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.
Dake W. –
Great sword The sword is 100% as described. Heavier and bigger than I imagined. Sharp and nicely decorated. Can see the patterns on the steel from the folding technique. I’m quite inspired as a sword beginner. Thanks Kult of Athena
jak (verified owner) –
Sword came with a very messed up cross guard as it is popped open on one side and also misaligned with the blade. Blade came sharp however experienced several chips after cutting a few thin aluminum cans . Overall the blade is very good looking other than the messed up guard but for the price this is a complete rip off. 1 star
John S. (verified owner) –
After having this sword for a couple months now, I’ll give my two cents about it. The included wooden box, decorated bag, and cleaning kit are great extras that came with the sword which would have costed me extra if I was buying another brand/style of sword as many swords in this price range don’t even come with a scabbard (let alone a cleaning kit). The scabbard is well made and fits the sword quite well with no rattle/looseness, though it did have some oxidation on the brass parts of it which does suck but some brass cleaner took care of this, still does suck that it had that though but not a big deal. The blade itself is quite stunning (at least my example of this sword) the Damascus pattern is really cool, but a little hard to see, don’t know if this was because of the etching process or how it was forged, but something to point out. One of the criticisms I have with the blade is that it came with some small dents/chinks and tiny scuffs on the edge of the blade (no more than 3 or 4 that I counted), again all I would have to do is sharpen it and polish it myself and this can be fixed, but it is unfortunate that it came with these tiny flaws (especially at the price point). The brass fittings and pommel are quite cool to look at but as another review pointed out with his sword that the brass fittings/parts (in my case around the sword and the handguard) are not completely straight/lined up with the blade symmetrically. My swords handguard is a bit lopsided to one side (looking at it from the swords edge) and the ornate brass fitting around the base of the blade is also not completely symmetric looking at it from the blades edge, also there was some oxidation on the inside of the handguard as well which again I cleaned off, again these flaws were not visible at quick glance and only appear at closer inspection, again something to take into account. The pommel is very cool looking with its ornate look, for me so far there have been no problems with it. The included tassel and jade piece, while beautiful when it sits on a sword stand, is quite annoying while trying to handle and use/test the sword so I ended up taking it off whenever I use it for cutting. The blade from what I have put it through which has been mainly light cutting such as cardboard and gallon water jugs from the store has done very well as it came from the manufacturer pretty sharp, I have not put it through any hardcore use such as chopping wood and such, but I don’t plan to use it for anything like that. The wooden handle is decently comfortable but probably not for long periods of time/use. From all the cutting that I have put it through, there are no new chips or chinks in the blade (aside from the small ones from the manufacturer already stated), The balance is quite close to the handguard (which is what I think Jian swords are supposed to be, I could be wrong on this) it is also a bit on the heavy side as well mostly due to its size. Overall, the sword is a good solid piece (at least my example), the fact that you get a sword, scabbard, wooden storage box, and cleaning/maintenance kit is really appealing, the sword is solidly built, looks quite stunning and handles decently well, The main downsides it has is mainly the Quality control from the factory/manufacturer as it seems from other reviews that they are not paying attention to the other parts of the sword, mainly the fittings (handguard, ornate blade fitting, etc.) in making sure they are properly installed on the sword, as well as the blades edge with the scuffs and chips/chinks on the blades edge. I give this sword 4 stars from what I have experienced with it as even with its flaws it is quite a solid overall piece as well as a great room decoration. I would hope that Iron Tiger Forge steps up its Quality Control as this sword is quite nice, only for it to be ruined by sub-par/improperly mounted brass fittings and parts.