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.
Deer Antler Knives Set of 2 | Kung Fu Crescent Moon Training Blades
1 min read
Strictly for practice, the two Deer Antler knives in this set feature rounded tips and dulled edges designed to reduce the number of self-inflicted injuries in training. Even with chrome plated steel, the Deer Antler or Crescent Moon blades can be dangerous. This training set measures fourteen inches across and will feel unwieldy rather than balanced and efficient. The curved steel handles wrapped with cloth tape do not offer a secure grip. Typical sets of Deer Horn knives weigh about three pounds — that much weight in an unbalanced form makes the weapons difficult to control.
If someone insists on learning this old weapon, a less lethal variety certainly is the safest place to start, so don’t skip this set in favor of a fully functional pair of combat-quality crescent moon blades with four sharp talons each and scything edges. People have to live through training. This is an unusual weapon and not one to learn without expert guidance. The intention of this old system was to provide protection from multiple armed attackers — many movements involved trapping and disarming those who attacked with swords, spears, and other standard weapons. For most of us today, that’s hard to even visualize.
But, looking at the weapons themselves and a short video of some training movements, it quickly becomes clear that even an unskilled player could be a serious danger to themselves and their surroundings with these knives in hand. There are simpler places to start in kung fu than with these Deer Antler knives. If you find them irresistible, be sure not to sharpen them. There’s no way the cloth carrying case could survive a trip to the dojo with sharpened versions of these complex blades stashed inside.
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.
Strictly for practice, the two Deer Antler knives in this set feature rounded tips and dulled edges designed to reduce the number of self-inflicted injuries in training. Even with chrome plated steel, the Deer Antler or Crescent Moon blades can be dangerous. This training set measures fourteen inches across and will feel unwieldy rather than balanced and efficient. The curved steel handles wrapped with cloth tape do not offer a secure grip. Typical sets of Deer Horn knives weigh about three pounds — that much weight in an unbalanced form makes the weapons difficult to control.
