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.
Mundial Polished Butcher’s Sharpening Steel, Round | Plain Edge Knife Hone, Red 10 Inch 1301-10
1 min read
Nearly every good cook knows the benefits of a honing steel, but strangely enough, not that many realize that the best honing steel is polished smooth. This 10-inch Butcher’s Steel Hone from Mundial of Brazil was made for professionals, who like to keep this good tool their little secret.
The type of hone retailers like to sell is the one that people know the best. The micro-ribbed hone of hardened steel is the most common and the one many cooks choose, but those serrations can actually remove small amounts of steel through a filing action that isn’t necessary. Professional meatcutters know that a polished hone is best, since that perfectly smooth surface only resets the steel edge and doesn’t degrade the blade.
On a microscopic scale, a blade tempered to the usual European standard turns when it dulls. The sharp edge is still there but no longer in line with the knife. Ordinary ribbed hones may remove that thinnest and sharpest portion of the edge, pushing the knife closer to the day when real grinding is needed. A polished hone extends the life of the blade by setting the edge properly without wearing away the metal. This hone is intended for knives with edges still in good condition; if you work by more ordinary standards, you may find a serrated hone more to your liking.
The Mundial 10-inch Polished Cut Sharpening Steel is permanently fitted to a red polyacetal handle with a convenient metal ring. Hang it in easy reach, because you’ll use this butcher’s steel frequently.
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...
Nearly every good cook knows the benefits of a honing steel, but strangely enough, not that many realize that the best honing steel is polished smooth. This 10-inch Butcher’s Steel Hone from Mundial of Brazil was made for professionals, who like to keep this good tool their little secret.
