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.
Global Waterstone Rough & Medium Grit | Knife Sharpening Whetstone | Combination Stone
1 min read
Combination stones are always partly a great idea and partly a compromise. There’s no question that individual stones work a bit better than the flip-over versions, but with a two-sided double grit stone you get convenience and speed. No matter which stone system you choose, if you own Global cutlery, you need matching Global sharpening stones. The specially ground thin bevel of the hard cutting edge could be ruined by an ordinary honing steel or a sharpening machine.
With this combination stone, you get a rubber base to prevent skidding on the work surface — also eliminating scratching the counter or tabletop if you keep the base clean. A short fifteen-minute soak in water provides enough lubricant for the average sharpening task, and a little water in the basin of the holder keeps one surface wet while the other is in use. With the 500 grit coarse side, nicks and chips can be gradually overcome, restoring the original long bevel to its correct shape. With the 1000 grit medium side, hone the bevel into a very serviceable cutting edge.
For the finest edge, equivalent to the new edge set at the factory, you will need another stone in fine 5000 grit. That gives a high polish to the shaped and refined bevel you get from the combination stone. Without the fine stone, you get an edge that works great. The last fine polishing step gives you a knife edge that’s even a little scary.
One limitation of the combination stone is that you can’t use the coarse side to grind the medium stone level again if you wear a hollow in the surface. Resurfacing requires another stone. Be sure to work with all parts of the abrasive to keep the wear even.
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.
The Diamond Edge Pro knife and scissors sharpener from Smith Abrasives combines electric and manual sharpening systems for quick and accurate refurbishing of knives...
Combination stones are always partly a great idea and partly a compromise. There’s no question that individual stones work a bit better than the flip-over versions, but with a two-sided double grit stone you get convenience and speed. No matter which stone system you choose, if you own Global cutlery, you need matching Global sharpening stones. The specially ground thin bevel of the hard cutting edge could be ruined by an ordinary honing steel or a sharpening machine.
