sharpening a high-carbon sword

S

shun

Joined
Feb 8, 2002
Messages
7
Hi all, I have acquired a Japanese high-carbon steel sword, but the edge has not been sharpened. The dealer said it could be sharpened by a smith. My question is, can I possibly sharpen it by myself? What should be done to sharpen it correctly? Thanks.
 
Hmmm...

Who was it made by, and why did you buy the sword unsharpened?

there are a lot of unsharpened "iaito" that are made with steel, simple or stainless. They are not intended to be sharpened at all.

A real Japanese-style sword is sharpened as a result of the polishing...it is not like a knife where you can polish it, then just grind an edge on.
 
I bought it from a martial arts supplies store. Do you think the owner lied to me by saying that it can be sharpened? Is there any way to sharpen it?
 
If it's the REAL DEAL, meaning handmade in Japan by a good well known smith then the answer would be no, don't sharpen it yourself. But if it is a mass produced sword for martial arts, then I guess it would be ok. But be sure it's secure in the handle if you intend to use it. Robert basically said it all regarding iaito.
 
This is definitely a mass produced one and not too highly priced, so when you say it's ok, does that mean it would be possible for a blacksmith to sharpen the edge pretty well for me? I mean, this is not something I want to keep forever, I just wish to sharpen it, that's all. So is this possible?
 
(if this is flat out impossible, please tell me so I can take it back to the store)
 
Hehe since it's mass produced, I think that water and some sharpening stones won't hurt it. It won't be a traditional edge but it'll be sharp. Just remember to check it every time you use it. I had an iaito that had a retaining pin snap but luckilly it did not totally break off or that blade would've been sent flying. A rough grit stone should do the re-edgeing and follow it up with a smoother stone. Sharpening stones can be found at a cutlery store or Home Depot.
 
Aha... ok, so how long do you think it will take to sharpen the entire edge?
 
Hmmm...assuming the blade is 26 to 29 inches, it might take at least an hour or so. To give you an idea, I had a cheap machete I reprofiled and the edge was about 15 inches. I think I worked on the daymn thing for 2 hours before I was happy wth it. Gotta be patient while doing any kind of edge work on any pointy object.
 
Thanks. Are there special pointers I should remember when applying sharpening stones? And by the way, why use water?
 
No other special pointers other than make sure you get a good angle in the grind and watch your fingers. Since it's a bigger blade, honing oil wouldn't be too realistic to get so it would be cheaper to just go out back and use water from your garden hose.
 
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