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 Skull Head City Stick | Self Defense Walking Cane w/ Weighted Pommel
1 min read
Cold Steel’s Skull Head City Stick is both dangerous and elegant. Designed for urban self defense rather than to be a walking aid, the stainless steel and fiberglass walking stick will serve for either purpose. Cold Steel makes several different models of City Sticks and the Skull Head is one of their heaviest, weighing 27.7 ounces. That’s more weight than mall walkers usually choose to carry, but this is more than the average walking stick.
The Skull Head City Stick is a modern version of the old Irish shillelagh, an end-weighted fighting cane. The traditional version’s knobbed end is carved from the root knot of blackthorn, now hard to find in the Isles because of the continued demand for this old weapon. Cold Steel brings it to a new level with a stainless steel handle and a thin fiberglass shaft — eleven layers thick — that’s virtually unbreakable. Smashing concrete blocks or shattering bricks is easy. Two large men standing on the shaft won’t break it, and it’s not likely that you will. Wooden canes of similar size are common martial arts weapons in many cultures — none of them match the City Stick in strength and durability.
The skull-shaped handle of cast stainless steel could be marred by smashing bricks or pavement, but it’s securely bonded to the cane itself and not likely to be seriously damaged. Whatever you hit with it will be. If you like the look of this self defense cane, be aware of its potential for mayhem. If you only need something to keep the neighbor’s dogs at bay, you can get by with less. The 37.5-inch cane generates a lot of impact force when smartly swung. Striking with the cane tip rather than the skull handle is a more reasonable solution to everyday problems.
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’s Skull Head City Stick is both dangerous and elegant. Designed for urban self defense rather than to be a walking aid, the stainless steel and fiberglass walking stick will serve for either purpose. Cold Steel makes several different models of City Sticks and the Skull Head is one of their heaviest, weighing 27.7 ounces. That’s more weight than mall walkers usually choose to carry, but this is more than the average walking stick.
