Just browsing over at KOA on the new items and came across a Kris Cutlery Seax.....in shira saya. No , I didn't stutter. A seax....in shira saya. Folded steel blade looks nice, and the price is right to make it an easy custom job candidate! Sorry, can't post pics just yet, but go to KOA and check this out! Way cool in my book! Thoughts?.......McM

http://www.kultofathena.com/product.asp?item=...tlery+Seax

...aaaaaaaand linked.

Thanks, Matt. I just thought this was too cool. The patterning on the blade is lovely. I'm SO getting one of these!.......McM

Wow, looks like a fantastic deal. Just stain that handle and make a leather sheath and off a viking you go! :D

........

mfw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HA1mbZ_MMh8

Just went to the Kult of Athena web site and just this minute bought one. ( Oh, I had seen it this morning before reading this topic,and was about to post my own topic about it after buying the seax, when I saw that someone had beaten me to it :D :cool: ).

I'm sort of " indifferent " about the grip's shape, but it does seem like a great candidate for customization of the grip as it comes with the seax or making one from scratch using some exotic woods with some subtle improvements in shape + maybe some nice wood carving.

The scabbard could be covered in leather and given a more traditional looking seax scabbard.

If the steel is of reasonable quality steel it will be a real " STEAL " ( Pun shamelessly intended ;) :p :lol: )

The blade itself looks like the best part of the deal and I really like it's shape and the fuller, from the statistics it seems like a fairly thick and robust blade and at the low price worth taking a chance on: I sort of hope that it's somewhere close to 50 r.c. or a bit better in hardness.

I can sort of see this seax selling like hot cakes if it's even half as good as it looks.

Thanks, Matthew, Tom, and Jean.....Those were the exact responses I thought this would get ! Yes, Matthew, the 'stain/carve/wrap' mods would be perfect to individualize this piece. Tom, ....What can I say....You took it right outta my mouth. Jean,...Damn right. This piece is so easy to customize, even a college student in a dorm room could make it look like a million bucks with a lil know-how and a dollar-store budget. I don't know about you guys, but I'm excited by this. Kris , in my own, has taken a step here. I have hoped and prayed for the longest that a good, reputable maker would offer something like this to the 'Euro-crowd'. This seax has ENDLESS possibilities. I can even see a 'myArmoury-CYOS...Create Your Own Seax' feature in the future. I'm not a sponsor or paid rep of KC, or any thing like that....but this is just too damn cool. Can't wait to get mine............Elk antler carved with an Odin effigy, brass pin with a copper rosette washer, subtle antique and acid etch on the blade with spine carvings..........MMMM...sounds better than the menu I had for dinner. Except, this menu makes me want a horn full o' mead instead of a sweet tea! Thanks fellas! I can't wait to see where this goes!!!.....McM

Just a personal observation, but to anyone planning on a modification/alteration to the grip of this seax............Best use a metal pin/rivet of some kind if planning to use the existing handle. Other sites call this the 'swinging helicopter blade of death' when the blade goes flying out of the grip. I'd call this the 'SCUD missile of seax-death'. The bamboo pin should be chucked. Period. A piece of copper or aluminum brazing rod will be much stronger, but....seeing as we don't know how good the wood is in the grip, I also suggest making your own grip from a good source-(i.e.- American oak/hickory, antler, bone, or leather wrapped. Just saying this to keep folks safe....'cause I know you're gonna swing it...at least once. :lol: ...McM

Yeah, Jean......Japanese swords held together with bamboo pins are generally quite sturdy. This was just a personal observation and preferrence on my part. I'll probably end up encasing the tang in either wood or antler using epoxy AND a metal pin through all. As far as the existing wood of the handle and sheath go....in general, I've seen that overseas hardwoods sometimes aren't all that hard. I'm sure the existing wood would do for most, but I prefer something with a little more 'oomph'.......moose horn, elk antler, or a neat hardwood for me. I'm very anxious to see the quality of the steel. This blade just BEGS for runes and Nordic designs. We shall see.......... :) .........McM

Mark wrote, "Other sites call this the 'swinging helicopter blade of death' when the blade goes flying out of the grip. I'd call this the 'SCUD missile of seax-death'. "

That would be funny if it weren't so horrifying! Has that actually happened to somebody?

Looking at this I think it's so obviously made to be modified that one almost wonders why they put a handle on it although providing the core for a sheath is a nice bonus. Strong as bamboo is in some applications I have to agree that I would be unwilling to trust it myself. I wonder if the tang is hardened or if it would be relatively easy to drill an additional hole in the tang. My thinking is that many people who put a new grip in this seax would rather have a wooden pin or two holding it in place rather than metal.

Since my friend Jean "Never saw a weapon he didn't like" Thibideau has ordered one I may wait until he has it in hand and gives me his impressions of it before I buy one but I have to admit it's hard to resist and appears to be a great value.

Looks awesome from the pics.. I am wondering though on the scabbard as I thought that seax's had leather sheaths?

It looks like a pretty good deal and a nice candidate for some crafty historical improvements.

Nice to see something approach historical proportions and form at this price.

A good catch for those who want an Anglo-saxon style brocken back seax, but, sadly, not really of much use for scandinavian or baltic style :( unless you go for a reworking of the blade as well...

I think the blade looks splendid. The grip and scabbard don't do a thing for me. I would buy this simply for the blade, and at that price, I would be ok with doing so. This would be a purchase that i would buy simply to rehilt, and build a scabbard for. Does anyone know about the tang?

Jean! We need a review of this baby ASAP!

If the blade is any good I'm buying one too. Provided the stock last. IMO this concept is a winner, you can just customize it however you like and use the wood parts or not.
This way it's safe for transport until you make a new scabbard. I just bet I could customize the shirasaya into a nice seax-style scabbard with plates and metal loops, similar to the Valsgärde seaxes even.


You know, a basic design like this in certain forumites hands, it's exciting just imagining what some of you guys can come up with for customization of these. Really looking forward to seeing that.
Rune inlay along the blade is a given since it resembles the Beagnolph seax (I always get that spelling wrong, but you know which one I mean).

Cross cultural pollination---what's not to like? My only blade from KC is a Korean sword from their scratch'n'dent section, but it's a solid little brute. Without getting into the whole "Korean swords came first, no, Japanese swords came first" issue, it resembles a straight katana, differentially hardened: I like it, and KC seems to have a pretty good reputation.

Completely off topic, but I am working on hilting a saber, whose blade was blowtorched loose. I will be setting it up with poplar grips and a poplar scabbard and no guard.

Why yes, I will be calling it the "shirashashka," as a matter of fact.