First Time Using WES

[kpromero]

Today an early Christmas present came in. Ordered the WE Pro Pack 1 System and was at the door when i got back from work. Set it all up and used it on my Spyderco Delica 4, which was basically 3 weeks old. It had a pretty rough edge on it from factory but was pretty darn sharp. So after doing some reading on here and watching videos, I decided to just go ahead and see what I can do on it with the WE. One issue i have is that one of the 400/600 stone is slightly tight on the rod from mid way to lower on it and it hangs up some and pretty annoying. I also had one side of the knife 1 degree off from the other. The WE does take some getting use to, but in time I know I will get the hang of it as I do more practice. Knife came out pretty sharp, but was sharper from factory so I guess I kinda dulled it out actually. I went up to the 1,000 stone with it. I actually thought this setup came with the better arms but I guess that only comes with the Pro Pack 2 setup. What should i do with the one stone that slides pretty stiff on the arm?

 

[kpromero]

Trying to upload a picture on here from desktop.

[Mark76]

Try a smaller picture? Alternatively (and my preferred option) is to use an external picture hosting service like photobucket.

If there’s something really wrong with the stone, give WE a call. Their customer service is great.

Molecule Polishing: my blog about sharpening with the Wicked Edge

[tcmeyer]

kpromero:

The factory ABS blocks are molded with about a 0.260″ bore diameter, which normally is plenty loose to allow the blocks to move freely on 1/4″ rods.  It could be there is some molding residue left in the bore which needs to be cleaned out, but first you want to check to see if the block works well on the opposite rod.  If it does, your rod may be bent slightly.  Try rolling it on a flat surface.  If you see a high spot, you might try rapping it with a mallet.  It doesn’t take much to cure the problem.

I run bronze bushings on my blocks, which have almost zero clearance.  When they feel sticky, I clean them with a .243 rifle brush.  The rods also benefit from an occasional wipe-down with alcohol or some such.

You’re probably jumping the gun by taking on your Delica 4 before running your stones through a full break-in period, especially if it’s a ZDP.  Diamond stones have an excess of diamond grit attached that needs to be knocked off before you’ll see truly flat surfaces.  That may take 10 – 20 knives.  I chipped the heck out of my ZDP Delica with a new set of 800’s.

When you get around to it, try the PP2 upgrade kit.  That’ll get you the ball-end couplings with the threaded rods.  Check with Bob Oldowan at the link below and ask if he can send you the upgrade kit with longer arms.  I always seem to need longer rods.  Long blades, the low-angle adapter and the Tormek small knife adapter all benefit from longer rods.  I just put on my fourth set of arms (PP1, PP2, 12-inch and now 14-inch) and never felt them to be a nuisance.

Good luck, and welcome to a very special forum.  Great guys, great info.

http://www.oldawan.com/brands/Wicked-Edge.html

[kpromero]

Thanks all for the tips so far. Yes i did switch them around and the stone works great on the opposite side and does not hang up. I will try to give them a call today and see what they can do.

I run bronze bushings on my blocks, which have almost zero clearance. When they feel sticky, I clean them with a .243 rifle brush. The rods also benefit from an occasional wipe-down with alcohol or some such. How did you do this and sounds intereting?

 

[kpromero]

Lets see if tis works. made picture smaller

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[wickededge]

Your edge looks nicely formed but a bit rough from the new stones. There is a nice article addressing your first sets of questions, minus the bit about the block sticking on your rod here: https://www.wickededgeusa.com/i-just-got-my-wicked-edge-and-sharpened-my-first-knife-its-not-as-sharp-as-i-thought-it-would-be-whats-going-wrong/. Mark and Tom are right about the issue with the rod – give us a call and we’ll get you squared away. Did you determine if it’s the block or the rod that’s giving you problems?

