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 USA Shun Classic Boning Filet Knife | Japanese VG-10 Damascus 6 Inch
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A part of the Shun Classic series, this boning knife is forged in Shun’s famous Damascus stainless steel, but with a profile slim enough to give this blade the slight flexibility you need for boning and filleting meat, poultry, and seafood.
The build is the same one used for Shun’s exceptional slicing knives, a method based on the secrets of the finest of the old samurai swords. Some improvements have been made over that old method, with a superior central core layer of hard VG-10 steel and a surrounding blade body created from 32 more layers of tougher stainless chosen for resilience and strength. Alone, the VG-10 would be too hard to make a durable blade; but supported by the Damascus layering system, this fine edge becomes the heart of a strong and practical knife.
The slightly rippled surface of the blade body lowers friction and breaks up contact with slices of food, letting the product fall away from the knife without distortion and allowing a more precisely controlled cut. The edge is still vulnerable to chipping and should not be used to cut through bones or frozen food.
Ordinary sharpening steels may damage the edge — if you step up to Shun, you’ll also need to acquire flat sharpening stones for routine maintenance. Washing and drying by hand is recommended as well. The PakkaWood handle is gap-free and dishwasher safe, built of layers of resin-injected birchwood, but all parts of this knife will fare better with a quick wash and dry.
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...
A part of the Shun Classic series, this boning knife is forged in Shun’s famous Damascus stainless steel, but with a profile slim enough to give this blade the slight flexibility you need for boning and filleting meat, poultry, and seafood.
