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Post by amirlev on Jun 16, 2012 12:12:47 GMT
hi all, so i finally took the step and bought my first sword, don't get me wrong i'm a knife collector so i do know abit about blades
i bought it here from the SBG store, good service and they kept me updated all time so thanks guys. it was a real pleasure
but... (yeah there is a but) i wanted it sharpen, when it arrived my girlfriend got it because i was out of town for a week she told me bout the bit of rust on the guard and the blade don't sit in the middle of the handle(hilt) but overall it's nice ( my girlfriend can lift and use a double edge war axe- so nice for her is good for me ) but bit on the heavy side which i knew when i read the reviews here
the problem i had with it is the sharpening, it's so f***ing disappointing, it is mostly blunt, few spots are a bit sharpened but not for cutting paper, but mostly blunt. i contacted Eyal from darksword and sent him pictures and clips of the sword but still waiting for an answer so for now i got a few hundreds $ wall hanger as my first sword
so i thought why not try and sharp it by my own but as i read the guides i figured it will be a lot of trouble i mostly sure i will screw the blade so i decided to check with local blacksmiths but the price was more like a third- half of the sword cost me .
so now i'm back to try and sharpen it by myself i heard about somthing called accusharp and it can damage the secondary bevel (?), what is it?? what happens if i damage it? there is another way to sharpen the sword to a good/ decent edge?
thanks in advance and sorry for the repeating subject
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Greg
Senior Forumite
Posts: 1,800
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Post by Greg on Jun 16, 2012 12:29:49 GMT
Repeated subjects are what we do here My personal thoughts on the accusharp is to only use it for machetes. But there are plenty of people out there who find no problem using it on a sword. If you plan to use it on a sword, take extra care to only use light preasure when you are running it down the blade. After every pass, ensure that there aren't any ribbons of metal left on the carbide panels. The reason for the above is heavy pressure will cause to much metal to be removed at once and you can end up with a "wavey" edge and it looks disgusting. Checking the carbide panels on the accusharp will ensure that a piece of the sword isn't trying to cut itself. And most importantly, make sure you are centered on the edge and the accusharp is directly in line with the edge. If not, you'll get a lopsided edge and that is no good at all
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Post by William Swiger on Jun 16, 2012 14:01:49 GMT
My suggestion is you return the sword and buy something from a different manufacturer. Don't do anything to the sword or you will not be able to return it.
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Post by amirlev on Jun 16, 2012 14:16:25 GMT
thanks for the help Greg... i checked the forum again and there is some smith's sharpner better than the accusharp ... i 'll continue to look for a solution.
william, i wish i could do it now after i saw, felt and got the laconic answers for it , but unfortunatly the shipment cost me about a 100$ because it was to Israel, and i had to wait for a month and a half to get it now i have to see how i can overcome this and get this sword to be a real battle ready sword ...
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Post by William Swiger on Jun 16, 2012 14:37:27 GMT
Understand about the shipping. I have redone the edges on the Darksword models I used to have. I used files to redo the edges and different grade of sandpaper to smooth the edges out.
Takes awhile but can be done. Bad thing is you should not have to do this on a sword ordered with the sharpening option.
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Post by WEWolf on Jun 16, 2012 14:57:36 GMT
An Accusharp gives so-so results, you'd be better off with files and sandpaper, or a belt sander if the edge is at least kind of started. Welcome to the forum, where in Israel are you? I have a good friend in Even Yehudah.
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Post by mcapanelli on Jun 16, 2012 15:05:50 GMT
Are you nuts man? There's rust on the guard and the hilt is misaligned but it's a good sword? Send it back! I'd say sharpening is the least of your problems with the sword. I'll give you the same advice I give my Guitar student before they get their first good guitar. Go out and do your homework. Read as many reviews form as many sources as you can find. Get opinions form collectors and HEMA practitioners that have done this for a while, especially ones that have owned the products your after. Most importantly, try and hold the most expensive and highly rated swords you can. Everything under a certain price point will have trade offs, this is why the price is so low. To understand what those trade offs are you just have to experience it.
The trick is to figure out which trade off's you can live with. Sometimes it's just better to save more money and get a better product with less trade offs. Valiant Armory is a good bet at a higher price point. I'm at a place where I only deal with Albion, A&A and am now eyeing Atrims thanks to Tom K' with the upgraded finish and hilt options. I'd rather buy one sword of top quality than five of lesser. That's just me though. I have a sword cooking for later in the year (I may get one of the longship line from John Lundenmo) And next year my XVa commission with Christian Fletcher hits. That sword will be stunning. Neither sword will have any of the issues your highlighting.
My point? Buy what you want but do your homework so you know what your getting in to. Research not only the products of a company but it's customer service record as well. When you spend money on a product your buying in to their customer service practices as well. The customer service experience is the reason I buy Apple. I could get a PC that has the same specs for around $200 less, but when there's a problem I'd regret that $200. What am I getting? Instead of talking to some guy in India whom I have to convince that my computer is on and that I know what Im talking about so he sends a box so I can now ship out my computer to Nebraska to get fixed for two weeks or so......... Whew, I'm even tired from writing that. I go to the Apple store, explain the problem (Which is optional by the way) Drop it off and 48 hours later in most cases I have my computer back. Which way seem'd easier? Unless you have a timing for arguing with Indian man on the phone for an hour or so I'm guessing the Apple store way. Same with sword companies. Do your homework and maybe she a little more and you'll have none of the problems you do now along with a much better ownership experience in the long run.
