AlexOstacchini Report post Posted February 1 Hi all, here is a recently completed order which was a bit of a first for me. This is a 10th Century Baltic style sheath for a Viking seax. The knife itself is not one of mine, but made by my friend at pitstone forge who specialises in pattern welded stuff from this era. For the sheath the main reference was an original from the Valsgarde graves in Sweden, with tooling patterns adapted from another in Norway from the same period. The one I copied has different designs on both sides, with the fancier stuff on the front. I am a little ignorant about very early medieval knives so there was a big research phase involved, in which it turns out that tooling was done purely by impressing into the leather and not by cutting and bevelling like you see on later medieval and modern stuff. The patterns were therefore made using a scribe and defined with modelling tools, but the swivel knife stayed in its drawer for this one! The sheath is formed from 3mm veg tan, and is held together only by the riveted brass clasps along the edge. The metalwork on this actually took a lot longer than the leather did, with lots of punched/chiselled decoration and little stepped cut-outs. The straps are speculative as I couldn't find much on how they were worn, but is functional and makes use of the three hanging points that the original had. I hope you like it! Alex Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DieselTech Report post Posted February 1 Beautiful piece. Work of art I must say. Outstanding work! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MarshalWill Report post Posted February 2 Wow, that is outstanding! Beautiful work. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fredk Report post Posted February 2 Superb. Thats a cracker Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NatesLeatherGds Report post Posted February 2 Gorgeous Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dwight Report post Posted February 2 Beautiful leather and metal work . . . but I'd love to see the knife May God bless, Dwight Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Handstitched Report post Posted February 2 That is beautiful work, the colours really do stand out HS Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DJole Report post Posted February 2 Ooh, that's a lovely piece of work! That's a knife fit for a thegn! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Harry Marinakis Report post Posted February 2 Period correct AND gorgeous Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sinbad395 Report post Posted February 2 That is one awesome piece of work. The details are so precise. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AlexOstacchini Report post Posted February 2 Thanks everyone 15 hours ago, Dwight said: Beautiful leather and metal work . . . but I'd love to see the knife Here you go, A lovely pattern welded piece by my friend. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dwight Report post Posted February 2 Absolutely beautiful . . . thanks for the look May God bless, Dwight Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MarshalWill Report post Posted February 2 That is a fine piece. The knife and sheath are a very nice combination. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ThisIsMyFirstRodeo Report post Posted 18 hours ago Beauty. Already in the mental Rolodex for inspiration! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites