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.
Messermeister Meridian Elite Chef’s Knife | 10 Inch ME3686-10 | Forged Full Tang Solingen Cutlery
1 min read
One good chef’s knife does a lot for the kitchen, easing all kinds of prep work from slicing vegetables to carving meat and even mincing herbs. In skilled hands, every part of the chef’s knife efficiently performs a different essential task. The Meridian Elite Chef’s Knife from Messermeister of Solingen, Germany, provides the chef the traditional workhorse blade of the European kitchen, but streamlined by modern ideas. Cheaper knives are available that handle efficiently and hold a good edge, but the Meridian Elite compares well to those thin space-age blades while keeping the traditional forged look and strength advantages of good German cutlery.
The forging methods used by Messermeister are limited to shaping rather than strengthening the steel. Knives could be ground from a block of good steel and show most of the qualities this forged blade does. Forging here is the quickest way to create a complex blade with tapered bolster and full length tang ready for final tempering and grinding. Forged blades easily drift towards being unnecessarily heavy, but the Messermeister pattern cuts back on weight while still holding onto the best elements of this old design.
The forged bolster serves as a comfortable and secure fingerguard while strengthening the blade at the critical point between cutting edge and handle. The reduced profile of the bolster doesn’t limit the use of the cutting edge or interfere with sharpening — as a full width bolster does. Final three-step hand finishing of the full tang high carbon stainless steel knife starts owners off with a professionally shaped cutting edge easily touched up with a honing steel. The Messermeister holds up to heavy chores without being overly heavy in the hand.
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...
One good chef’s knife does a lot for the kitchen, easing all kinds of prep work from slicing vegetables to carving meat and even mincing herbs. In skilled hands, every part of the chef’s knife efficiently performs a different essential task. The Meridian Elite Chef’s Knife from Messermeister of Solingen, Germany, provides the chef the traditional workhorse blade of the European kitchen, but streamlined by modern ideas. Cheaper knives are available that handle efficiently and hold a good edge, but the Meridian Elite compares well to those thin space-age blades while keeping the traditional forged look and strength advantages of good German cutlery.
