords and historical blades, near every blade we make.