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.


KAI Combination Whetstone Sharpener w/ Kitchen Stand | Japanese Knife Sharpening Stone

1 min read

KAI Combination Whetstone Sharpener w/The Combination Whetstone from KAI USA includes two grits for shaping and polishing edges plus a stable wooden stand to prevent marring the surface of kitchen workstations. The latest instruction manual was only in Japanese (with photos), but anyone who has used whetstones before should know the drill. There are only a few critical differences between Japanese sharpening stones and American whetstones, but they are important differences.

Most of us are familiar with carborundum, the favorite workshop whetstone in the U.S.A. — and also with the mess those stones leave behind. Carborundum lubricates best with light petroleum oil or kerosene, and neither of those are good ideas in the kitchen. Japanese waterstones grind with a paste formed from the grit in the stone as it mixes with clean water. Natural stones should be soaked for hours before use.

These artificial stones don’t require the long soaking period — fifteen minutes ought to be enough. Flush the surface with clean water now and then to keep the stone from clogging, and rinse the stones free of grit and steel with running water after use.

For removing a lot of steel, you’d need a coarser grit stone than the 240 grit of this combination whetstone, and it’s possible to get a finer edge than the stone’s 1000 grit side will produce. The two grades here are still good enough for most problems short of major damage and for an occasional tuning up that a sharpening steel won’t quite handle. If you care about the finish on your countertop or kitchen table, put a towel down before you start honing your knives. Honing mud mixed with steel shavings will drop on the cloth for easy cleanup. Don’t rub the work area clean — dab it with a wet cloth to pick up residue without leaving scratches.

Find this KAI Combination Whetstone:

Find this whetstone on eBay:

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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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