Seax Knife, Hand Forged with Water Buffalo Horn Handle

Horn takes the cold better than steel and better than most wood, and on a January morning that counts for something. This handle is water buffalo horn, polished until it goes glassy under the thumb. The blade is 8.5 inches of 1095 high carbon, straight edged with a low point. Pick it up and the weight sits back in your palm rather than out at the tip.

Specification

The blade

1095 is plain high carbon steel. It sharpens fast on a stone and asks for nothing special. The spine keeps its dark forge skin with the hammer marks still in it, and the bevel is taken back and polished bright. The shape is a long seax, straight edge, low point. A straight edge sits flat on a board and pushes through in one pass instead of rocking. The low point puts the tip near your knuckles for close work. Carbon steel goes grey with use and spots if you put it away wet.

The handle

Water buffalo horn is not wood and does not behave like it. It sands and polishes rather than shows grain. It takes heat from a hand fast and keeps it. The tang is hidden. The steel runs down inside the horn instead of showing at the sides, with a brass ferrule at the front and a brass cap at the butt closing both ends against grit. Five inches of handle lets you slide back for reach or up against the ferrule for control.

The leather sheath

The sheath is vegetable tanned leather, cut to the outline of this blade rather than to a size that roughly fits. A welt is sewn into the edge so the hand stitching sits clear of the steel. The face is stamped by hand, one panel at a time. Two loops run along the top edge, so the sheath hangs flat against a belt and the blade lies along you instead of pointing down a leg.

Who it suits

Horn is a choice about feel, not looks. If you need every piece identical, wood is the safer buy.

• People who work outside in the cold
• Cooks who want a long flat edge
• Anyone who prefers horn to plastic
• Buyers who like that no two match

What comes in the box

• The seax, sharpened by hand
• The stamped leather sheath
• A care card
• Free sharpening for life, no form to fill in

Every piece is different

Horn is grown, not made. One handle comes out almost black and the next runs grey and cream. A few are pale enough to pass light at the thin end. We do not dye it or fill it. The hammer marks land where the hammer landed. Yours will not match the photograph.

Looking after it

Wipe the blade dry and oil the steel before it goes away. Horn likes the odd rub of oil too, and it does not like dry heat, so keep it off radiators. Sharpen on a stone, then strop. The straight edge makes that easy, there is no belly to chase. Do not store it in the sheath for months, because leather holds damp against steel. More on our care and sharpening page.

Put a name on it

Laser engraving is 20 dollars per blade. Around 30 characters fits. It goes on the dark forged part of the spine, where a bright line shows against the skin, not on the horn. We send a proof image before the laser runs, and it adds 3 to 5 business days. Free on orders of 10 or more. See the engraving page.

Questions buyers ask

What is a seax? An old northern European blade shape. One edge, a straight cut, and a spine that angles down to the point.

Can I choose the colour of the horn? No. We use the horn we have and the streaks fall where they fall.

Does the horn need looking after? A rub of oil now and then, and keep it out of dry heat. Horn can split if it is baked.

Will it rust? Left wet, yes. It greys with use, which is normal, and pits if neglected, which is not.

Is it legal to carry? 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.

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

If horn is not for you, the same shape sits in wood on the hand forged seax with a rosewood handle, and the Damascus seax with an olive wood handle carries a raindrop etch. The rest are in seax knives, the plain steel in 1095 high carbon steel, and the whole shelf is every blade we make.