James grew up on an Ozarks farm where tools like axes and picks were still used in the daily routine and the blades of stockman's pocketknives served their original functions. Receiving his first pocketknife at age four he got it open by himself nearly a year later and spent his formative years wandering the woods with a succession of ever larger knives, a book of matches and a rifle.
A veteran of Vietnam, James also served in Alaska during a stint in the Army, receiving his first intensive culinary training by setting a record for extra KP at Ft. Richardson.
Settling in the Pacific Northwest after his discharge, James crewed on sailing yachts in local races, backpacked hundreds of miles of mountain trails in search of good trout fishing, and occasionally attended college.
His first serious job as a civilian resulted from answering a Seattle Post Intelligencer want ad requesting someone who could lift 120 pounds repeatedly and wasn't afraid of fire. James apprenticed to John Frazier -- the most knowledgeable traditional foundryman in North America at that time -- for the next six years.
Returning to the Ozarks James made his living by growing ginseng on a hand-terraced wooded hillside and selling handmade wood turnery, furniture, sculpture and architectural carvings. James harvested trees from his own land, processing logs into posts and beams and turnery billets with saws, axes, froes and planes. Since many tools he needed were no longer available, James built his own forge from a barbeque grill, a vacuum cleaner and a 55 gallon steel drum, found a chunk of railroad track for his first anvil, and taught himself blacksmithing -- creating his own knives and tools from scrap steel and sweat.
Changing economic pressures eventually forced James back to the restaurant industry in Branson, Missouri, and later to even more success as a maintenance engineer for one of Branson's largest condominium resorts. Finally escaping to Indiana, James now makes his living telling true stories as a freelance writer.
Berkley Breaking & Fillet Fishing Knife | Butcher Blade, Red & Black Handle w/ Sheath, 10 Inch
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Made for cleaning larger fish, the Berkley Breaking Knife includes an advanced blade coating to extend blade life.
The ten-inch Breaking Knife is intended for butchering and is most useful for the largest dividing cuts. The high carbon 5CR13MV stainless steel blade flexes but is firm enough for straight cuts. The knife’s SofTorx handle combines a rigid body with softer rubber-like inserts for plenty of grip leverage in cold and wet conditions. Berkley includes a rigid belt sheath for keeping the knife within easy reach.
The dark coating on the ten-inch blade results from a process called PVD or Physical Vapor Deposition. This low temperature coating method creates a hard ceramic layer on the blade that’s five times the hardness of tool steel and greatly increases the knife’s wear resistance. As long as the layer stays intact, salt water doesn’t even touch the stainless steel blade. PVD coatings like TiN have become standard additions to knives which see the hardest conditions like diver’s blades and military knives. Most companies don’t add that high-tech feature to ordinary fillet knives, but Berkley does.
Berkley, a major manufacturer of fishing gear, started in 1939 when founder Berkley Bedell invested $50 from his own paper route earnings to start a home-based business selling hand-tied trout flies to local anglers in Spirit Lake, Iowa. Bedell’s business evolved over the years into research as well as production, yielding Berkley’s own brands of monofilament fishing line and the higher quality Trilene.
James grew up on an Ozarks farm where tools like axes and picks were still used in the daily routine and the blades of stockman's pocketknives served their original functions. Receiving his first pocketknife at age four he got it open by himself nearly a year later and spent his formative years wandering the woods with a succession of ever larger knives, a book of matches and a rifle.
A veteran of Vietnam, James also served in Alaska during a stint in the Army, receiving his first intensive culinary training by setting a record for extra KP at Ft. Richardson.
Settling in the Pacific Northwest after his discharge, James crewed on sailing yachts in local races, backpacked hundreds of miles of mountain trails in search of good trout fishing, and occasionally attended college.
His first serious job as a civilian resulted from answering a Seattle Post Intelligencer want ad requesting someone who could lift 120 pounds repeatedly and wasn't afraid of fire. James apprenticed to John Frazier -- the most knowledgeable traditional foundryman in North America at that time -- for the next six years.
Returning to the Ozarks James made his living by growing ginseng on a hand-terraced wooded hillside and selling handmade wood turnery, furniture, sculpture and architectural carvings. James harvested trees from his own land, processing logs into posts and beams and turnery billets with saws, axes, froes and planes. Since many tools he needed were no longer available, James built his own forge from a barbeque grill, a vacuum cleaner and a 55 gallon steel drum, found a chunk of railroad track for his first anvil, and taught himself blacksmithing -- creating his own knives and tools from scrap steel and sweat.
Changing economic pressures eventually forced James back to the restaurant industry in Branson, Missouri, and later to even more success as a maintenance engineer for one of Branson's largest condominium resorts. Finally escaping to Indiana, James now makes his living telling true stories as a freelance writer.
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Made for cleaning larger fish, the Berkley Breaking Knife includes an advanced blade coating to extend blade life.
