Silver and bog oak seax

[Pieter-Paul Derks 93]

Hello everyone,

 

I actually finished this knife a few months ago but haven´t gotten around taking pictures until recently. Seeing as this is the unofficial internet home of everything seaxy I figured I should show it on this forum.

This seax has become quite special to me and it is the only knife that I am 100 percent certain I’ll never sell.

When I first got an interest in blades and found this forum, like many others I’m certain was awestruck by the work of Petr Florianek, Jake Powning and Dave Delagardelle, and of course the many other excellent smiths/fiery beards on this forum.

This forum taught me that a knife can be so much more than just a tool and can be an object filled with history, might and magic.

 

Of course, as a loyal reader of this forum there would have to come a day that I would make a multibar seax.

The blade of this seax was my first (and only) multibar Damascus blade was forged more than 4 years ago when I was seventeen. It is actually on my first Damascus blades and I was overjoyed and frankly surprised that almost all the welds are clean and the blade was structurally solid.

I do not remember the exact steels I used but I believe there were old files, some mild steel and a few bandsaw blades involved.

At the time I felt that I wasn’t good enough to make a handle fitting for a blade like this so I laid the blade aside and got to work on another project.

 

Early this year I picked the blade back up and reground it (boy was I bad with a grinder 4 years ago.)

I felt that my handling skills were up to par and the blade was re-polished. My heat treat is bad, there is a bit of a weld flaw in the blade, but I had grown quite attached to this blade that had laid aside in my bedroom so long and wanted to finish it anyway.

I might have designed a dozen different handles but eventually I decided to go with the classic and very beautiful combination of fine silver wire and bog oak.

My initial plan was to go for Viking style carving on the entire handle, but I liked the clean look so much and just put a carved face in the butt of the handle and some simple lines on the end.

For the sheath there was no real other option than to go for the riveted Baltic style we all love.

I considered silver fittings, but the cost made me go for nickel silver eventually. The rivets are copper.

Having never made this type of sheath before I can’t say it came together without a fight, of course the last rivets on the tip piece had to bend and so the fittings are a bit more ‘’rustic’’ than intended. Needless to say, a few curses were thrown around my garage workshop.

 

The leather sheath was my first attempt at actually tooling leather, and did go a lot smoother than expected. I found it very enjoyable and want to do more.

The design for the tooling is inspired by some historic artefacts from the Viking age, although I can’t quite remember where I got them from, I have so many pictures on my computer that it gets quite impossible to trace anything.

 

Thanks for reading, but above all, thanks for the inspiration to everyone that posts on this forum.

[Alan Longmire 1,268]

Gentlemen, I smell smoke!  Do I hear a second from another Fiery-beard? 

[Adam Weller 61]

This is just gorgeous. In my mind I don't think there is a better combination than silver and bog oak, and I think you nailed the perfect amount of carving on the handle.

[jake cleland 181]

1 hour ago, Alan Longmire said:

Gentlemen, I smell smoke!  Do I hear a second from another Fiery-beard? 

Definitely seconded...

[Alan Longmire 1,268]

And the motion passes!  Pieter-Paul, light yourself up!  Or I can, just let me know, and welcome to the fellowship of Fiery Beards!  You show the right attitude and skillset, and are an asset to the forum.  Congratulations!

[Pieter-Paul Derks 93]

11 hours ago, Alan Longmire said:

And the motion passes!  Pieter-Paul, light yourself up!  Or I can, just let me know, and welcome to the fellowship of Fiery Beards!  You show the right attitude and skillset, and are an asset to the forum.  Congratulations!

Thanks so much!  I'm  very honored to be a part of this fellowship of excellent smiths.

I''ll try to set my stubble alight this evening, if my photoshop skills are insufficient I will ask you for a spark Alan..

 

[Zeb Camper 439]

Congrats man! Looks good!

[Pieter-Paul Derks 93]

With a bit of occult chanting and photoshop magic my sparse facial hair seems to have jumped alight, as is evident by my new profile picture.

thanks again for the praise and encouragement!

 

[Alveprins 75]

I love the little carving on the end of the handle. :)

[Charles du Preez 250]

Good work mate and congrats on the beard! Long may it burn brightly.

[Conner Michaux 48]

Gorgeous seax! May i ask what the fiery beard thing is?

[Alan Longmire 1,268]

https://www.bladesmithsforum.com/index.php?/topic/17542-so-you-think-you-want-a-fiery-beard/

[Jeremy Blohm 225]

Congratulations on the beard and Very nice work!!!

[Joshua States 618]

I'm sorry I missed this when it came out. So much to like in this thread! Congratulations Pieter.

[Pieter-Paul Derks 93]

Thank you Joshua

[Kris Lipinski 108]

Beautiful work Man! Congratulations of your well desserved fiery beard!

[Clifford Brewer 183]

Damn, I missed this one, NICE job  !!!!..................

[Niaro To 4]

That's one really attractive piece, Derks. Cheers!

[Pieter-Paul Derks 93]

Thanks guys, I'm already planning my next seax, this one is going to be a bit bigger

[Zeb Camper 439]

4 hours ago, Pieter-Paul Derks said:

Thanks guys, I'm already planning my next seax, this one is going to be a bit bigger

Uh oh! How big are we talking here Long sax proportions!?  

 

[Pieter-Paul Derks 93]

On 1/18/2019 at 12:38 AM, Zeb Camper said:

Uh oh! How big are we talking here Long sax proportions!?  

 

Yeah, the plan is to do a huge brokenback. Probably won't be patternwelded though..