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.
Joel –
Fantastic for the price I’m have had this piece for over 10 years. It has been used for martial arts training and some cutting. The balance and handling are superb. If you like pole arms, I would highly recommend this one to you.
Gregor44 –
As I studied the most used weapons in Japan by Samurai and infantry soldiers, I found it interesting the famous Samurai swords were used last in most combat. The Yumi and different bows were used along with pole arms like the Yari spear and the Naginata were used first to keep the enemy at a distance. The Naginata blade continues far into the shaft to give you a solid feel and good control while being held by one makugi pin and a solid tsuba that makes this look like it came out of a museum but its no toy replica. T-10 clay tempered steel with a beautiful deep double bohi groove and artwork on the tsuba and shaft make this really look like it belongs next to a Samurai warrior in battle or by the woman of the house guarding the home. Either way its great to use and to admire and the name Paul Chen Hanwei has been around so long that people know its quality and not some cheap replica. That name gives you security, and know its value will stay firm and increase over time. Be carefull it’s very sharp so make sure you clean the blade and I use Hanwei sword oil on all my high carbon steel blades to prevent any corrosion and keep them looking great.