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.
Remington’s Barlow Bullet pocket knife adds decorative special features to this new version of a knife style that has been a part of American history since its import from England in the 1600’s. Both the company name and the Remington cartridge logo are integrated in the design as an emblem on the saw-cut bone handle and an engraving on the heavy bolster.
Invented in Sheffield, England, the Barlow folder — with its characteristic teardrop handle and a metal bolster a full third of its folded length — became part of the staple trade of the English smiths who brought the production methods of Sheffield to the New World. This rustic and rugged knife has been a part of America ever since and is even mentioned with respect in classic American literature like Huckleberry Finn.
Early Barlows were sometimes roughly built with heavy handles of bone or antler. This modern folder from Remington sports the typical double blades — one 4-inch clip point and a 2-1/2-inch pen style of high carbon 440 stainless steel — and a handle of genuine bone slabs, coarse-sawn for a better grip. Unlike some modern versions of the Barlow, the Remington Bullet Barlow uses the old slip joint construction. Blades snap into place when unfolded but don’t lock. Keep that in mind when using the knife for piercing work — only a slight pressure is needed to close the blades.
This Barlow knife has the genuine heft of a frontier folder — five inches long when closed, it’s a little too big for comfortable pocket carry. As with the old Barlows, there’s no pocket clip.
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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Remington’s Barlow Bullet pocket knife adds decorative special features to this new version of a knife style that has been a part of American history since its import from England in the 1600’s. Both the company name and the Remington cartridge logo are integrated in the design as an emblem on the saw-cut bone handle and an engraving on the heavy bolster.
