[Mark Shier]

I finally got around to photographing some new knives and added them to my web page.
mark

[Hadrian Coffin]

Hello,
They look lovely! I like the shaping of the seax, it is an under represented type that was quite common in period. They all have a very period look about them.
Cheers,
Hadrian

[Mark Shier]

Thanks! I try to go for a medieval fit and finish, appropriate to each piece.
I'm the equivalent of a medieval Cutler on these: I commission (hardened plain carbon steel if possible) blade blanks from reliable North American smiths. The blade shapes and dimensions are based on knives in my collection, or blades in museum collections (preferably ones I've handled). I grind and polish the blades, and fit them to handles.
Most of the wood used is boxwood, as it was rated the best by the Cutler's Guild. Whittle tang handles are burnt on (boxwood takes up to a dozen heats) to the tang, and glued if needed. Scale tangs are in box, bone, and sometimes mammoth ivory, and fittings are bronze and silver. I'll be adding pewter soon, as my sheather has made some very nice openwork pewter chapes, based on one found in Meols. The pewter chapes have been cast in hand carved stone moulds.
The sheaths are based on surviving examples (including one I own) and are all hand stitched, decorated, and painted. The nicer sheaths are made for me by Judy Harcus. We usually use acrylic paints; but medieval tempers and pigments on request.

[S. Christiansen]

Very nice pieces indeed. Simple and straight to the point, yet very well executed. I especially admire the sheaths and the fact that you do a lot of researching on each piece. Keep up the good work!