parker Posted October 28, 2009 Share Posted October 28, 2009 i will be attemting to forge a saxon scramasax or scramaseax(same thing, i just found 2 different spellings) i know that the saxons and the vikings both used this style of blade in many different lenghts. i also know that some of these blades have a heavy "broken back" . i am going to try to make one about 4 to 6 inches in blade length. have any of yall ever this style blade? if so please show some pics. thanks dustin parker Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Hale Posted October 29, 2009 Share Posted October 29, 2009 Google has pics.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
parker Posted October 29, 2009 Author Share Posted October 29, 2009 yah i know, thanks rich Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPH Posted October 29, 2009 Share Posted October 29, 2009 Parler: Ever see a "Bowie Knife"?? That is basically a Seax...There are more Seax designs than you would first think there are...all depends upon when, where and by who they were made... Blade lengths varied from 3 inches to more than 20....some were clipped pointed, some were spear pointed...so many varieties... JPH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nonjic Posted October 29, 2009 Share Posted October 29, 2009 This is my first one im working on, its a low layer of twisted Wrought iron mixed with file, in a 'San-Mai' construction over another piece of file. (Its just very rough ground in the pics wating for heat treat) I only decided it was going to be a seax once I was forging, so as a result ive ended up with a shape thats kind of in the middle of 'broken back', and the (for me) more elegent long seax. I have left the blade a bit deep so im unsure as to the transition between blade and handle now. Wish I had done a bit more research before starting! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted October 29, 2009 Share Posted October 29, 2009 I've always like the Little Bealings seax myself Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
parker Posted October 29, 2009 Author Share Posted October 29, 2009 thanks every one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Budd Posted October 29, 2009 Share Posted October 29, 2009 here are a couple that I made recently. They are pretty close to actually authentic in terms of materials, styles and techniques (though I did have to cheat and use modern adhesives at the last minute) both have wrought iron outers with a steel core. the handles are red deer antler and birch, both with ring and dot decoration. The sheathes are constructed based on some 8th century examples, but to stiffen them I aplied a little hot wax (not so much that they are like kydex, just a fair bit stiffer) Parker, What specifically are you wondering about with making a seax? :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
parker Posted October 29, 2009 Author Share Posted October 29, 2009 thatnks dave. the thing i was wondering the most about was how they forgeed to blade like the first one in your post. that is the style i will be making. i am going to get to work on it this week end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Rigoni Posted October 30, 2009 Share Posted October 30, 2009 looking good Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigfootnampa Posted October 31, 2009 Share Posted October 31, 2009 I always like your work Dave! It's exact appeal is sort of subtle but for me, quite magnetic! I don't think there is anything wrong with using modern adhesives... but if you want to do without them (at least for the wooden handled ones) you can do so. Forge your tang to a square or near square cross section with a slight taper and predrill your handle slightly undersized (round of course)... then heat your tang to around 500 degrees farenheit (black heat) and gently tap the tang into the handle. Done this way the resins in the wood become natural hot glues and the fibers are compressed around the tang creating a super high strength zone around the tang socket. Ideally you have melting with minimal or no charring. I like to use heavy tongs to grip the blade as a heat sink to protect the HT of the blade and they also add mass to small blades assisting in the tapping home process. Blades (or any other tools) seated in this way are so solidly mounted that loosening is extremely rare even under abusive conditions. I have chiseled barbs into the tangs sometimes but have come to regard this as a totally superfluous exercise. Even tools that will be used with pulling motions (like horse hoof picks) practically never come loose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Budd Posted November 1, 2009 Share Posted November 1, 2009 thanks, I try to make what I like too I had intended to use hide glue on these, but didn't get around to buyingthe gelatine in time (and no, I'm not going to make my own. I did that once for the technical excercise and it's not worht the effort). I've fitted a few handles to other tools for myself to use just as you suggest with the tangs heated and forced in place. Also I came across a large very hooked slacher that had the remnants of its orignal handle. The tool was almost 100 years old when the woodworm finally killed the hanlde, but the blade was just held in with a few barbs chiselled into it. got a few more ideas knocking about for historical and interesting knives. Hopefully I'll get a few made over the winter, but really I need somebody to give me money in order for me to get around to most of my ideas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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