Hello. I bought a new WE100 setup, and have used it a few times. The thumb screws come loose during use. It’s annoying as I don’t notice thill the hone has changed angles.. Anyone else?
Apparently all of them do this with the screw indents. If you have the angle cube (a really good investment) you can remove the bar and turn it around so the indents are on the opposite side and the screws will not come loss anymore. Once you start using the cube you will need to do this anyway as you will find that preset indents are not correct for any knife that does not sit exactly 5/8 of and inch above the vise jaw. The 120 has the micro adjusters to compensate for this, but they come loss as well. On my 120 I just used thread lock on the micros and without the indents I can finely adjust the angle with the cube and thumb screws. I have read some folks use pliers to tighten the adjusters.
Thank you . Do you have a link to the cube? I can’t locate it on the WE site
This is the one that WE sells:
https://wickededgeusa.com/collections/accessories-all/products/digital-angle-gauge
I have this one:
I have one of those.. Already use it for various things. So what I am hearing is to turn the arms around and tighten on the none indented side?? Then use the angle finder to get the angle>> Sounds good, especially since you can now theoretically set it to any angle..
Welcome to the forum Jim. The WE100 is one of the most basic model sharpeners Wicked Edge offers with the least adjustment capabilities. Positioning your guide rods based on the inscribed markings and indents are just a suggestion and an approximation of the actual bevel angles. Like “airscapes” wrote above, these indents are calibrated with a 5/8" tall knife above the jaws, which many knives are not.
If your thumb screws are not directly in line with the indents in the square bar, when positioning your guide rods, when attempting to tighten the thumb screws, they may not insert the full depth into the detent to afford the maximum holding power. Then they may rattle loose when using the guide rods. This may well be what’s happening. Sometimes jiggling the angle bracket better aligns the screws with the indent to allow deeper penetration of the threads. Some people use a towel or a tool like a pliers to afford a better grip on the thumb screws to apply more pressure. (Be careful using a pliers on the thumb screws. This can easily strip the threads out on the bracket arms or possibly twist the head off the thumb screw). If it continues to be an issue possible a non-permanent type thread lock product like “Locktite” may help.
Some people choose to rotate the square angle bar 180º so the detents are facing to the rear. This does two things.
- it allows you to position the angle bracket freely along the square bare with out the use of the detents.
- It requires the thumb screws to tighten against the flat square bar itself causing small screw dents when enough pressure is applied
Good lock and welcome
Thanks I’ll see if I can conjure up another set of thumb screws
I sent you a private message.
After looking at what I actually bought. It is the Pro Pack I.. I also got the granite slab to mount it on. I am an amateur knife maker and bought this because I am disappointed in everything else I have used.. I’d post some pics if I could..
The WE100 is a knife sharpener. It’s best to grind the edge profile on your newly made knives with a suitable method like a belt grinder. Then you can easily sharpen these knives with the W.E. To grind the edge profile from the new flat knife blank using just the W.E. puts a lot more wear on the W.E. sharpening stones then they are meant for. They will wear out prematurely.
You are correct.
Jim, turning the bar around fixed the issue for me. I really do not know if this is an issue for a majority of users. It may just be as new users we don’t take the time to fully center the screw in the indent and just crank it down. Now that it is no centered, it then comes loose. Once you turn the bar so there are no indents, it stays put.. My assumption is this is a problem but in fact I have only seen 4 or so posts recently about loose thumb screws, along with my own experience. So I kind of misrepresented the issue. On the flip side, once you get the angle gauge you will be able to set the angle where you want it rearguards of knifes height.
In the L bracket the threads for the thumb screw go all the way through so I put a nylon bolt in those threads on the back side of the L bracket. that stopped the “Wicked Edge” thumb screw from vibrating out.
I have the old L bracket that was made before 2017. I do not own the new version.
Is this issue happening to you guys on units with the old L-brackets with the plastic thumb screws or the newer version L-brackets with the all metal thumb screws?
