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.
Dakota M. –
Iron Tiger Forge Tang Dao For people who don’t want to read a long review: This sword is very well made and constructed. It’s a steal right now at 400$.
I have to say, this is my first Chinese sword so I did not exactly know what to expect, plus the small amount of reviews on a lot of Iron Tiger’s products didn’t help. However, I have to say that nothing about this sword disappoints. First of all, it arrived in a wooden gift box that has a beautiful finish, contained in a silk bag elegantly decorated in Chinese design. Upon opening the box, the sword is lavishly presented; resting in yellow plush along with included sword bag and traditional maintenance kit, along with a simple pair of cloth gloves to keep hand oils off the blade or wood.
Moving on to the sword itself, the scabbard and handle are made of very solid feeling darkened wood. It’s hard to see in the photos, but the wood is a very dark brown finish that appears charcoal colored in most lighting. The wood is very smooth and feels very luxurious, not cheap whatsoever and it goes very nicely with the brass fittings and guard. Mine came with the pictured yellow cord attached to the scabbard fittings, however to my surprise and delight, I got a different sword tassel. Instead of the yellow one pictured here, I got the black one with the jade ring similar to the one the special edition has. Not sure if that’s always the case, but just be aware.
Battle wise, the sword construction feels extremely solid. There is no movement or looseness whatsoever when I shake or knock it around a bit. When I tap towards the bottom of the handle, you can feel the whole blade construction stiffly vibrating from point to pommel giving me great confidence in its integrity. You can’t really get a good idea from the pictures that easily, but the blade spine is pretty freaking hardy, it is thick and rounded, coming to a very sharp point. You feel most of the weight in the blade, but this is normal for most dao. Handle it a bit and you’ll feel it, this sword is a brutal chopper and very quick on the thrust. The edge arrived sharp, but not sharp enough to cut paper. I haven’t used mine to test cut with yet, but nothing about the construction gives me any doubt. Nothing about this purchase feels shoddy. You get a culturally-inspired, beautiful, well-made, and battle ready Dao. I appreciated mine even more once I handled it in person.
Also did I mention the Chinese folded steel is awesome? And be careful not to accidentally insert the sword in backwards, given it’s a single edge sword with a straight scabbard. I caught myself almost inserting it wrong, you’ll definitely damage your scabbard if you’re not paying attention. Can’t wait to get my hands on more Iron Tiger products in the future.
Joe D. –
Nice Sword but blade was mounted on no longer available BC0810_RD Parts This is a very nice piece for the price. I had it for a while when it occurred to me that tassels were wrong. When I and looked deeper into the matter I discovered that the blade was mounted with the entire grip, scabbard, fittings, and tassels of the “Iron Tiger Forge Tang Dynasty Dao with Red and Black folded steel blade – BC0810_RD” which is listed as Also Available on this page. It is actually No Longer Available. I must admit I may have ordered that sword instead because of it’s blade; had it been available, and the price was right. The sword build I received does look better with the scabbard, grip, fittings, and tassels it was supposed to come with. I would like to have what I ordered even though it took me four months to discover this. It is always in the box under my bed, and I only looked at briefly two times prior to today since I received it What do you say KOA?