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 Tanto Knife Master | San Mai VG-1 Steel, Glass Punch Breaker
1 min read
The smallest knife in Cold Steel’s tanto series, the Master Tanto with a six-inch blade of VG-1 San Mai III high carbon stainless steel, varies only a little from the classic tanto in visual terms. In materials, there’s a considerable difference between Cold Steel’s model and the classic backup blade of the Japanese samurai.
In style, the major difference is the finger guard, forged in the bolster of this full tang knife to fit American hands. This makes good practical sense if you plan to drive the angled point of this heavy knife through anything substantial, like steel drums or car doors.
The flattened oval handle also departs from the simplistic build of the traditional tanto, including a pommel appropriate for smashing car windows by pressure or by impact. That’s a handy feature quickly becoming standard, as more people learn how to make quick exits from autos in a crisis situation. Alternatively, the knife is heavy enough to do real point-of-impact damage with the handle alone without fear of damaging the knife.
The Kraton grip has practical texture and a good look — it’s easy to get past the feeling that this is an artificial product because it works so well. The main point of argument about the Master Tanto from Cold Steel is the weight. This knife is 11-1/2 inches long and 9-1/2 ounces heavy. That’s a little heavy for a modern hunter, and the blade style which works so well for piercing armor doesn’t lend itself well to every type of ordinary work. It’s more knife than most people will need, and it’s a little too specialized for some, but there’s no question it does what Cold Steel says it will do. Punch holes and smash things without worrying you’ll snap this survival quality blade. It lasts.
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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The smallest knife in Cold Steel’s tanto series, the Master Tanto with a six-inch blade of VG-1 San Mai III high carbon stainless steel, varies only a little from the classic tanto in visual terms. In materials, there’s a considerable difference between Cold Steel’s model and the classic backup blade of the Japanese samurai.
