Broken-Back Seax

Here is the final product of last year's pair of blades, ground from mid-20th century tool steel files. The first was used to make my 2nd century Germanic war knife, blunted for combat. This one was to be sharp.

The blade is shaped in the style of a "broken back" seax, which were common to Saxon territories during 9th-11th centuries (and, by extension, some Viking territories as well). However, the profile of this blade is somewhat anachronistic-- seaxes typically did not have an edge parallel to its spine, and instead typically widened toward the tip. Thus, with the anachronism of the blade, I decided an anachronistic handle would be okay too.

I found a log of Eastern Red Cedar one day during a hike, and took it home. This type of wood is a brilliant purple color at its heart, but it fades over time as exposed to light and oxygen. I decided this would be my handle, and that I would experiment to see if I could preserve the color longterm.

I carved the grip by hand, because I quickly discovered that power tools changed the color of the wood. After widdling the handle, I immediately sealed it with three coats of teak oil, and a coat of beeswax. I butted and bolstered the grip in copper.

My experiment was mostly a success; while the color did fade a little, it is still a very fetching purple color and doesn't seem to be changing!