Steinvik Sword

This sword is a replica of an eighth century sword found on the Steinvik farm in Norway. It is a collaboration with Matthew Berry of Hopkins Forge.

I made the blade based on a full sized image of the original. Looking closely I could see that the blade was made of four pattern welded bars with interrupted twists. The edge is made of 1000 layers of pattern welded steel wrapped around the core of four twisted bars. It is a huge sword, with a blade measuring 34 inches and about 2.25 inches wide at the base.

Matt carved the fittings in wax as exacting replicas of the original, and then cast them in bronze. Afterwards he then began the laborious process of inlaying twisted silver and copper wire into the hilt. Once finished he carved a beautiful grip for the sword in maple and we assembled the sword together.

This sword has a pretty overwhelming presence. Despite the huge blade and ornately carved solid bronze hilt, it only weighs a hair under 3 pounds. It's an excellent example of a sword truly fit for a king.