Long Knife "Hellvi" - damascus

Viking short sax - Damascus steel.

This Viking Age short sax with a blade made of genuine Damascus steel was made after a historical find from the village of Hellvi on the island of Gotland / Sweden.

Link to the historical Viking sax...

Slender saxes in the form of long knives were typical of the Viking Age in eastern Scandinavia and are known above all from the Viking settlement of Birka and from Gotland. The Viking Sax comes complete with leather sheath.

Not only the fine Damascus blade, but also the fine polished walnut handle deserves attention, as it has been skilfully edged with several layers of brass, which give the handle a pleasant weight and balance the sax well. There is also a small ring at the end of the handle so that the sax can be easily pulled out of the scabbard.

However, the solid knife blade made of genuine Damascus steel with 176 layers and a hardness of 56 - 58 HCR Rockwell requires special attention. Knives made of damask steel were already held in high esteem in the early Middle Ages. Because such blades are characterized by both hardness and elasticity and a knife blade made of genuine damask steel is therefore both durable and unbreakable.

The blade of this long knife has a wide spine and a pronounced hollow grind. It is forged from two different steels in wild Damascus. When both types of steel are forged together into a knife, the result is a particularly beautiful and characterful flamed damascus finish.

On the one hand, carbon steel AISI 1095 is used, a classic among knife steels, which as an unalloyed and stainless tool steel is very tough and easy to grind, with a solid service life.
On the other hand, AISI 4340 is used, a nickel-containing steel with good properties, which creates beautiful bright sections and noble contrasts when used in Damascus steel.

The Viking Sax has the following dimensions:

Total length 31cm
Blade length 19 cm
blade width 3 cm
Blade back 6 mm