Hand-Forged Longsword, Scalloped Forte

A fantasy longsword. Straight double-edged blade running in a long taper to an acute point, a 12 inch hilt with a 7.5 inch grip that takes two hands, a cross with swept quillons ending in teardrop finials, a leather-wrapped grip and a lobed crown pommel. Black leather scabbard on a belt.

The proportions are genuinely those of a historical longsword — 33 inches of blade, 45 inches overall, a hilt long enough for the off hand — which is why we call it one rather than reaching for a fantasy word. What is not historical is the forte: just above the cross the blade widens into a pair of lobes and then both edges are cut with a descending series of scallops. That is sculpture, and the page is careful about what it does and does not do.

Looks, and we would rather say so than invent a function. A whole genre of explanation attaches to notched fantasy blades — that they catch an opponent's edge, tear on withdrawal, break blades — and none of it survives contact with how swords are used. A notch shallow enough to leave a working blade is too shallow to trap anything, and one deep enough to trap would ruin the sword.

What they genuinely do is make the sword unmistakable. This is the part of the blade people photograph, and it is the reason to own this sword rather than a plain one. That is a perfectly respectable reason and it does not need a combat story attached to it.

This is the right question and it deserves a straight answer. They remove material from the forte, which is the third of the blade nearest your hands, and on a sword that is where the bending load is highest. A blade is a lever: whatever force lands on the tip is multiplied all the way back to the hilt, so the steel nearest the cross works hardest.

So yes, cutting into both edges there is the least convenient place to remove metal. What keeps it sensible is that the blade is thick and broad through that section to begin with, and the scallops are cut into a width that is wider than the blade further down. This is not a sword we would take to a cutting stand, and if you intend to use it hard, ASK FOR THE PLAIN FORTE BUILD. Same profile above and below, no scallops, no extra cost, and a markedly stronger sword. We would rather build you that than have you find out.

Two-handed, or one and a half. The grip is 7.5 inches, and with a 12 inch hilt overall there is genuine room for the off hand behind the main one or wrapped over the pommel. That is what makes this a longsword rather than a large arming sword.

The second hand is not just about holding the weight. A 12 inch hilt is a lever: the off hand at the pommel end gives you a great deal more control over where the point goes and how fast the blade changes direction than the same blade on a 5 inch grip ever could. It is the single biggest functional difference between a longsword and a one-hander, and it matters more than the extra blade length does.

The standard build carries a 33 inch blade and a 12 inch hilt with a 7.5 inch grip, 45 inches overall. That is a default rather than a fixed specification — every blade we make is forged after the order, so the dimensions are yours to set.

Worth knowing before you change them: 45 inches is a large object to own. It needs a wall with clearance around it, a room with ceiling height if you intend to handle it, and it ships as a long item. Shorter blades in the 28 to 30 inch range give you longsword handling in a considerably more practical package. Put the number in the order note and we will build the scabbard to suit.

1,760 grams, which is about 53 grams per inch of blade. A historical longsword of these proportions would run somewhere near 1,300 to 1,600 grams, so we are roughly a quarter above the period article — which is in line with how we build across the sword range.

On a two-hander that surplus matters less than it would on a one-hander, because the second hand carries it and the long hilt gives you leverage against it. You should still expect a sword with authority rather than one that feels quick. Thinner stock with more distal taper is free on request and brings it much closer to period mass.

The standard build has a black leather wrap over the grip, laid in close ribs, with a polished steel cross whose quillons sweep downward and finish in teardrop finials, an angular langet over the blade shoulder, and a lobed crown pommel with a small finial. Everything metal is forged and finished by hand rather than cast.

Grip material and colour are both selectable. Rosewood, horn, micarta and other leather colours are all available at no extra cost, and we will match the scabbard to whatever you choose. Cast fittings are cheaper to make and they are the first thing to fail on a sword that gets handled, which is why we do not use them.

The edges ship sharpened above and below the sculpted section, ready to use, unless you tell us otherwise. The scallops themselves are left unsharpened on the standard build: they are decorative, they are awkward to sharpen properly, and a sharpened notch is a snagging hazard on a part of the blade your off hand may pass close to.

Unsharpened builds are free, for display or for an awkward import. So is a stage combat build — rebated edge, rounded tip — balanced for the work. On a sword this size a stage build is worth considering seriously if anyone is going to be near it.

5160 high-carbon spring steel, which we use across the whole range. The blade is forged to shape, quenched, and then tempered back by hand as a separate operation afterwards. Those two steps are distinct and the second is what matters: quenching alone leaves a blade hard and brittle, and tempering trades a little hardness for the toughness a 33 inch blade needs.

That matters more than usual here. The scalloped section is where the blade is narrowest across its width at the point of highest load, and an untempered blade would find exactly that place first. 5160 is not stainless, rusts if left damp, and takes and keeps an edge far better than any stainless we could sensibly forge. We do not make pattern-welded or laminated blades at all, by choice.

Closer to the hand than 1,760 grams suggests. A crown pommel of this size is a genuine counterweight sitting a foot behind the cross, and it does a lot of work: mass behind the hand pulls the balance point back toward the cross, which is what makes a long blade feel controllable rather than like a weight on a stick.

We do not publish a single point-of-balance figure, because hand-forged blades vary and a number two inches out is worse than none. Ask before dispatch and we will measure the actual sword we are sending you, from the cross, and send you the number. Our sword guide explains what the measurement means and why it is worth asking any seller for.

A black leather scabbard shaped to the blade, with riveted strap fittings and a long belt with a brass buckle. It is built to this blade rather than to a pattern, which matters when the forte is a different width from the rest.

Honestly, a sword this long is worn for display and events rather than carried in any practical sense — 45 inches at the hip fouls the ground and your own legs. Most owners hang it. A back rig, a baldric, a different colour or a wall mount cut to this blade's outline are all custom forge items and we will quote them.

Nothing is held in stock. Every blade is forged after the order arrives, which is why the dimensions, the forte treatment, the grip material and the furniture are all free to change — there is no standard version already made. Standard builds dispatch in 2 to 3 business days; genuinely custom work runs 4 to 6 weeks depending on the queue.

A 45 inch sword ships as a long item, sheathed and braced in a rigid carton with the belt packed separately so nothing bears on the blade, by DHL or FedEx with tracking, typically 7 to 14 business days from Kathmandu. Long items occasionally attract a surcharge at the destination; if that applies to your address we will tell you before we take the order rather than after.