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.
Caleb R. –
Italian Arm Armor They’re a little small for a very thick gambeson, but luckily, my arms are average size. when I wear my gambeson, They fit well, but I may need a chainmail shirt to ensure they don’t slip. They are slightly heavy when you first hold them, but like almost all armor *Assuming you don’t deal with heavy often* You get used to the weight. In terms of protection, a full force swing with a longsword didn’t do any damage, to the armor, or to the guy wearing them. These could very well be used as shields against smaller swords. I do not suggest it, or promote it though, especially when fighting guys with maces, or axes. On another note, before you even get the idea, like so many others have, the elbow piece, will not hurt your arm in any way. It is there to ensure no one hits the point of articulation on your arm. *The points of articulation are basically your weak points, since you can’t have much armor there, usually just padding* Judging there are pieces of armor for sale, just like this, for around 150-200 dollars, for thinner steel, I’d have to say these are a pretty nice deal. I don’t regret getting these, work nice for sparring. And they look nice and shiny too. I will tell you now though, they don’t make much noise, unless you clap them together, like you’re happy.
Thomas –
A GREAT value. I’ve waited to review these because I like to give the products I buy a little time to see how they hold up under abuse.
I’ve been reenacting for 20 years and in that time I’ve owned my share of fantastic armor, and some not so fantastic armor. While these arms are not the best that money can buy, I am certain that they are the best that THIS AMOUNT of money can buy. Anywhere… At all…
For 9 months I’ve put these things through the wringer of reenactment staged combat and free sparring. They held up as well as the arms from my primary custom made harness, the arms of which cost about 6 times as much.
My only problem with them was that they were slightly too long for my arms. A problem I fixed easily by moving a couple of rivet points back.
After that modification they articulate perfectly and once worn in don’t feel like you’re wearing much of anything.
The built in points for tying to arming clothes also make them unusual in their price bracket, and add to the ease of wear.
As the previous reviewer stated, they are silent unless banged against something else, making them wonderful for reenactors who need to use stealth without compromising protection.
Aesthetically they are perfect for my goals. They have a staunch man-at-arms look devoid of frills but with an economy of line that lacks any of the clunkiness found in pieces in the same price range.
All in all I would highly recommend these as a starter set, a secondary set, or for someone who needs an authentic look without an authentic price tag.
John D. –
better than expected Very nice especially , considering the low cost . They are a little heavy about twice the weigh of historical pieces but it love at first sight . Looking good with the 16 gauge pauldrons offered here .
Jack M. –
Beautiful armor Amazing price of armor for the price. Thick leather straps, and pretty good fit and finish. Only issue is that the rivets came loose around the elbow very quickly after receiving the armor, just really from trying it on a few times. This isn’t a big issue but just kind of annoying.
Jackson Carroll –
Good set of arms for the cheap price. Although for about 100 dollars more, you can get tailor made arm harnesses. This is certainly good for the price, nothing has broke for the year I’ve had them. Unfortunately, the rerebrace is a little big, however this problem can be fixed with a bit of extra hammering, although at that point, you’d be spending the equivalent of these cheap tailor made harnesses, for something not tailor made (assuming you’re hiring a smith to do it)
Overall, like I said, good price for decent quality. Just one step down from getting into top tier stuff.
Felix Brien-Giroux –
great piece near perfect .
amasing mobility verry solid just wow.
a bit on the heavy side but amasing good buy highly recomend for light or heavy sparing