Birka Bj. 968: The Knife

Within the grave of Birka Bj. 968, along the woman’s right hip, lay a knife within its sheath. Now in badly corroded condition, the purpose of this project was to attempt to recreate it as it would have looked in its prime.

The description from Holger Arbman in his catalog of the Birka grave finds is as follows:

Iron knife (346: 16), plate 178: 2, length about 17.5 cm, remains of the leather sheath with badly damaged bronze fittings preserved, a silver wire attachment around the lower end of the wooden handle

The blade of the knife was purchased from Pera Peris in Germany to match the blade style typical for Birka during this time. The knife was listed as as 17.5 cms but given how badly corroded the knife is, it is unknown whether that is the measurement of just the blade or of the blade and the handle and whether it is a measurement of the current, corroded blade length or a projected estimate of the original, intact blade. The blade and handle length I selected was roughly 7 inches. The bronze tip and the spine fittings were also purchased from Pera Peris, as were the rivets. As a suitable replica of the upper bronze fitting could not be found, I needed to make one that matched the fittings.

Step 1: The handle was made of a single piece of oak, split along the grain. Each side was equally milled out to fit the tang. The pieces were then glued together around the tang, holding it in place.

Step 2. The handle was sanded smooth by hand using increasingly finer grit sandpaper to remove bulk and create the desired shape.

Step 3. The wire was twisted to create a gauge and then the notches were measured by the desired number of wrappings. These were taped to be carved out by hand.

Step 4. The handle was stained with an oil based wood stain and allowed to dry. The wires were twisted using a power drill to create two long, even lengths of twisted wire.

Step 5. Two small holes were drilled into each notch to accept the ends of the wire wraps. The notches were coated in a two part epoxy, which is not necessary, but adds additional stability to the wire. The wire was then inserted into one hole, quickly wrapped around the handle tightly, clipped for length and the other end secured in the opposite hole.

Step 6. A leather bolster was created by cutting a small piece of leather which was then fitted down the knife blade and glued into place against the handle. This piece cleans up the edge where the knife handle meets the blade as well as gives additional texture to keep the knife secured in the sheath while wearing. The leather was cut to shape and then stained to match the handle.

Step 7. The sheath pattern was made by laying the knife on a piece of grid paper. Two tracings were made- one representing the cavity needed to fit the knife and the other of the extra seam allowance needed to accommodate the bronze fittings.

Step 8. The pattern was traced onto the leather and cut out at the outer edge. The inner line represents where the sheath will be glued to hold it securely while the bronze fittings are riveted.

Step 9. The leather was dyed using a homemade walnut dye. However, as the dyebath did not impart a great deal of color and a darker tone was desired to offset the bronze, it was then redyed with a leather dye. This was allowed to dry thoroughly.

Step 10. The glue was added around the edge of the sheath, not encroaching beyond the inside line to ensure enough room for the knife. This was then clamped shut and allowed to dry thoroughly.

Step 11. The knife was coated in plastic wrap to protect it and the sheath was wetted with warm water. The knife was then inserted to allow the sheath to form around the knife and handle. This was allowed to dry thoroughly to help keep the new shape.

Step 12. The purchased bronze fittings were riveted in place using a hammer and anvil. The upper plate pattern was made and the lines sketched out.

Step 13. The upper bronze fittings were cut from a piece of bronze sheet metal.

Step 14. The decorative lines were chiseled in and then the plates and a hanging bracket and decorative loop were riveted on. The lines were then stained black paint.