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.
Ash –
This is a very solid spearhead for stage combat and reenactment, and is well made and very affordable! I purchased this item along with an ash wood shaft to make a spear for my 10th-century anglo-scandinavian viking impression, and this spearhead works very well as a compromise for crafting an accurate viking-age spear, while also being safe for reenactment combat. It looks very imposing when mounted on a 7 foot spear shaft, and I am very happy with my purchase.
To add to the specifications in the description, the depth of the socket is 4 inches (10.16 cm), and the width of the blade at its widest is 1.5 inches (3.81cm). It is relatively easy to fit the head onto the shaft using a pencil, wood chisels and small rubber mallet, a draw blade, clamps, and intermediate wood working skills. I drilled a hole and used an old carpentry nail from my toolbox to secure the head to the shaft. Prior to installation, I sanded off any finish on nail head in order to have a uniform steel look, and sawed off the end of the nail. If needed, I could remove the nail pretty easily with some tools, but it is very secure.
A note to those less familiar with weapon maintenance: This spearhead will be shipped in a preservative jelly to prevent rusting, which you will need to clean off in order to handle. You can use WD-40 for this, then after wipe off the WD-40 with a paper towel and apply a CLP or 3-in-1 oil with a soft cloth to prevent oxidation. I personally use an eyeglass cloth and a single drop of oil for this. You will need to wipe off and reapply oil each time you handle the spearhead, or else your finger oil will leave dark marks on the blade!