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.
Yoshikin Global Serrated Utility Knife | Forged Cromova 18 Stainless Steel 6 Inch
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The Global 6-inch serrated utility knife incorporates the best of modern design and modern materials, produced entirely from forged Cromova 18 stainless steel and balanced with a precise amount of sand in the sealed hollow handle. Movement of the sand during use is said to decrease fatigue, but I’d bet the sharpness of the thin taper ground blade has more effect.
The unique look of the ergonomically-shaped dovetail handle is due to the dot pattern grip, a trademark of the company. The quality of this knife is very high, but the utility knife is an intermediate size often set aside in favor of specialty blades when a knife set fills out. Used as a general purpose knife for light slicing, boning, and other prep work, utility blades are especially suited to sandwich prep — cutting tomatoes, onions, and slicing through hard crusted breads.
The serrated edge is long lasting if properly cared for and will be especially handy when cutting into food with tough skin or rind. Since the Cromova 18 alloy is very hard, the blade is susceptible to chipping if used on hard surfaces, bones, or frozen food. For proper sharpening, this serrated utility knife should be returned to the manufacturer for refurbishing.
Always wash and dry the knife by hand soon after use, to protect the finish and the 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...
The Global 6-inch serrated utility knife incorporates the best of modern design and modern materials, produced entirely from forged Cromova 18 stainless steel and balanced with a precise amount of sand in the sealed hollow handle. Movement of the sand during use is said to decrease fatigue, but I’d bet the sharpness of the thin taper ground blade has more effect.
