JT Hats
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.



F. Dick Multicut Sharpening Steel | Kitchen Knife Cutlery Tool 11 Inch Hanging

1 min read

F. Dick Multicut Sharpening Steel F. Dick’s 11-inch Multicut Knife Sharpening Steel strives to combine seven different types and grades of sharpening steels into one product. You might find it hard to pick out all seven, but the Multicut really is a faster and more versatile sharpening system than other round steels, and even competes well with diamond hones — for a while.

The one-year warranty reveals the Multicut’s only real weakness. After long months or years of use, the filing effect of this fine honing steel will fade since the micro-edges which do the actual cutting eventually dull. The useful lifetime should extend well beyond the warranty, but this older approach to sharpening does have a shorter working life than equivalent diamond-grit tools.

F. Dick’s flattened Multicut hone does outperform round and oval hones, because more of the filing surface of the hone actually contacts the edge of the blade. Cutting action is controlled by pressure. To actually remove steel and shape the blade edge, hold the blade across the flat of the hone and draw it across with a steady pressure, moving down the hone as you finish the stroke. To just touch up an edge, use a light pressure and only a few strokes. The Multicut doesn’t completely replace whetstones. Badly worn or chipped edges should be re-shaped with a whetstone before refining the edge on this steel. Regular use of the Multicut will cut back on the amount of whetstone work needed — something many chefs will appreciate in terms of labor as well as mess.

Treat the Multicut as you would any other fine piece of cutlery, hanging it by the storage ring instead of throwing it in a drawer. Rinse steel particles from the hone after heavy use to prevent glazing.

Find this F. Dick Sharpening Steel:

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JT Hats
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.



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