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.



The Ultimate Edge Diamond Knife Sharpening Steel | Oval Model 10W 10 Inch Fine Grit

1 min read

The Ultimate Edge Diamond KnifeAdding fine abrasive action to the resetting function of the steel hone, the Ultimate Edge Model 10W Gourmet 10-inch Oval Diamond sharpening steel outperforms the traditional sharpening steel. The Ultimate Edge 10W won’t completely take the place of flat whetstones — still necessary for reworking badly worn or damaged blades — but will extend any blade’s life and restore the edges of blades too hard for ordinary honing steels. The oval cross section of the rod also puts more abrasive against the knife edge for quicker results.

Diamond abrasives embed fine particles of diamond dust in a hard matrix, backed up by solid steel. The diamonds coating the surface of this steel hone don’t form a thick layer, but in ordinary use will last for years. Cutting action is fastest when the hone is new, since the fresh surface includes many diamond chips set slightly above the cutting base. These cut fast but wear away quickly, exposing the more uniform layer beneath. The amount of steel ground away drops, but the result is a more polished edge. The 600 grit abrasives in this hone should polish rather than shape the edge of the knife. For reworking chipped blades, you’ll need a coarser sharpening stone rather than the Model 10W Gourmet.

Many high-end knives made of extremely hard steel can’t be sharpened with plain honing steels. Damage results when the hone is pressed too hard against an edge, chipping the knife. With the diamond hone, these harder blades can be touched up without a full range of honing stones. A light touch is necessary and major changes shouldn’t be expected, but if an edge is in good shape, the 10W puts the razor edge quality back.

Find this Ultimate Edge Knife Sharpener:

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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