Overview
Our sharpening service will provide a good serviceable edge on the blade. The result is typically “very sharp” with a small secondary bevel and a bit of an “apple seed” profile. The resulting edge is somewhat dependent on the particular blade. Some blades will take and hold sharper edges than others and the thickness of the blade will determine how wide the bevel will need to be. We adjust the angle of the edge to suit the specific blade and attempt to get as close to a bevel-less edge as possible without marring the surface of the blade.
The Sharpening Process
The sharpening service is done with a belt sander. The process involves many passes with sanding belts of various grits. The blades are rested between passes to prevent them from becoming hot and damaging their temper. By default we will sharpen as much of the blade as possible including any false edges if appropriate. If you have a different preference, feel free to make that request in the special instructions at check out. We can sharpen only the last half or third of an edge, for example. Our sword sharpening expert has personally sharpened several thousand swords at this point, so will provide you with a professional service.
What the Service is Not
The resulting edge will be “sword sharp” not razor sharp. Our goal is to provide you with a usable edge for cutting practice that will hold up to some use and not require constant re-sharpening. In other words, we intend to provide you with a serviceable weapon, not a personal grooming implement. The service will not provide a completely bevel-less edge. To create that type of edge will necessarily scratch up the blade surface and we lack the machinery and time to provide a full re-polishing of a blade’s surface. A service of that nature would be significantly more expensive as a great deal more time would be required. We do not offer this type of service at this time.
Disclaimer
We make no guarantee that the resulting edge will meet with your expectations. Every blade is different and some will take and hold a sharper edge than others, due to the blade material, heat treatment or geometry. Some customers can also have incorrect assumptions about sword sharpness and improper expectations as a result. All we can say for sure is that the resulting edge will be sharper than the default edge, in most cases, significantly so. We can not provide any refunds for the service once it has been completed, so consider it to be provided “as is”. That being said, if you are unhappy with the product for any reason, we do still allow you to return the item for a full refund, including the sharpening costs under our normal return policy. This does not apply to special sharpening requests, for example if we sharpen something specially for you that does not normally list that option on our site. The vast majority of our customers are happy with the results of the service, so as long as you keep the above mentioned in mind, we are confident you will be pleased with the results as well.
Alexander –
same seax, same price, different vendor I picked up this model seax from a different site, unsharpened, and for the same price.
I sharpened it and added some leather spacers into its handle before testing it by hacking into a wooden round shield. It cut 2-4 inches through thick raw hide and into the plywood. I also stabbed the shield with very controlled thrusts, the tip not only held up without bending/snapping. But it also made it through the 3/8ths inch ply.
It seemed really fragile until I added the leather spacers (one in between the handle&hilt, the other between the handle&pommel).
It’s a great seax with the simple addition.
Way tougher than I thought, and man, the thing’s just gorgeous.
I would have liked to know what kind of steel it’s made of, either way I’m pleased with it.
Noghbdy –
purchased this model second-hand many years ago for only $20 and it was my most cherished posession! at the time I was with a chainmail making group and they constantly borrowed it to show how sturdy the butted mail was. (more impressed the tip never deformed after hundreds if not thousands of stabs into wood backed heavy guage wire)
Brendan Connolly (verified owner) –
I just recieved the Dark Ages Seax in the mail and gave it a look over. Firstly the sharpening that I paid for is terrible the angle on the grind is obtuse at a whopping 40 degree and is also crooked especially as it nears the end of the blade. I would send a picture but it would be pretty hard to get the camera to look down the edge and catch the reflection. Secondly, the pommel is not inline with the guard I would say its canted to the right by about 5 to 7 degrees. Otherwise the rest seems to be just fine. I can deal with the pommel but it looks like you had a chipanzee do the sharpening in about 5 minutes and that somehow justified a two week extension on the shipping time. Its not overall bad enough for me to ship it back and wait a month after you get it for a replacement. I want you to go find who shaprened it and kick them in the ass and have them do better as I expect better then next time I order.