Knife Sharpening Sticks

[Franco45]

Question:

I have a set of name-brand knife-sharpening sticks (which form a "V" shape when using two of them, as normally used). Usually, they work reasonably well, but, sometimes they DON'T work well. Last time I used them (on a hunting knife made of 1095 carbon steel), they didn't work very well.

Why do the sticks sometimes NOT work well? I can guess: the sticks are too soft. (But, if your answer is: "well, just use diamond-coated sticks" then that's no help to me. I have been, overall, disappointed with my diamond sticks).

Any suggestions? The knives I use are NOT, as a rule, "super steel" blades. Maybe I should try another brand of sticks? (Those fancy mechanical gizmos that "swing" the stones in an arc seem dumb to me since blade points/grinds vary).

Thanks in advance.


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[kwackster]

From your post i get the impression that the current edge angle of your 1095 steel knife is too large and may fall outside of the range that your sharpening sticks are able to sharpen.
In other words: you're most likely only abrading the shoulders of the edge, not the edge itself.

To find out if this is the case color the entire edge with a black marker and make a few passes over the sharpening sticks again.
The removal of the black marker ink will show you exactly where the sharpening sticks contact the blade.

[john]

To find out if this is the case color the entire edge with a black marker and make a few passes over the sharpening sticks again.
The removal of the black marker ink will show you exactly where the sharpening sticks contact the blade.

Excellent suggestion!!!

[sammy the blade]

The only sharpener I've had luck with is one that looks like two washers that you drag the blade through. It peels of a little steel from the blade but for a user I use some cheapo that if I loose or have to use as a screw driver in a pinch I'm not out much. Sometimes I wonder wtf do I buy knives I know I'll never carry. Guess I just like knives.