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.
You may have to go back a few centuries to find a dirk as practical as this knife from Cold Steel — the Scottish Dirk with Rosewood Handle and Leather Scabbard. In other times, the dirk was built for mayhem and was a common sidearm on naval ships. Many different types were created around the basic concept of a long double-edged dagger light enough for fast work and strong enough to parry a sword.
Dirks also evolved in other directions — towards ceremonial use and decoration. Dirks acquired ornate hilts adorned with jewels called cairngorn and scabbards with pockets for a matching knife and fork. The pommels of these dress dirks were even canted out of line so the ornamental cairngorn would be more visible.
Cold Steel’s dirk doesn’t precisely match any regimental or clan pattern but does come close to the old fighting designs in handle style and blade. The rosewood handle is turned, carved, and studded in a familiar way, but the knife lacks the decoration common in Scottish dirks today. Construction is sensible, with solid steel fittings and a blade of tempered 1055 high carbon spring steel. This dirk holds an edge better and takes abuse better than any modern stainless steel version made for display.
The blued steel blade guard falls a little short in looks and isn’t large enough to catch another blade reliably, but otherwise this is a good-looking practical dirk with a strongly built scabbard to match. Cold Steel’s dirk is an interesting blend of the old Scottish pattern augmented with practical features that would be equally at home on a Ka-Bar bayonet.
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.
You may have to go back a few centuries to find a dirk as practical as this knife from Cold Steel — the Scottish Dirk with Rosewood Handle and Leather Scabbard. In other times, the dirk was built for mayhem and was a common sidearm on naval ships. Many different types were created around the basic concept of a long double-edged dagger light enough for fast work and strong enough to parry a sword.
