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.
Since I don’t spend much of my time in high rise buildings, I don’t see many firemen’s axes — though in many places, they’re a standard part of the landscape right next to the fire extinguisher in the hallway. The AMPCO Fireman’s Pick Head Axe could provide that same level of emergency protection for your home. The axe features good qualities you may never have considered important.
Emergency situations often involve hazardous gas leaks. An axe striking a hard object could create a spark and set off a flash fire or worse. This professional quality fireman’s axe isn’t ordinary high carbon steel — which makes one of the largest sparks possible and can be used as emergency fire starter, intentionally. The non-magnetic yet corrosion-resistant head of the Fireman’s Axe won’t spark. Both OSHA and NFPA approve it for use where flammable dusts, gases, and other explosive materials are a problem.
Another common dilemma — the blocked exit — is the reason the Pick Head Axe still is standard fire department equipment. Any home emergency plan has to include a way out, and this Fireman’s Axe creates one. The heavy chopping blade quickly removes obstructions like blocked doors or walls, and the pick side of the head crumbles masonry and concrete block. The current AMPCO Fireman’s Axe comes equipped with a non-conductive fiberglass handle ten times stronger than the wooden version. Many people who survived the hurricane flooding in New Orleans had a hatchet or chopping axe stashed in the attic, just in case. The AMPCO Fireman’s Pick Head Axe is an even better idea.
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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Since I don’t spend much of my time in high rise buildings, I don’t see many firemen’s axes — though in many places, they’re a standard part of the landscape right next to the fire extinguisher in the hallway. The AMPCO Fireman’s Pick Head Axe could provide that same level of emergency protection for your home. The axe features good qualities you may never have considered important.
