Frank B

[Frank B]

Hello MarcH–

With your help (everyone else), I’ll figure this out.   Everyone has been very kind.

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sksharp, Marc H

[Frank B]

thanks for your response.  I need all the help I can get.  I will figure this out one way or another.

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sksharp, Marc H

[Frank B]

Hello Sksharp–

This isn’t the first time I have a problem with having a screw loose…  🙂

I will continue to research this issue and when I find a good solution, it will be my pleasure to share it with the group.

Thanks for your thoughts.  One hand washes the other.

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sksharp, Marc H

[Frank B]

Hello AlieN–

I believe that my primary problem is that I have overworked one side of the blade in an effort to create a burr along the full length of the blade.  And I used the 100 grit stone to do so.  So your advice is correct–I need to stop doing that.  Fortunately, I have the Gen 3 2017 split-jaw, self-adjusting vise.  I already had figured that this would be a good accessory because many blades have full flat grinds and/or deep swedges.  That vise does a good job of keeping the blade vertical.

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AlieN, sksharp, Marc H

[Frank B]

Hello TC–

I appreciate your insights.  I’m glad that you discovered that the ends of your nylon screws have worked well.  As I previously posted, because my vise does not have those holes in the side, I’ll see if I can solve this another way.  But I still am disappointed that the Gen 3 2017 system, especially considering the great sophistication in the second version in 2017, still has a problem retaining the micro-adjustment settings without slipping. I hope that the company comes up with a modification/re-designed part that I can easily install.

[Frank B]

Hello Marc–

Thanks for the additional information regarding the proper method and amount of Teflon tape to apply.  I would have wrapped a piece all the way around the threads, and would have bound up the screw.  I managed to get back from Lowe’s with the tape before it snowed last night.  I haven’t tried it yet, but will report on the results thereafter.

Also, I will lubricate the ball joints as you suggested.  I plan to use a dry Teflon-based spray.  It has a volatile carrier that evaporates, living a Teflon film behind.  I ran into a concern about lubricating the vise and the tech support people at Wicked Edge suggested this type of product.  The vise began to creak when rotating the lever, even at the lowest setting.  I wanted to avoid using any kind of oil-based lubricant because I didn’t want it to hold any of the diamond dust and metal residue from the sharpening procedure.  I also used compressed air to remove the diamond dust and metal before applying that lubricant.  It worked, creak gone.  So I expect it will do a similar job on the ball joints.  I just want to make sure that it doesn’t migrate into the locking threads and make my adjustment slippage problem worse.

I have a newer version of that vise in which the locking screw is diametrically-opposed to the micro-adjustment screw.  While this arrangement avoids driving a metal locking screw into the side of the threads of the locking screw, the arrangement STILL doesn’t hold a setting very well.  This is the one important issue I have encountered with the Wicked Edge system.  I keep hoping that the company will come up with an answer–e.g., another screw type, etc.  So while some of the other solutions people have offered regarding plastic plugs and nylon screws coming in from the side, I’d have to drill and tap the vise.  That is above my mechanical “pay grade,” and I would risk damaging the vise.  So I hope that Teflon tape will provide enough stickiness to hold the offending screws in place.  And I still don’t know which one is actually slipping–the micro-adjustment side or the locking screw coming in from the opposite end.  And I need to make sure that whatever I do, I don’t end up with that tape being impossible to remove if needed.

[Frank B]

Hello–

Somewhere around this house I believe I have roll of that Teflon tape, and if not, I need to run to Lowe’s this evening.  I’m still not sure which screw is working loose–the one holding the ball joint or the center-opposed locking screw.  I typically check the ball joint screw first, but who’s to say which one has worked loose?  But at that point, you can tighten either the ball joint screw or the center-opposed locking screw.  My gut is that it’s the ball joint screw, so if the Teflon tape works at that location, voila…I’ve fixed the problem.  If not, I may elect to try the center-opposed locking screw.  But either way, to me it’s remarkable that with a locking nut at one end and a center-opposed locking screw well-cinched at the other end, the adjustment still manages to loosen.

And…I’ll head over to the “Mods” section to see what else I can find.  Thanks for the suggestion.

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Marc H

[Frank B]

Hello Organic–

Your specific approach–checking and evening out the bevels right from the start–is valuable.  When reading the official Wicked Edge instructions, I followed them literally.  While they offer a general approach, they are really more of a guide to sharpening principles.  By the way, despite my uneven apexes, the knives ended up VERY sharp.  And I still would like to have even bevels/apexes so that I minimize metal loss as well as achieving better esthetics.  Your suggestion will help me a great deal.

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sksharp, Marc H

[Frank B]

Hello Marc–

Before I invested in the Wicked Edge, I viewed a lot of these videos.  It’s now time to go back and watch them again.  As you pointed out, they make more sense now that I own the system.

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SalisburySam, Marc H

[Frank B]

Hello SKS–

I appreciate the tip on setting the angles differently on each side when necessary.  I have the Gen 3 Pro 2017 model, and according to the Wicked Edge literature, the new vise is supposed to correct for this automatically.  That said, I also use a black sharpie to check my progress and my bevels.  I also use a digital angle gauge to maintain exact angles for the stones.  And I frequently check to see that these angles remain unchanged.  The fine adjustment screws have a tendency to loosen.  And I’m not sure whether individual stones themselves vary in their angular incidence.  I guess this is all part of the learning curve.

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sksharp, David, wickededge, Marc H

[Frank B]

Hello Marc–

I appreciate your thoughtful reply.  In my working life I wrote technical manuals and related instructions.  So I tend to follow manuals literally, as the instructions that I used to write were complete and accurate (if only the users would take the time to follow them…).  The Wicked Edge manual emphasizes the need to raise a burr along the entire length of the blade, and it also discusses starting out with the coarsest stone.  When I did those things, I ground down one side of the blade A LOT.  But I began to realize, as you have pointed out, that these instructions provided general guidance.  I also purchased a very nice knife recently and haven’t had the courage to sharpen it.  And again, as you stated, I was surprised that upon close examination, its apex was surprisingly asymmetrical, particularly at the tip.  As I have worked my way through sharpening several cheap knives, I began to adopt the approach you specifically suggested and I’m getting better at creating uniform bevels and apexes.

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sksharp, Marc H

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