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.
Cold Steel Gurkha Kukri | San Mai III 35ATCJ | Traditional Asian Military Knife
1 min read
Cold Steel’s San Mai III Gurkha Kukri may be the heaviest kukri produced today — with full tang VG-1 high carbon stainless steel construction and a thickness of 5/16 inches, that’s certainly possible. Designed by Lynn Thompson, the president of Cold Steel, the San Mai III Kukri varies only slightly in shape from the traditional Nepalese military blade. A full twelve inches of cutting edge places most of the blade’s weight in the forward third of the knife for heavy chopping power. The strong point narrows slightly from the traditional design to accentuate piercing ability. With this quality of steel and a Rockwell hardness of 60-63, the Kukri is certainly a durable blade capable of stabbing through a steel drum without much wear and tear. As demonstration videos on the Cold Steel page show, the Kukri chops through bulky slabs of meat — including rib cages — with the ease of a samurai sword.
On the advice of Dr. Maung Gyi, president of the American Bando Association, the Cold Steel San Mai III Kukri is built heavy enough for smashing as well as slashing — strike with the back of this thick blade, and the result is like getting hit with a long thin hammer. Twenty-two ounces moving fast puts a lot of force behind that 5/16-inch thick knife. Stepping up from the polypropylene handles of Cold Steel’s cheaper models, the San Mai III cushions that blow with a resilient Kraton grip. The massive knife rides at the hip in a black Secure-Ex sheath designed to hang from the belt and lash to the thigh.
Built to impress and intimidate, the knife does comes with a lot of polish and good lines. Typical of Cold Steel’s designs, the San Mai III isn’t fancy but definitely is built to do the job. Be careful — whatever damage you do with it is likely to be permanent.
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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Cold Steel’s San Mai III Gurkha Kukri may be the heaviest kukri produced today — with full tang VG-1 high carbon stainless steel construction and a thickness of 5/16 inches, that’s certainly possible. Designed by Lynn Thompson, the president of Cold Steel, the San Mai III Kukri varies only slightly in shape from the traditional Nepalese military blade. A full twelve inches of cutting edge places most of the blade’s weight in the forward third of the knife for heavy chopping power. The strong point narrows slightly from the traditional design to accentuate piercing ability. With this quality of steel and a Rockwell hardness of 60-63, the Kukri is certainly a durable blade capable of stabbing through a steel drum without much wear and tear. As demonstration videos on the Cold Steel page show, the Kukri chops through bulky slabs of meat — including rib cages — with the ease of a samurai sword.
