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 Four Star Honing Steel | Knife Cutlery Sharpening 10 Inch
1 min read
Something as simple as a honing steel seems difficult to improve, but this ten-inch honing steel from the Henckels Twin Four Star series has a few more things to like. First, it’s made with steel hard enough to tune the high carbon stainless in the Four Star knives. Not every honing steel is good enough for that. Where this could be only plain and simple, Henckels has added a minimum of decoration and a solid stainless squared ring for hanging the honing steel where you can reach it easily. If you don’t have to sort through the hardware in the kitchen drawer, you’ll use it more often.
Some people hate sharpening knives, and others hate working with dull ones. I can’t stand the dull knife problem — unless something cuts like a razor, I can’t put up with it. If I hadn’t worked in an Italian restaurant years ago, I’d probably still be using my grandmother’s method, grinding a new edge on an Arkansas stone. That works, but a honing steel is fast and easier on the blade once you get the hang of it. I save the stone for disaster recoveries, and the honing steel gets used daily. Hearing someone explain how it works, by realigning the microscopically-folded edge of the blade, could leave you skeptical. Learning to use it converts people.
Honing steels are not appropriate for some extremely hard modern knives. The hardest edges also chip under the side pressure of a honing steel. Knives made in the older styles adapt perfectly to this system. My favorite santoku, three years in the kitchen now, is still running on the original edge.
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...
Something as simple as a honing steel seems difficult to improve, but this ten-inch honing steel from the Henckels Twin Four Star series has a few more things to like. First, it’s made with steel hard enough to tune the high carbon stainless in the Four Star knives. Not every honing steel is good enough for that. Where this could be only plain and simple, Henckels has added a minimum of decoration and a solid stainless squared ring for hanging the honing steel where you can reach it easily. If you don’t have to sort through the hardware in the kitchen drawer, you’ll use it more often.
