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.
Part of Bluegrass Cutlery’s revival of old Winchester knife designs, the 270 Folding Guard Lockback definitely has nostalgia value and collectability as well. Folding bladeguards aren’t common and, in a practical sense, don’t quite match up to either the convenience of a plain folding knife or the rugged functionality of a fixed blade sheath knife. This represents a patented concept that just didn’t go well. Since it’s not bound to overtake the modern market either, this turn of the century rebuild is a rare opportunity for collectors.
A hefty 4-5/16″ handle with brass riveted stag horn slabs and nickel silver bolsters overmatches the high carbon stainless steel clip point blade. The blade guard, pinned to the base of the single blade, rotates and folds away along with the cutting edge. This extra feature requires a little more space in the handle than ordinary folding designs. The lockback feature is sturdy enough, but users should depend on the grip of the naturally textured handle for safety, not on the blade guard. With this heavy a build, the Folding Guard Lockback is a little too much for handy pocket carry, and like all the old designs also lacks a pocket clip.
The look is reminiscent of the frontier days when every inventive blacksmith had a better idea and hoped to strike it rich on the open market instead of the gold fields. A larger version of this same unique knife forms part of Bluegrass Cutlery’s Turn of the Century collection of twelve classic Winchester knives.
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.
Designed by Doug Ritter of “Equipped to Survive,” the Adventure Medical Kits Pocket Survival Pak earned positive reviews from survival instructor Cody Lundin and...
Multi-purpose gear for hikers, backpackers, and other outdoorsmen gets better every year. If you make the Buck 731 X-Tract LED Multi-Tool part of your...
Part of Bluegrass Cutlery’s revival of old Winchester knife designs, the 270 Folding Guard Lockback definitely has nostalgia value and collectability as well. Folding bladeguards aren’t common and, in a practical sense, don’t quite match up to either the convenience of a plain folding knife or the rugged functionality of a fixed blade sheath knife. This represents a patented concept that just didn’t go well. Since it’s not bound to overtake the modern market either, this turn of the century rebuild is a rare opportunity for collectors.
