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.
Celtic Templar (verified owner) –
The Pilum just came in, and I must say the weapon is perfect for the Roman Legionnaire, it just feels perfect in the hand, and yet light and strong at the same time. I’ve tested this weapon out on a few targets and even some shields, and it seems that the pilum has managed to do its job, and yet not even broken the head from the weapon.
Ilan Davidowitz (verified owner) –
Well-balanced and feels great in the hand!
Matthew Macon (verified owner) –
The Pros – The pilum is well balanced, light, and fairly cheap. I have no javelin throwing experience and am moderately fit from prior military service, and I could throw this with tangibly good accuracy and range (around 30 yards). The steel penetrator head doesn’t appear to be liable to bend or break, and could not be bent by hand as you could with soft iron.
The Con – Javelin wooden shaft broke right at the screw fixture on about the 10th throw. There is no tang, just two short 1/2 in (modern) screws that are painted over that affix the conical steel head over the tapered shaft.
Fortunately this is repairable, as the shaft is very long it gives me plenty of room to repair, but I would have to replace the shaft completely to have a better peace of mind. My town also has a local historical blacksmith who works at a museum, so it would be easy for me to replace the screws with a more period-appropriate iron fixture.