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.
Shapton GlassStone Sharpening Water Stone | Japanese Kitchen Cutlery Diamond 8000 Grit
1 min read
The 8000 grit Shapton GlassStone shapes the bevel of any plain-edged knife quickly, depending on the skill of the user for accuracy. Modern refinements set the Shapton GlassStones apart from ordinary synthetic waterstones and from natural Japanese waterstones. You’ll need more than just the stones for the best Shapton edge.
Superficially, the Shapton GlassStones work in the same way as other waterstones. Using water as a lubricant, users take knives through a series of at least three different stones of succeedingly finer grit to reach the final mirror-bright and razor-sharp cutting edge. Although waterstones cut quickly, even synthetic ceramic waterstones wear away faster than the American alternatives like carborundum or novaculite. Shapton GlassStones uses an entirely different abrasive matrix and offer longer lasting surfaces.
Precisely graded powders of diamond grit bond to glass substrates to create these unusual sharpening stones. Keeping the surface wet with water prevents metal shavings from clogging the stone. Because the diamond surface doesn’t abrade as quickly as a ceramic waterstone, the Shapton stones cut longer and with more precision. Shapton believes in precision, and even though the wear might not be noticeable to many users, the company suggests lapping the stones on diamond grit lapping plates before each use. That keeps the abrasive surface perfectly flat.
Shapton also offers sharpening stone holders and a sharpening stone “pond” as accessories to the basic stones. Place the GlassStone in its holder, inside the sharpening pond, to prevent lubricating water from carrying grit onto a countertop surface. Rubbing the countertop clean of diamond grit might leave permanent scars.
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...
The 8000 grit Shapton GlassStone shapes the bevel of any plain-edged knife quickly, depending on the skill of the user for accuracy. Modern refinements set the Shapton GlassStones apart from ordinary synthetic waterstones and from natural Japanese waterstones. You’ll need more than just the stones for the best Shapton edge.
