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.
gothic floating elbows Just got these yesterday, as a 50th birthday present from my daughter, in time to try them out on the second day of History Fest. Very nice looking, much bigger than I thought , very sturdy for 18 ga with the rolled edges and flutes. I pointed them to my spaulders and vambraces and tried them out fighting at our SCA demo. Looked badass with my burgundy brigandine, worked pretty well except for one thing, the strapping, good thick leather but much too wide for the inside of an elbow, limits how far you can bend your elbow and the Y shaped end of the strap interferes with the laces articulation. But its a minor complaint that is easily fixed with replacing the strap. Good piece at a awesome price, would have loved it even more if it was available in Stainless steel 18 ga.
Manlets beware! If you’re a 5’8 manlet like me, do not buy these unless you intend on replacing the straps, they’re way too big even with padded armour underneath, I tried putting some holes as far back into the strap as I could but even then they’ll just roll down your sleeve, and the laces don’t serve any purpose unless have mail to tie it into since they’re too small to loop around your elbow or to secure onto other armour.
However in spite of my height issues, these couters will be good for anyone 6’0 or with wider arms, they’re nicely made, blending nicely with my gothic cuirass and are pretty sturdy as well.