So I made a thing.

No, I didn’t make the seax, I made the sheath however. Start to finish. Obligatory result photo with the process pictures to follow.

The design is based on an archeological find from Dublin (image b). The book is “Covering the Blade: Archaeological leather sheaths and scabbards” by Marquita Volken and Olaf Goubitz

The core was made from oak baseboard. I hollowed out the marked area with a chisel and sandpaper. All done by hand.

Cut and shaped. I think to do it again I’d leave the tip of the core a bit pointier. I married the halves and glued them for stability.

I left the shape of the baseboard on the surface rather than sand it down smooth. I thought this would add texture to the final product. It kinda worked but not as well as I’d hoped.

To get the shape, soak the leather and then fit it tightly around the core. Seax sheaths traditionally covered part of the handle as well. Make sure to get this part nice and tight. Let it dry overnight at least.

Stitching the first row. I tried to keep it nice and tight to the core - no one likes a sloppy seax.

This picture is upside down but I can’t fix it. All that’s left is a couple coats of oil and then some beeswax to keep it from getting wet. Seaxes in this part of the world we’re hung horizontally from the waist. Blades were generally sharp side up to increase the life of the sheath.

The final result again. Pre-wax. The historical find had no attachment points remaining (possibly removed due to the value) so I had to improvise. Rings, hangar and rivets are all copper pieces shaped and riveted by hand.

Dog tax. This is my workshop buddy and his duck. Get out and go a-viking!