Seax Knife, Hand Forged Carbon Steel with Walnut Handle

Pick it up and the flat edge is the first thing your eye follows. It runs straight from the ferrule out to the point with no belly in it at all, 7.5 inches of 1095 high carbon steel. The walnut handle is deep enough to fill a palm. Set it on a board and the whole edge touches wood at once.

Specification

The blade

The steel is 1095 high carbon. The spine stays dark the way it came out of the fire and the bevel is taken up bright. The shape is a broken back seax. The back leaves the handle straight, then drops at a sharp angle to meet the point, which puts the tip low under your knuckles and leaves the edge below it running flat the whole way. Carbon steel goes grey with use and it will spot if it is put away wet. That is the steel behaving, not a fault.

The handle

Walnut is a middling hard wood with open grain that darkens as hands work it. The tang is hidden, so the steel runs down inside the wood instead of showing as scales at the sides. Brass closes both ends, a ferrule at the front and a cap at the butt, which keeps grit out of the seams. Handle length is 5 inches against a 7.5 inch blade, room to choke back for control or slide forward when the point is working.

The leather sheath

The leather is vegetable tanned, cut around this blade's own outline and formed wet, so the knife holds where you put it instead of rattling. A welt is sewn in along the edge to keep the stitch line off the steel, and every stitch goes in by hand. The face is stamped. Two loops sit along the top edge, which carries the blade flat against a belt rather than pointing down a leg.

Who it suits

Most people who buy this one are not putting it in a pack. They put it on a board.

• Cooks who slice more than they rock chop
• Anyone wanting one knife for kitchen and garden
• Buyers who like carbon steel and a patina
• People who prefer a wooden handle

What comes in the box

• The hand forged seax knife
• The stamped leather sheath
• A care card
• A free engraving proof on request

Every piece is different

Every blade here is forged and finished by hand in small runs, so no two leave as copies. The line where the dark spine meets the bright bevel wanders from one to the next. Walnut varies as well, so your handle may read lighter or darker than the one photographed.

Looking after it

Wipe it dry when you are finished, especially after onions or citrus. Put a thin film of oil on the blade before it goes in a drawer. Do not leave it in the sheath for months, because leather holds damp against steel. The walnut wants oil once or twice a year. Sharpen on a stone and finish on a strop. There is more on our knife care and sharpening page.

Put a name on it

Laser engraving is 20 dollars per blade. Around 30 characters fits, so a name or a date sits better than a sentence. We send a proof image before the laser runs, and it adds 3 to 5 business days to the build. Free on orders of 10 or more, which is usually a kitchen kitting out its staff. The rest is on the engraving page.

Questions buyers ask

Why is the edge straight instead of curved? A flat edge meets the board along its whole length, so one push finishes the cut. A curved belly has to be rolled through.

Does this work in a kitchen? Yes, that is where plenty of them end up. The long edge slices well and the low point handles small work.

What is a seax? An old northern European blade shape, single edged, with a straight cutting edge. The broken back version has a spine that runs straight out of the handle then drops at a sharp angle to the point.

Will it rust? It can if you leave it wet. Dry it and keep a light coat of oil on it.

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

Anything to check before carrying 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.

If you would rather a handle that polishes up glassy, there is the seax with a water buffalo horn handle. For more blade, look at the broken back seax in rosewood. The rest sit together in seax knives, alongside the historical blades, and in every blade we make.