Also is it just certain model sharpeners cause all the degree bars have detents in them, I think?
Happens to my gen3pro all the time. I check the angles with each grit change and usually must adjust the angle; so, they get tightened. Invariably, they are loose each time. It was suggested to me that I use a bit of locktite. That was a real drag on my fingers when trying to loosen the thumbscrews; so, I just check’em regularly.
Get a micro adjustment kit from NotSharpEnuff and you want have that problem. I upgraded my Gen 3 Pro with his kit and it works great.
Ed’s micro-angle adjusters are a great way to go. They work very well and eliminate the problem.
For the WE120s or WE130s, if you want to try an inexpensive fix that may do the trick, you might try buying a fishing reel drag washer at a Fishing Bait and Tackle Shop that repairs fishing reels. Try to place a drag washer on the angle adjuster screws between the locking thumb wheel and the guide rod “L” brackets. You should be able to find an appropriate sized one that will simply ride on the adjustment screw and slide along it as the thumb wheel rolls. Maybe a drag washer from a spinning reel spool or a fresh water bait caster would be a small enough diameter? As you tighten down the thumb wheel the drag washer should supply that little bit of friction, compression and added surface area needed between the thumb wheels and flat surface of the “L” brackets to keep them from slipping loose while you’re sharpening.
You also may find it you swap the locking knurled wheels position around it may work better. By that I mean if you have it now on the inside between the “L” bracket and the guide rod ball ends when they comes loose, maybe if you switch the knurled thumb wheels so they’re on the outside of the “L” brackets and between the angle adjuster screw ends and the “L” brackets. That’s easy enough to try. Possibly it will work better on one side then the other for you.
I had forgotten the design of the locking mechanism for micro-angle adjuster screws on the newest version Gen 3 Pro model. That it is comprised of a two screw set-up that locks the angle adjustment position by the physical contact within the threaded holes in the black end bracket between the screw’s flat end of the inside ball end adjuster screw and the screw’s flat end of the outside locking knurled knob thumb screw:
As the two flat screw ends are tighten against one another the physical contact provides the locking of the rotating motion of the ball end adjustment screws.
To improve the compression and locking hold between the two flat ended screws some material that is compressible and will contribute to the friction can be inserted into the threaded holes through the black end brackets. Maybe a small piece of a fishing reel drag washer material, a small piece of leather or possibly a small piece of plastic wire insulation, (stripped off with the wire removed). I would use only one of these materials at a time, and not a mixture. As the materials are compressed between the two flat screw ends by screwing the outer screw tight against the inner micro-angle adjustment screw, the compression and the friction should aid in the locking power to help eliminate any slipping you may have previously experienced.
I’d experiment with different materials keeping them sized smaller then the threaded hole diameter to allow for the materials expansion as it’s compressed between the two screw flat ends. If the materials expand too much like flattening a pancake it may expand and jam too tightly into the threaded holes preventing the screws from being able to move the compressed friction material as the micro-angles are changed and adjusted.
Great advice, as always but you lost me at “two screw set-up that locks the angle adjustment position by the physical contact within the threaded holes in the black end bracket between the screw’s flat end of the inside ball end adjuster screw and the screw’s flat end of the outside locking knurled knob thumb screw”…It doesn’t apply to me since I have a WE130 but who knows, I may upgrade, and I have Ed’s micro adjusters. I’m not very mechanically inclined so for me at least, simple is good. All this to echo the other forum members in recommending Ed’s micro adjusters.
Has anyone brought this issue to Clays attention yet?
I havent noticed this happening with mine yet but I am cosidering upgrading to the new L-brackets with the all steel thumb screws but I am concerned I might begin to have this problem if the newer style L-brackets are the cause?
I have the older Wicked Edge Field and Sport Professional Sharpener from Jan. of 2017 probably just before all the upgrades came out. However I have upgraded everything including the new vice and everything else except the newer L-brackets.
