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.
Steve –
Hanwei Francesca Ax I purchased this ax after acquiring a couple of ancient Francesca type ax heads. They are both larger and much heavier than this one. I can picture them splitting helmets and shields with ease. I wanted to hold a complete one in my hand.
I was initially disappointed with how light this one is, no splitting helmets with it, but after some time holding and swinging it I came to appreciate how long it could be wielded if necessary.
The overall quality is excellent. It has not had to cut anything yet so I cannot say how well it will hold up but for a mostly wall hanger you can’t do much better.
Rick M. –
REAL Fighting/Throwing/Close-Quarter Combat Axe At first glance, the haft on this looks a bit thin and “wimpy”, but don’t be fooled… This is a solid weapon. As soon as I got this, I wrapped about a third of the handle with leather tennis racquet grip. (Though plain leather strips or cloth tape would work as well.) That done, the grip was very comfortable and secure.
Swinging this axe is almost effortless, and throwing it is a breeze. It doesn’t fly like a tomahawk, but then it isn’t a tomahawk in the first place. Once you get the hang of it (took me about a dozen throws and I was sticking it consistently. The real fun however is using this as a hand to hand weapon. (Not that I really fought anybody.)
I took to my pell with this and every strike bit hard. The curved handle really amplifies the force of a strike, and after wrapping the grip to absorb some shock, this could be swung all day and hit after hit, you could keep on striking.
Although this is a weapon associated with Frankish warriors, axes of this type were exported by Frankish traders all across Europe. It’s easy to see how this type of weapon would be so widely used. The shape of the head makes it able to hook opponent’s shields, knees, ankles or necks. Super all-around weapon!
The leather snap-on cover allows this to be safely carried on a belt or through a rind type frog.
For the price, outstanding utility and quality… this gets all five stars.
T.F –
Cool design The design of the axe is quite nice. After mild throwing use the head loosened, and the tip on the top side of the axe ended up rolling over. I secured the axe head and worked out the roll. It is quite light, and a fun fighting axe as it is quite agile in the hand (which is impressive for a non graceful weapon type).