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.
For most chefs, the sharpening steel is the preferred method of resetting and honing the edges of good kitchen cutlery. Ordinary honing steels do little more than reform the edge of dulled blades. If damage goes beyond slight dulling to rounding and blunting, reworking with a stone might be the only answer.
The J.A. Henckels 10-Inch Diamond Sharpening Steel puts off that inevitable task and keeps sharp knives available longer with less work than before. Diamond hones double as polishing stones — the final stage of a grinding process — as well as resetting knife edges. Many knives which still have good shape but not sharpness can be put back into top form with a diamond hone without getting out the stones.
Diamond hones and all other diamond-impregnated steel sharpening systems are subject to a few problems. As with all abrasive sharpening methods, the grinding surface can clog with bits of steel shaved from the blade. Rinsing the hone under running water should be enough to clear the grit. The oval cross section puts more of the abrasive against the blade for faster work. Turn the hone from time to time as you work to avoid using only one thin strip of the abrasive. Rotating the hone causes the surface to wear evenly.
Diamond abrasives cut best when new and often give users unwarranted long term expectations. The original surface will include microscopic diamond particles set slightly above the average height. These high diamonds cut very well but soon wear away. Wearing down to the intended cutting level is like shifting from medium grit to fine. A diamond hone should do less grinding and more polishing once it’s broken in correctly.
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...
For most chefs, the sharpening steel is the preferred method of resetting and honing the edges of good kitchen cutlery. Ordinary honing steels do little more than reform the edge of dulled blades. If damage goes beyond slight dulling to rounding and blunting, reworking with a stone might be the only answer.
