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.
Buyer –
Great Budget Saber….And Then Some! The Windlass Confederate Cavalry Saber is well constructed, with a solid hilt and handle as well as a rugged, well tempered blade easily capable of taking quite some abuse if necessary.
The hilt fit and finish is not perfect but is fully functional and looks good, even with a few rough spots. The blade finish is more or less even along the entire blade length with a semi-satin, almost polished finish, however it is prone to minor scratches as with all swords, especially if used. The scabbard is durable and the finish is fine, practical, and is somewhat resistant to discoloration. The sword fits decently into the scabbard; the sword is able to move very little forward and backward inside but there is a small rattle inside if shaken vigorously. The sword itself is not perfectly historically accurate: the distal taper along the blade is nowhere near as much as antique models, thus restricting its maximum cutting ability, but otherwise, the hilt, and the “unstopped” fuller, are more or less consistent with period antiques.
The sword handles as would be expected of a cavalry sword; somewhat slow and challenging to maneuver because of the weight and point of balance. This isn’t to say the sword does not handle well, however. The sword is still lighter than a heavy cavalry saber and is still fast enough to parry against certain swords, namely other sabers. The extra heft and extended point of balance also contribute to this sword’s devastating cutting ability even with the historically inaccurate distal taper, and is curved just enough to allow an effective thrust.
The value for money of this sword is incredible. I would buy this sword even if it were 200$ or 250$, and I would have no problem recommending this sword to anyone interested in using it for decoration, or using it for cutting, or even for sparring if left completely unsharpened and the point is rounded off. All in all, this is a great sword, and well worth the money.
Ojangles –
I own this and it’s an okay sword for the price but even though I sharpened mine it’s impossible to get a good edge on this, also the grip is extremely uncomfortable so make sure to wear a glove when handling it for long periods of time. Also the fact it says “India” on the blade kind of sucks for a very famous American sword.