Well that's my 2¢ adjusted for inflation.
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Post by amirlev on Jun 16, 2012 15:11:10 GMT
thanks you, i'm glad to be here, i'm frm Haifa it's about half an hour from, Even Yehuda
that's the problem i'm having, i'm afarid to ruin the blade because of my lack of experience, which kind of files and sandpapers do you use, i don't mind if it will take me long time, just not to damage the blade
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Post by aaronfranzen on Jun 16, 2012 17:26:07 GMT
I love DSA's but my only problem with them is the sharpening service. I would pay an extra $50 on top of the $35 to have it done correctly by them. Seems like its hit or miss on there swords weather they come sharp or axe sharp.
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Post by William Swiger on Jun 16, 2012 17:57:22 GMT
I used smooth metal files and followed by a rough sandpaper and worked up to higher grits.
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Post by u02rjs4 on Jun 16, 2012 19:04:38 GMT
A few months ago i decided to get a better edge on my dsa crecy. I used an angle grinder with a layered abrasive paper type attachment ( sorry don't know correct name). Worked really well. It didn't heat the metal to much and ruin the temper and it was quick enough to not be to tedious but not so fast to do serious damage. The edge came out with a curved slope with no secondary bevel and it cut really well. Used the same method on a del tin which also worked. If your fussy about a neat polished blade you'll probably need to hand sand and polish etc a bit as well. Don't know if this is a common method or advised but it worked for me.
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Post by willhart on Jun 17, 2012 2:50:22 GMT
Hi amirlev. I know a few co-workers from Haifa. Our company has a fab out there. I tried to hand sharpen my swords with sandpaper but first of all my hands aren't that stable to do 500+ strokes using sandpaper to sharpen and get the polish up there. I gave up on that because it would have taken 5 or more hours to sharpen something with a secondary bevel. I bought a $35 belt sander and belts. Probably $40 in belts. And I can now get my edges shaving sharp so I can easily shave hairs of my arm. Not to hard to learn especially if you take it slow. Read this post from the man himself he has videos showing you how to do it. Belt sander will save you from a 6 hour or more job to under an hour depending how much work you need to do. forum.sword-buyers-guide.com/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=84
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Post by amirlev on Jun 18, 2012 1:32:50 GMT
i wish i could send it back, but as i said the shipment itself will cost me as much as the sword, and for a week and a half i get no response from Darkswod armory nor Eyal and i;m very disappointed with the way he handles my problems but for future acquisitions i know i will stay away from DSA . i guess i;m stuck with it an now i hav t make the best to fix the problems in it.
thats my hometown, what is the name of the company? thanks for the info , i'll try it on 60$ musashi "katana" i have and see the result the main problem here in Israel is to find the exact sandpaper you're using or the file so i 'll order them from amazon and see what happens
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Post by mcapanelli on Jun 18, 2012 3:07:14 GMT
I totally missed the shipping part of your post. That sucks man. I'm truly sorry you had a bad experience. I do like the fact that your willing to turn lemons in to lemon aid as it were. It's unfortunate that after spending that much money you should have to put that kind of work in to it to get a serviceable edge. Again, my condolences. I can the;l you your not alone. For every good DSA story out there there's a bad one to counter it. I had one myself but that was years ago. Anyway man good luck on the mods and be sure to share pictures.
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Post by willhart on Jun 18, 2012 4:04:39 GMT
The company is Intel. Also, I don't know about the Sandpaper, but I buy my paper from a site called TruGrit. Tom mentioned he buys from them too. Tom says to start with 400 grit and work your way up, but I've found if you need to take off lots of metal you need to start lower. Since you say it's not sharp, you will need to start with a metal file, or low grit sandpaper like in the 100's or a little lower, and then work your way up. Files also leave nasty scratches that only sandpaper in the 100-200's will easially take off. I would suggest going for the more expensive sand paper belts as they last way longer. It's almost double the price, but it's the difference between $2 to the expensive $3 or $4 belts. Not that much more expensive, but definately worth it. www.trugrit.com/belts1.htmI don't know if they will ship Internationally or if you can find another company out there. It may be better to get a local brand of Belt Sanders. I know 2x72 in belts and 1x30 inch belts are standard.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Jun 19, 2012 4:34:59 GMT
Sory to hear about your bad situation. i don;t mind DSA but yes they do have some flaws with their swords and sharpening service. i have had a simmilar situation and have really put some time into fixing it. i really do suggest you read everything on this post: viewtopic.php?f=18&t=84Yes it was just posted but i'm rubbing it in as i have done this sharpening method on my DSA sword and now i'm quite happy with it. since you also collect knives this works great with keeping them sharp too!
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