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 Round Sharpening Steel w/ Polyacetal Handle | Regular High Carbon Stainless Steel, Black 10 12 or 14 Inch
1 min read
Mundial makes this professional quality sharpening steel in three different lengths — one of them will be the perfect match to any European style knife in your kitchen.
Designed for professional food service workers, meat packers, and restaurant employees, the Mundial Professional product lines are just as efficient and economical for the professional home chef. Built to meet NSF sanitary standards, Mundial professional knives and hones carry a lifetime warranty against defects. The only shortcoming may not even matter to you — the professional line looks like it belongs in the back of the kitchen, not at the dining table. This black polyacetal-handled sharpening hone is typical and won’t win awards for good looks, but it will last through years of hard use.
Made of high carbon stainless steel with a finely serrated surface as hard as a file, the Regular Cut Sharpening Steel is meant to reset the edges of knife blades, not to remove steel. This is the style of hone that most of us find satisfactory. If you don’t let a knife get truly dull, all that’s needed to restore the blade to razor sharpness are a few strokes on the steel. The nearly invisible edge of the blade will be put back in line, as good as new. Sharpening on a stone is actually seldom needed.
Covering the entire length of a long knife with a short hone is awkward, but Mundial offers the Regular Cut Sharpening Steel in 10-inch, 12-inch and 14-inch lengths — enough choices to match any common, plain-edged kitchen knife.
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...
Mundial makes this professional quality sharpening steel in three different lengths — one of them will be the perfect match to any European style knife in your kitchen.