-Clay

[kpromero]

I believe it is the block actually. Tried it and it is stiff on both sides. Wish i would have gone with the WE Pro Pack 2, since i just ordered the upgraded handles and would have gooten more bang for the buck with that system. I really thought the upgraded arms also came with the PP1 package.

[wickededge]

kpromero wrote:

I believe it is the block actually. Tried it and it is stiff on both sides. Wish i would have gone with the WE Pro Pack 2, since i just ordered the upgraded handles and would have gooten more bang for the buck with that system. I really thought the upgraded arms also came with the PP1 package.

Okay, thanks. Please give a call (877-616-9911) or email: support@wickededgeusa.com with your mailing address and we’ll get a new one right out to you.

-Clay

[tcmeyer]

kpromero wrote:

I run bronze bushings on my blocks, which have almost zero clearance. When they feel sticky, I clean them with a .243 rifle brush. The rods also benefit from an occasional wipe-down with alcohol or some such. How did you do this and sounds intereting?

This is a rather difficult procedure and I wouldn’t recommend it unless you have the skills and access to some machine-shop equipment.  Cliff Curry, who haunts this forum, has a much simpler solution, I think, with some sleeves which are inserted at the ends of the bores.  If he doesn’t chime in here, try to send him a personal message.

[Anonymous]

A little lapping compound bought at Home depot will burnish that soft ABS block bore without hurting the rod. you can use some automotive rubbing compound ( Not polishing compound ) if you cant find lapping compound.
Hope this helps.. its simple fix. Make sure you clean the bore and the rod after you fix this easy fix.
Just put a little compound on the rod, and run the block up and down until it glides smoothly.

[kpromero]

Talked to Kyle today from WE and he will send me some new replacements. Also decided to upgrade to the Pro Pack 2, so will send me those items also. Really helpful group of folks over there and really appreciate the way they back there products.

[kpromero]

Well i have been really busy so have not had time to play around with my WES. I actually upgraded to the pro pack 2 system. Today i had finally had time so i decided to see what i could do with my Spyderco Delica 4 this afternoon. I clamped it down, used the angle gauge to make sure i was even on both sides, raised a burr on both sides of blade and went through all stone grits. When finished and louping the tip i noticed that it appears that i have one side maybe angled more than the other i am guessing since they do not match up perfectly. is this normal or what may have i done wrong? I sharpened both sides equally with the same amount of strokes. Shaves hair better on one side than other.

[Josh]

kpromero wrote:

Well i have been really busy so have not had time to play around with my WES. I actually upgraded to the pro pack 2 system. Today i had finally had time so i decided to see what i could do with my Spyderco Delica 4 this afternoon. I clamped it down, used the angle gauge to make sure i was even on both sides, raised a burr on both sides of blade and went through all stone grits. When finished and louping the tip i noticed that it appears that i have one side maybe angled more than the other i am guessing since they do not match up perfectly. is this normal or what may have i done wrong? I sharpened both sides equally with the same amount of strokes. Shaves hair better on one side than other.

Even though you used the same number of passes on each side I have notice that I inadvertently apply more pressure w/ my right arm (I’m right handed) so you may have to spend a little more time on the “shorter” side if both of your angles are good to go w/ an angle cube.

If it’s shaving hair better on one side than the other, that means you have a burr or a wire edge you didn’t fully remove. Mount it back in the vise and use light, edge leading passes alternating (on on each side, whisper light) for several until it’s no longer doing that. If your diamonds aren’t broken in yet you may have to strop lightly to eliminate this and clean up the apex.

[tcmeyer]

I’m a lefty and know that like Josh, I tend to apply more pressure on the left side compared to the right.  But I’d like to point out that factory edges are almost never perfectly symmetrical.  Even though you apply the same pressure and the same number of stroke to each side, you might still end up with an off-center apex – a result of an asymmetrical factory grind.  The solution is to take more strokes on the side with the narrower bevel, until the two bevels are symmetrical.  If starting with a new, factory edge, you might want to do this over the course of several sharpenings.

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Josh

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