I was under the impression that bronze swords' lifespans were limited by the metal; they can't be sharpened, but would need to be re-cast. A replaceable handle probably wouldn't help much.
But other damage was limited. Bends and dents andd the like can only be repaired so often before the metal becomes brittle. Work Hardening is sort of the application of this process just to the surface/edge.
Wait, can you really not sharpen bronze? From what I know it takes a good edge, just not quite as fine as steel would. But I don't know anything about not being able to sharpen it.
I have been told that, but I really don't know. It's a tech that's been obsolete for a couple millenia now, so I hadn't put much actual research into it.
You can definitely resharpen bronze. The castings are not perfectly sharp, the edges are further worked (and can be hammered and work hardened). I don't think you can redo work hardening indefinitely but you can a bit and can scrape and grind and hone repeatedly. There are (or were last I looked) some people supplying cast blanks these days for re-enactors to try sharpening up. Always wanted to try that one day.
