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.
Evan –
Military Flail First of all this thing is huge! It is definitely a two handed flail. The handle is made a lovely hardwood that feels great in my hands and the chain and weights appear to be made of iron. I have already smashed several pots with it, but i’m confident that it could easily deliver enough force to crush a skull and possibly dent armor. If you like flails this is a must have.
Griffin –
Crazy good quality for price Purchased on Monday, received Thursday the same week.
I’ve never had a GDFB product before, but I’ve read some mixed things on them, but for like $55 shipped, this thing is fantastic. What really got me is the quality of the metals used. The chain, weights, and bracket that attaches the latter to the shaft of the weapon are all ruggedly made and excellent to look at. The pins in the bracket are strong, and the welds in the chains are tight. Finish is quite good considering the lower cost, and everything feels pretty fluid when swinging. You can see some machining marks on the weights, but they’re rather hard to notice. The weights themselves are nice and heafty, solid, and look wicked. After some tests, there are no marks on them (tested on pressure treated wood, concrete blocks, and aluminum posts). Causes nasty damage on concrete and deep knicks on the aluminum and wood. All in all, very impressed with the metal components of this weapon.
The wood handle isn’t a high point though. It does feel strong and the grain looks great, but it was covered in greasy marks and deep stains. Gives it a cool vintage look however.
Should note that it is rather large in person, larger than I thought. That being said, it does feel like the size is just right. Easy to swing with 1 hand, or both. I’m not crazy on the double chain design, because missing a target will cause them to wrap around each other and become hard to swing until they’re unwrapped. I see myself removing one and keeping a single weight on the end.
Would give a 9.5/10, just because of the messy finish on the halft.
Kortney B. –
An awesome flail! Wow! This thing is quite amazing in person. Well made construction seems like it would hold up well to functionality test, which I have not performed as of yet. I am thinking a test medium of watermelons or pumpkins would work quite well. Definitely a dangerous weapon to be wielded in skilled hands and an even more dangerous in unskilled hands especially to the wielder! If you are looking for a nice well constructed flail definitely pick this one up. You will NOT be disappointed.
Mike –
Good for the price. For $40 it is worth the price. It is well constructed and should stand up to some heavy use provided you don’t go total ape with it, as anything can break. I believe the wood is ash and seems sturdy enough. The parts are all common hardware fare so you could make a similar piece on your own with a trip to the hardware store and Home Depot but you would need to do some welding. Its easier to just purchase. No complaints with the piece and it is something different to add to a growing collection. I might add some leather for a better grip.
Kevin S. –
Historically Accurate! Having seen very few flail-type weapons with true historical provenance(or practicality) It is refreshing to find a piece that matches the descriptions of real weapons. Beyond this, it is a well-made tool that has all the hallmarks of a weapon that will be in service for a long time to come. Once again GDFB has come through with wonderful craftsmanship.
Terry R. –
Serious weapon, excellent flail This is a large, brutish weapon which puts the “evil” in medieval. I’ve outlined the salient points on this item below:
• It had a greasy film on the chains at first, so I sprayed the metal parts with brake cleaner, then rinsed it with 70% rubbing alcohol. That quickly removed the oily residue. I then re-oiled it with thin gun oil. It’s much less messy now.
• The handle alone is a whopping two feet in length, and 4+ inches in circumference. You have plenty of room to get a good grip, and you’ll need it when you get this thing spinning!
• The twin chains are 12″ each, and connected to the handle with thick rings of steel (iron?). Both hefty chains terminate in a squarish chunk of solid black metal, reminiscent of old-style fishing weights, except made from steel instead of lead. I consider these superior to spiked or plain balls (and probably more realistic) as they transfer a great deal of energy to a small surface. This results in a large amount of force in a small area, but unlike spikes, they do not become stuck in the target. There’s no doubt they could smash through all but the strongest armor. I rapped mine against 3/4 inch plywood, and it took little effort to put large dents in the wood.
• The wooden handle on my flail had a very interesting grain pattern; nearly half appeared to be dark heartwood. I’ve no idea what kind of wood it is, but it appears to be very strong. I will lightly sand the handle and treat it with a clear finish to accentuate the impressive grain. • I bought this item simply because I had no flail in my collection of medieval weapons, and it was very inexpensive. I could not have done any better – even if I had spent much more money. This is a wonderful addition of any collection of melee weapons.
• As always, Kult of Athena delivered it quickly and well, like they do everything. KOA is a great company – keep up the good work, folks!