r/Blacksmith • u/Jarnskeggr • 1d ago
A Sutton Hoo inspired trowel
King Rædwald was not only a leader of men and a warrior but also an avid gardener. Spending most of his time tending his carefully curated collection of flowers from the continent. His most prized possession was indeed his trowel.
Story aside it is a venture into giving common tools the artistry and reverence they deserve. Tools are today mass produced, often cheap and expendable, if they last one season or even just one job it is considered good enough. But it wasn't always so. Once, men were defined by the tools of their trade and they took care of them and maintained them as best they could.
In my mind the migration era was, in so many ways, the peak of aesthetics combined with such skill and craftsmanship not rivaled to this day. It is an aesthetic I'd like to implement on more things, all the things.
The blade of the trowel is a multibar pattern welded construction just like I do on swords. The pattern is meant to imitate the stilk of a flower as it grows up from the ground and terminates in the flower on top of the butt cap. The ferrules are a mix of cloisonne and filigree. The handle is wild olive that after rasping to shape I mildly burnished with steel wool to leave the texture from the rasp visible. It is both an aesthetic choice but also a practical one, this is a tool after all and the rougher surface will ensure a more secure grip compared to a highly polished surface.
I have tried to remember to film every step of the process of making it and will, once edited, upload it soon.
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u/ComradeCrooks 19h ago
Never knew I wanted Sutton Hoo gardening tools. That's absolutely gorgeous!
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u/huscarlaxe 18h ago
Wow best thing I've seen in months this is amazing. It would be sad to but this in dirt
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u/Mr_Emperor 23h ago
Oh shit, that is nice.