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.
M. H. –
Great Value This is an extremely affordable, pretty, and functional cutter. For close to $100 you get a cool piece of history that is well executed. It handles well and cuts even better. The brass guard and metal scabbard both look gorgeous. It looks and feels very much like a real antique Union Light Cavalry saber.
The only problems I had with the sword are easily fixed.
There wasn’t any retention in the scabbard. I gorilla glued a small piece of leather to the inside of the scabbard and it pinches down on the flat near the strong of the blade to hold it in place. It was an easy fix and it holds even when upside down. It also prevents metal on blade contact when drawing the blade.
The next problem was with the small piece of cloth that is placed on the hilt to prevent contact with the scabbard when the blade is sheathed. It is loose and can easily slide down the blade. Antique sabers usually have a piece of cork but I substituted leather as a replacement for the cloth.
The last thing isn’t really a problem. The wire on the grip tends to dig in to your hands. I have callused hands and I can handle the sword comfortably but some may wish to use gloves to protect the palms. I find the wire useful in maintaining a good hold.
Alielbaryeshua (verified owner) –
I originally purchased this as a ceremonial weapon to go along with all of my old cavalry gear from my stint in the army. The 124th were Cavalry Scouts, so a light cavalry union blade was the best fit. It’s front heavy like all cavalry sabers, but otherwise it’s pretty well balanced. After sharpening it arrived ready to cleave. My only complaint is the scabbard. While the scabbard looks like it might be stainless steel, it’s not. Within the first few months of sitting in my dry closet, the scabbard developed BB sized rust spots all over it, from top to bottom. And this was AFTER I had preemptively rubbed on a layer of petroleum based gun oil to the blade and scabbard. The blade looks fine, but the scabbard is made from some pretty cheap steel. So I’d recommend putting some kind of anti-rest preservative on it and then placing the sword in one of those anti-moisture gun socks for storage. I would NOT put this sword on display unless you want it to rust.
Aiden Wilhere (verified owner) –
Great quality and fantastic price.
This saber cuts very well and the fit is very tight after I’ve been using it for about a week. The finish is beautiful and the false edge had a good bevel to it so it wasn’t hard to sharpen. Good quality steel, it’s holds an edge very well even when cutting throw tougher materials like wood and bone. Overall a great sword especially for the price range