I received a call back from WE last night and they are replacing my vice. I was told there we're some hardening problems with the batch I received. I did follow the instructions tightening my vice and because of the video lifting the unit off the table by the knife I was tightening my vice as hard as I could on the bottom screw and not achieving a grip like that. I'm thinking that because the vice was bending, that's why I wasn't getting the correct grip. Also probably why my knives have scratching/marring marks where the jaws gripped the blade. Regardless I think the WE unit is effective and I've personally received very good customer service from them taking care of the issue. I'm not supper happy about my knives getting scratched by a defective vice though if that's what happened but I guess it happens. At least they are sharp now and if they were new I'd be a lot more upset than I am.

leomitch wrote:


Leo, a question and maybe a point.
From some of the videos, a seem to recall the first thing is to adjust the base/bottom to the width of the blade, I go ballpark and not tight, just retract the screw, slide the right side till it touches the spine (knife height may make you retract the screw further to clear), keep it in place and turn the bottom till it just touches and moves it away a fraction.
Then I go about the business of tightening the top, then snug the bottom.
Hope I'm doing it right

On the double sided tape .. are you snicking it to the vice along with exposing the other sticky side to touch the blade?
I'm a bit mixed on that one and hate getting it off.
Thus I usually default to some chamois, especially for flat grinds.

zig wrote:



Hi Zig!

I am going to move this topic from the welcome area to the techniques spot that better fits the topic.

Sorry mate, as I understand what you wrote, you are correct...what I said in the last post only referred to the tightening of the screws, so I should have said,'the last part of the clamping sequence is...'

For the last question...I hate double sided tape and never use it myself. I stick with chamois, which is superior in my estimation. Others like the gooey stuff! LOL!

Cheers
Leo

Could you please post a picture of a blade properly seated using chamois? I'd like to see how much material you're using and how you're clamping it. I don't' like the idea of using double sided tape either, seems too messy.

Would love to if my camera wasn't away on a trip with my son.Wouldn't help much anyway because each knife is different. But no big trick, simply wrap a double thickness around the spine of the blade and a bit and the chamois will fill the voids around the blade geometry...adjustments will be necessary. Each blade shape will require a little experimentation with the wrapping, you must do this differently with each different shape that requires it. Happily for me I only have one knife that is shaped necessitating the chamois wrap...my Spyderco Street Beat by Fred Perrin from France.



Leo

I see what you mean now. I haven't sharpened a knife yet that has a blade shape like that one. All my knives are square at the top of the blade so there is a pretty even grip from the vice on the blade all the way to the edge. Nice trick to know if the situation presents itself though. Thanks.

kevinzk wrote:


Kevin, take a peak at the picks in this thread:

www.wickededgeusa.com/index.php?option=c...d=1085&Itemid=63

Perfect. Thank you.

Thought I'd chime in.

I've had the vise bend once already like the one posted on the first page of this thread within one month of ownership. It was replaced under warranty (yay!) but now the SECOND set is just barely beginning to bend just a couple weeks later. I've followed all of the clamping instructions to the letter including setting the width on the lower screw first etc. etc. and all of the knives I've put in it have parallel faces at the spine for the vise to grab onto perfectly (no flat ground blades). Once the slightest bend begins it's all downhill from there presumably because the vise can no longer make very precise contact with the flats faces of the blade so it can rotate side-side a bit. I can do a full sharpening job on a knife, unclamp it, then immediately reclamp it, put some black sharpie on the edge and give a couple strokes with the 1000 grit diamonds. One side will rub the sharpie off at the shoulder, the other side right at the very tip. So now I have inconsistent clamping and bevel angles

I'm fairly certain I'm not over-tightening it either - I'm pretty delicate with it. I'll snug the top until the knife is supported on its own, then snug the bottom screw a quarter turn at a time just until I can wiggle the handle of the knife and it doesn't move. No more, no less. That seems more than reasonable to me.

Hard to know what to think about 2 bent vises in a row.

I understand your concern, but I can tell you that the great majority of the vises don't have this problem. As stated in another post, Clay has discovered some vises with hardening concerns and is replacing them as they are discovered...the trick is to find all the faulty ones in the new batch because only some have the problem. It is dumb chance that you were the recipient of two in a row. Remember that even Mercedes Benz and Cadillac have recalls from time to time. I am sure your patience is much appreciated Gregary.
I am sure Clay will make good for this with you as he provides the best customer service I have encountered in these times. And I say that realizing that, at best, I am a crabby old curmudgeon who is hard to please. Understand that I am a customer like you who ended up doing this Global Moderator job because I am such a satisfied and loyal customer and was invited to do this by Clay. For me, and I don't say this lightly, the WEPS is the real thing and Clay is the Man.

Leo