Handseax reproduction.

This project took me more time for historical research then for actual making of the knife... That's why it was so much fun!
Hopefully it represents an Anglo-Saxon handseax (or scramasax, or sax) of circa IX - early XI cc. There are no completely preserved specimens in existence (at least I haven't found references to any), but you can look at a typical blade shape and repro sheath, both at Regia Anglorum site.

The blade is 5 1/2" long, 1 3/8" wide were its back "breaks", and 1/8" thick. It is carbon steel, almost razor sharp, but not highly finished (actually deliberately stained with lemon juice) since I wanted it to look like a knife in daily use on food and such.

The handle is were I exercised more of an "artistic freedom", since there are no complete historical examples preserved. It has no protruding guard, but a nickel silver front plate, and there is a repro coin inlayed in the butt (a penny of king Aethelred the Unready, late X - early XI cc). The handle itself is of maple wood and staghorn, with leather spacers. The stag is carved with Anglo-Saxon runes spelling "Alex made me" in Old English ("Alex me worte").

The sheath is shown here as they supposedly were worn in period, hanged from the belt almost horizontally in left-front of the body.
It is made of thick leather wet moulded and decorated, then treated with heat and melted beeswax (what was known as "cuir boilly" in different spellings). The result is dark brown and hard almost as plastic, it holds the knife just as secure as a modern Kydex scabbard would.
The edge is covered with thin nickel silver, riveted and decorated with simple punched crosses and dots. The rivets and suspension rings are brass for a little contrast.

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