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 Ultra Fine Diamond Knife Honing & Polishing Steel | Oval 10 Inch 10NUF
1 min read
The Ultimate Edge Model 10NUF Oval Ultra Fine honing steel finishes edges of blades with a high polish. If you already keep your knives in good shape, this will bring the edge a degree higher in quality. Don’t expect to restore a drawer full of dull knives with the Ultra Fine Diamond Finishing Steel.
Ordinary honing steels reset edges of softer steel that turns when dulled. If an edge isn’t badly dulled, running the edge against a hard honing steel turns the edge back, restoring sharpness. Very little steel is actually removed, and the basic shape of the edge isn’t changed. With a diamond hone, that action combines with the polishing action of fine abrasives. The stroke of a diamond hone exposes new steel.
This grade of abrasive ordinarily puts the final polish on a new edge, removing microscopic scratches that increase drag. To some degree, the Ultra Fine Diamond hone does that same work but with less efficiency than a flat stone. Turning the hone while in use, to expose new areas of abrasives, improves the action. Using the hone is much more convenient than using a flat stone, and most people have no problem with this technique. It’s easily learned and fast.
The Ultimate Edge Model 10NUF works best when new, since the first layer of diamond crystals in the abrasive is the roughest. As that wears down, the abrasive cuts less than it polishes. Especially with this fine grade of abrasive, the hone should be backed up by coarser grades. Use the Ultimate Edge Model 10NUF for the finishing touch.
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 Ultimate Edge Model 10NUF Oval Ultra Fine honing steel finishes edges of blades with a high polish. If you already keep your knives in good shape, this will bring the edge a degree higher in quality. Don’t expect to restore a drawer full of dull knives with the Ultra Fine Diamond Finishing Steel.
