Pattern welded Seax by Owen Bush

[Einar]

This is a broken back seax, (no Heath Ledger jokes, please) a very popular knife in the british isles during the viking age. This is my first blade from Owen, but I suspect it wont be my last. http://owenbush.co.uk/

Copied from the description on Owen website:

This is a 6 bar broken back seax blade.

Constructed from vintage wrought iron, then 3 twisted bars of 15 layer, then wrought iron and finally 700 layers of piled steel at the edge.

Materials: Vintage wrought iron 15N20 nickel steel and EN42.

The blade is 13 inches long, 9mm at broken back and 6mm thick at the tang.

I'm a real sucker for twisted bar pattern welding, and it really looks great on this blade I think.

This thing is THICK. Viewed from the spine it looks absolutely massive but as soon as you turn it just a little bit, the elegance of the design takes over. It has a triangular crossection from spine to edge, which takes a lot of the weight off. The pattern welding is beautifully done and the wrought iron makes a nice, subtle contrast between the twisted bars and the piled edge steel.

Its also razor sharp, easily shaved the hair off my forearm. Couldnt be smoother if I waxed it.

Going to start making a hilt for it soon. Trying to come up with something that will do it justice. There are very few historical examples of surviving seax hilts. Usually, only the blade remains.

 

[Higus]

great looking blade. Make sure to update when you have a handle picked out. Are you planning on making/carving your own?

 

[Einar]

great looking blade. Make sure to update when you have a handle picked out. Are you planning on making/carving your own?

Yes I'm going to make it myself. I have very little experience with woodcarving though, so I should keep things simple. Or not...

 

[Protectandserve]

The pattern in the steel is beautiful.

 

[Protectandserve]

Just checked that guy's website, he has some amazing designs for everything.

 

[Einar]

Just checked that guy's website, he has some amazing designs for everything.

There are tons of pics of his work on his flickr too: http://www.flickr.com/photos/55552378@N00/

 

[Protectandserve]

If you don't mind my asking, what did that run you price wise?

 

[Einar]

If you don't mind my asking, what did that run you price wise?

I paid

 

[Hurricane Brad]

Damn that is a beautiful blade, and so thick at the spine! How much does the blade weigh?

Browsing through that guy's website, he's got some good-looking stuff on there. Wish he lived nearby me, taking a blade smithing class would be awesome.

 

[Einar]

Damn that is a beautiful blade, and so thick at the spine! How much does the blade weigh?

Browsing through that guy's website, he's got some good-looking stuff on there. Wish he lived nearby me, taking a blade smithing class would be awesome.

I dont have scales to weigh it, so i dont know. I'd like to take his bladesmithing class myself. I've seen some impressive results from people on the MyArmoury.com forum who took his class in swordsmithing.

 

[Fire of Youth]

Awesome looking blade

 

[Einarr]

Very nice blade. I have a Scandinavian style sax/seax, more specifically based on a c. 10th century Icelandic find, but have always liked the Anglo-Saxon style broken back saxes too. Frankish style saxes are very nice as well.