Not sure whether I should post this here or not, since the Practical Tanto is technically a knife, but it is made by a company that is known for producing swords, so here goes. Does the Practical Tanto have a grind like a traditional Katana, or is it ground like a regular knife blade. If it does have the "appleseed" grind of a traditional katana, would I be able to regrind it with a Gatco Professional? I want to know, because I'm interested in one, but being able to sharpen it myself is a must. I've been told that it is very expensive to have a japanse sword polished. Thanks in advance.
Hmm... basically, the geometry is much simpler than a typical daito (larger edged objects of Japanese form/structure) - and is typically relatively flat on the sides, with a convex geometry (appleseed) to the edge.
Can't speak for their recent models, as I haven't handled them, but I wouldn't recommend putting a secondary bevel on them IMO - unless you really really want to.
Yes, traditional, "art" polishing of Japanese-style or Japanese-made (nihonto) edged objects would be quite expensive, something like 100-200 USD per inch at the minimum (depending on the skill, experience, reputation, etc of the polisher).
However, for a production model, there are much cheaper, and DIY alternatives.
Look up hybrid polishing on Swordforum.com and on search engines. It is NOT that difficult, though practicing on cheap kitchen knives may be necessary (preferably carbon steel), and it will be a painstaking process until you get better at it. Basically, the idea is to remove metal over the entire surface of the blade to slightly "fix" the geometry - typically, however, for maintenance, it shouldn't require more than a strop, some polishing compound, and some time. Use of mild acids (vinegar, etc) to etch the hardened edge, and use of modern abrasives such as sandpaper, are typical.
Looking up "convex" and "strop" may also yield some good results.
