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.
Dave K. –
It’s not French. It’s a Russian M1810!! This is one of the old Chouhan family classic blades. The blade is the French double fullered straight blade employed in the Empire by Heavy Cavalry Cuirassiers and Dragoons. Czar Alexander I was much impressed with many things Napoleon and ordered the Zlatoust arsenal to produce a Russian version of the French icon. The hilt is styilized, with a square guard plate and a champaign stopper pommel, otherwise it is the same sword.
Universal does a nice job in the fit and finish of their pieces. They look great on display. Their weapon dynamics, sad to say, are poor. Drawback with all the Universal attempts at using this type blade (and they use it 7 different swords) is their inability to approach the correct grind. In curassier form the blade stock starts at 10.5 mm and ends with a foible blade slightly under 2 mm! The enlisted blade does weigh 3 lbs ( I have 4 originals ), but thanks to very particular balance engineering these swords are very manageable in both holding a point on line, and in cutting.
Buying a real one will cost you 1500.00. For a beginner enthusiast, this is a great atmosphere piece.