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.
Black Kogane Dynasty Sword Tachi Damascus Steel | United Cutlery Forged Katana w/ Brass, Full Tang
1 min read
United Cutlery’s Black Kogane Dynasty Tachi Sword in Damascus steel is a fine example of the company’s push towards better yet still affordable products. Even skeptics should be pleased.
Fittings on this 42-inch-long katana are not gold. Made from cast yellow brass or brass plated metal, the kashiri (end cap), menuki (grip decoration), and tsuba (blade guard) give the sword good balance and extra strength. With age, the brass will discolor and only a patient polishing restores that first gloss. That might be a problem if you want those fittings to keep the look of gold, since the detail of the pieces will be tough to access. From a practical viewpoint, it doesn’t affect the sword’s quality.
The katana’s full tang is the foundation for a hardwood slab handle covered with rayksin and decorated with the brass menuki ornament. This gold version of the Black Kogane uses gold-colored nylon cord for the ito or woven cord hand grip. The black hardwood sheath’s sagao is custom designed from nylon rope, nylon cord, and leather.
The primary feature of the Kogane Tachi Sword would of course be the 1060 high carbon Damascus steel blade. Hand forged with many layers of this good tool steel, the blade has resilience and strength that does exceed that of single-layer blades. A blood groove or hi runs the length of the blade. The hardness of the steel could range anywhere from 56 to 60 on the Rockwell scale — this blade is not edge-tempered in the traditional way, but the Damascus steel compensates well for all that corner-cutting on materials and processes. The kanji etched in the blade actually interprets as “United Strong Steel,” which is the best thing you can say about this beautiful modern sword.
See the CAS Hanwei Kami Katana for an example of a traditionally constructed katana with an even better Damascus steel blade.
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.
United Cutlery’s Black Kogane Dynasty Tachi Sword in Damascus steel is a fine example of the company’s push towards better yet still affordable products. Even skeptics should be pleased.
