Middle Earth Ranger Forum

A newish knife (made it last fall) and it's newly finished sheath with .. ahem.. generic northern designs.

Very cool! I like the rustic nature.

... the sheath design is curious, especially how you offset the seam for the hanging tab. Are you copying an original, or is that your own innovation? It's clever!

Elleth wrote:Very cool! I like the rustic nature.

... the sheath design is curious, especially how you offset the seam for the hanging tab. Are you copying an original, or is that your own innovation? It's clever!

Yes both the knife and sheath are based on London finds in the Museum of London's Knives and Scabbards book. The knife is a rustic copy of an end period seax from the mid 12th century. I was intending it as a historic piece, but when I submitted it for reveiw, I found that rustic is a modern reenactorism, knives didn't get left forge-black.

The sheath is very common in the 12th century, but I think it's also a stylistic last gasp. The wing makes it look ever so much like the classic copper/bronze decorated seax sheaths, but uses high medieval construction methods. On the back you'll notice an extra set of holes. I made the pattern and all the holes before I started construction, and put the back holes in the wrong spot and had to re punch.

Beautiful work, Generic or not!

It is very well done!

Meant to comment on this when you first posted! That’s absolutely beautiful! The overall design definitely feels like it would fit well in either the high middle-ages of our world or in Middle-earth! That’s interesting about the forge-black blade. I suppose it makes sense. Something like that probably would have been seen as unfinished back in the day, whereas now it looks pleasantly “rustic.”
You mentioned submitting it for review - may I ask to whom?

Very nice! How did you dye the sheath? I like the red color.

that is very nice