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.
Cold Steel Training Sword, Hand and a Half | Polypropylene Practice Blade 44 Inch
58 sec read
The terms hand-and-a-half sword, bastard sword, and longsword all refer to the same general class of weapon: a sword with a blade light enough to wield with one hand and a grip long enough to provide extra power from a two-handed stance. Learning to use one of these swords is easiest if you begin with something not quite so dangerous as a sharp steel blade, and the Cold Steel Hand-and-a-Half Training Sword provides that option.
With realistic balance and weight, the Cold Steel training sword provides a traditionally shaped weapon in relatively harmless polypropylene. Edges and point are rounded to cause less damage, but in practice, the feeling is much the same as a genuine sword. The 44-inch-long Cold Steel training sword weighs a respectable 31.7 ounces with a blade length of 34 inches. No sheath is provided. Some owners will want to soften edges even further, which only requires sandpaper and elbow grease.
Unlike wooden training swords, the Cold Steel Hand-and-a-Half training sword won’t break, split, or splinter. The polypropylene construction is vulnerable to warping from improper storage and over-heating. Don’t leave the training sword in the back window of the car on a sunny day. Some swords have arrived with slightly curved blades, possibly from shipping stress. Some owners have had good luck straightening the blades while heating the stock with a hair dryer, but cold straightening hasn’t been effective. Slight bends often work themselves out in use.
For a durable practice sword destined for battering, punishment, and being left behind, the Hand-and-a-Half Training Sword seems like a good deal.
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 terms hand-and-a-half sword, bastard sword, and longsword all refer to the same general class of weapon: a sword with a blade light enough to wield with one hand and a grip long enough to provide extra power from a two-handed stance. Learning to use one of these swords is easiest if you begin with something not quite so dangerous as a sharp steel blade, and the Cold Steel Hand-and-a-Half Training Sword provides that option.
