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.
Armor Piercing Butterfly Knife, Japanese Tanto | Bear & Son Silver Vein Tactical Balisong Blade
53 sec read
The Silver Vein Armor Piercing Butterfly from Bear & Son Cutlery of Alabama features a high carbon stainless steel blade in the Japanese tanto style. Tanto blades were designed for penetration instead of slicing, but the lighter construction of the Silver Vein’s handle makes this knife a better choice for cutting than for piercing samurai armor.
The action of the knife is good — it opens smoothly and the cast metal halves of the butterfly handle have been lightened with cutouts for better balance. The silver vein pattern on the handles gives the five-inch folded knife a decorative outside, but the inside is all business. Flick the knife open and it presents a four-inch blade with a non-reflective tactical coating of dark epoxy powder. A metal latch bar locks the handle halves together in either open or closed positions. The high carbon stainless steel of the blade is much stronger than the cast metal of the handle, so prying or twisting could do the knife damage.
All parts of this balisong knife are American made — in fact, everything in this knife was made at Bear and Son’s Jacksonville factory. Bear & Son’s policy is to make everything on-site, including the dies required to form the blades. Advanced machine processes and skilled hand operations go into the production of every Bear & Son knife. The result is a high-quality product at a reasonable price.
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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The Silver Vein Armor Piercing Butterfly from Bear & Son Cutlery of Alabama features a high carbon stainless steel blade in the Japanese tanto style. Tanto blades were designed for penetration instead of slicing, but the lighter construction of the Silver Vein’s handle makes this knife a better choice for cutting than for piercing samurai armor.
