Viking Seax with sheath.

thingiverse

This is a Viking seax designed to be printed in three parts. The blade must be fitted and glued into the handle. I employed my woodgraining technique on mine, using PLA as well as Sharpie brand metallic markers for "metal" elements. Woodgraining technique for PLA: After printing parts, lightly sand to establish a grain direction. I use 80 grit and no finer. Then wipe off dust and apply a red and green permanent marker. Use the green first, making random marks in the direction of the grain - roughly 60% coverage. Follow with the same in red. Get a small container of acetone and a small natural bristle chip brush. Dip the brush in acetone, then shake off excess. You want it damp-wet, not dripping. Drag the brush in the direction of the grain. The marker ink will dissolve, making the red appear to disappear. Don't panic! Thoroughly mix the red and green to produce a brown color. It looks green until dry. Lightly drag the color back and forth as it dries to produce a woodgrain look. Let dry for 15 minutes and examine under good lighting. Retouch any light areas. You can enhance the effect by creating darker and lighter areas to more closely simulate wood. I recommend letting dry for at least an hour, then sealing with a decent clear coat.