Newb Dude

Welcome aboard! Interesting user name… So how long have you had your WE and what sort of sharpening have you tried?

Welcome! I like the user name, too. I’ve got a knife with a handle made of warthog tusk (to stay on topic…) 😉

I think that you will find all the information you require under resources at the top of this page it has a subsection – instructions I think you will find everything you need there . If not post a more specific question and someone will have the answer or is the part you are missing the template to mount the vice to a base?
There manual does not have much in it the rest is in the Wiki for WE http://www.wickededgeusa.com/wiki/index.php?title=Main_Page&Itemid=261 I hate to think a whole WE w/end is lost due to lack of info .

Leo Nav

Ah now I understand to be honest I do not use mine plus if you are starting on some old knives it really won’t matter if there is a fair amount of blade curve up to the point then position the clamp about 2/3 of the way towards it if the knife is about right the bevel should be consistent throughout the entire length.
You should do at least a dozen junk knives to accustom yourself to the tool and to start breaking in the diamonds I am sure they will send you one next week by the time you get it you will be ready for refining everything so by then if you choose to use the guide your technique should be on the way to start doing slightly better knives or redoing your first knives .
Ideally you should be doing the nastiest Chinese knives to start off with or knives perhaps you partner has used for digging in the garden.

Leo Nav

I misplaced my alignment guide a while back when I moved my sharpening station, and promptly forgot what it was called. I haven’t missed it enough to do an earnest search for it, as its only use is to help you repeat the same sharpening position for each knife when they come back for the next service. But that’s not much help unless you’re keeping a record or log-book for each knife.

If you check out the Knife Database under the Resource pull-down menu, you’ll see that most of the guys have recorded a position on the alignment guide for each knife. Being an old, scatter-brained, disorganized, walking human trash basket, I’ve chosen to forgo good sense and rather to key on some fixed, identifiable feature of the blade. For folding knives (80-90% of my sharpening), I always put the blade spine flat on the pins in the upper position and always with the bolster up against the vise. I just did a Case Old Timer which was my dad’s, given to me on Easter by my soon-to-be 96-year-old mother. The shape and length of the blade didn’t seem to fit my normal formula, so I indexed it with the top of the clip even with the far edge of the vise. For my Spyderco Delica, I align the forward edge of the thumbhole with the front edge of the vise.

The Old Timer and the Spyderco are both examples of something you’ll come across on this forum: FFG – Full Flat Ground, meaning that the primary grind angle extends all the way to the spine. The sectional view of such blades is that of a triangle. This will present a problem the first time it pops up for you as there are no parallel faces to clamp on, but there are several ways to deal with it. I choose to clamp the blade flat against the left jaw face, and swing the right jaw face out until it is parallel to the other side of the blade. This method leans the Old Timer 3.0 degrees to the left, and you need to adjust your stone angles accordingly. This will be only one example of the beautiful flexibility of the WE system you have to look forward to.

Remember that having a secure purchase on the blade is crucial. Some use bits of chamois. I use about one sq. inch of a blue Scott paper Shop Towel.

Have great fun!