These 8 inch (20 cm) eating knives are known as bolstered knives and they come with a moulded leather sheath. The knives are made by hammer welding a carbon steel blade onto an iron stub. The stub is drawn out into a tang leaving a solid raised shoulder at the blade/tang junction which is known as the bolster. This method of making knives first appears in the early 16th century and remained unchanged until the appearance of stainless steel. The sheaths are based on numerous surviving examples and are tooled using a mixure of impresed lines and stamps.