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 Ancient Mariner’s Cutlass, imported by Frost Cutlery, could be termed a poetic piece — inspired by that old sea ballad rather than by any martial tradition. An ornate display weapon, the cast metal fittings symbolize the adventure and romance of the sea. With a sheath and blade of polished stainless steel to offset the antiqued handgrip and other decorations, the sword makes an attractive wall hanging. The designers made no effort to hold to any traditional seafarer’s weapon style.
The slender blade of this sword — very nicely shaped and polished — resembles an officer’s cutlass rather than the sword the Ancient Mariner himself might have used. Seaman’s swords were built to be brute force weapons in the hands of common sailors poorly trained in fighting arts. The ordinary cutlass was short and heavy, meant to chop through the spars and hawsers of the enemy’s rigging as well as through the enemy. More refined blades like this one were issued to the ship’s officers, who received intense training in swordsmanship and could put lighter and more accurate blades to efficient use. No genuine fighting cutless would ever have shown this much unnecessary decoration.
Some of the workmanship in this sword is fragile. The rings holding the metal chain to the scabbard are lightly made. Up close, the decorative pieces show considerable detail, but the assembly is disappointing. Phillips head screws hold several of the fittings together in a clamshell construction, literally clamped to the stainless steel scabbard. If it’s hanging high on the wall, visitors won’t look too closely at the fine points.
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 Ancient Mariner’s Cutlass, imported by Frost Cutlery, could be termed a poetic piece — inspired by that old sea ballad rather than by any martial tradition. An ornate display weapon, the cast metal fittings symbolize the adventure and romance of the sea. With a sheath and blade of polished stainless steel to offset the antiqued handgrip and other decorations, the sword makes an attractive wall hanging. The designers made no effort to hold to any traditional seafarer’s weapon style.
