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 Medieval Sword w/ Leather Scabbard, Battle Ready | Hand and a Half Longsword
1 min read
Many of Cold Steel’s better swords, like this Hand-and-a-Half Sword in black leather and steel, have the look and feel of good tools. Remaking old designs with new processes and materials, Cold Steel creates traditional weapons which aren’t traditional. They just work.
A little of the art may have been set aside, but if you’re looking strictly for a usable sword at a reasonable price, Cold Steel makes it. The 42-5/8-inch-long Cold Steel hand-and-a-half sword, a three-pound longsword with a double-edged 1055 high carbon steel blade 33-1/2 inches long, passed all the imaginative tests that Cold Steel engineers love to devise. It slashes heavy rope, chops heavy cardboard tubing, bends to 90 degrees without damage, pierces oranges on the fly, and if you need to cut up some meat for the barbeque grill quickly, try this sword.
These are all reasonable (if not remarkable) tests, and they do prove that the sword has good flexibility, speed, and holds an edge well. The choice of 1055 spring steel rather than the usual 440 stainless steel of display weapons makes this a sword of the same quality as a good wushu blade. In China, it would not quite be combat quality, but it’s good enough for kung fu practice. Cold Steel builds these for self defense, and there’s no way to argue that swords like the Hand-and-a-Half fall short of that goal. This blade is good enough for the Mad Max scenario.
The solid steel pommel on its strong rat tail tang forms the basis for a sturdy and simple hardwood grip covered with black leather. The sword’s matching scabbard of leather-clad hardwood finished with steel fittings looks better and stronger than many Chinese scabbards built for higher quality weaponry.
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.
Many of Cold Steel’s better swords, like this Hand-and-a-Half Sword in black leather and steel, have the look and feel of good tools. Remaking old designs with new processes and materials, Cold Steel creates traditional weapons which aren’t traditional. They just work.
