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.
Henckels Twin Five Star Knife Block 9 Piece Set | Sigmaforge Drop Forged Full Tang Cutlery
1 min read
Henckels’s Twin Five Star 9-Piece Knife Block Set combines the blade of the Four Star series with a new ergonomic molded handle design engineered to fit any size hand comfortably. Full tang construction is fully concealed by the smooth molded polymer handles but still provides the leverage and strength expected of Henckels forged knives.
Using the process Henckels calls Sigmaforge, the blades actually combine the best characteristics of laser cut blanks shaped by stock removal and drop forged bolsters, all from one piece of high carbon stainless steel. Only the bolster is heated and forged so that the knife blank itself retains all the original characterisitics of this advanced alloy steel. Tempering includes the cold hardening method called Friodur which increases stain resistance, blade strength, and resistance to corrosion.
The block set includes six useful knives, a sharpening steel, and a pair of kitchen shears. Two paring knives, a six-inch utility knife, and a five-inch serrated utility knife cover detail work, boning, and sandwich prep. The seven-inch santoku and eight-inch chef’s knife handle all slicing, carving, mincing, and even some light chopping. The hardwood block includes several extra slots for expansion of the knife selection, as well a row of six steak knife slots in the base of the block.
The knife set is dishwasher safe — the molded handles are permanently sealed to the forged bolster, making them sanitary and break-proof. In the dishwasher, the polymer remains colorfast. However, all of Henckels’s good knives are rated stain free, meaning they do better when hand washed. Dishwashers can gradually erode the fine polish and degrade the edge.
Find this Henckels Twin Five Star Knife Block Set :
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...
Henckels’s Twin Five Star 9-Piece Knife Block Set combines the blade of the Four Star series with a new ergonomic molded handle design engineered to fit any size hand comfortably. Full tang construction is fully concealed by the smooth molded polymer handles but still provides the leverage and strength expected of Henckels forged knives.
