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.
Fencing Sword Rapier, High Carbon Stainless Steel | European Medieval Functional Replica
1 min read
This functional stainless steel Medieval Fencing Sword isn’t so much a replica as it is a modern counterpart to the medieval rapier. More angular in design, the handguard resembles the old fencing swords in concept but not in detail.
With strong construction and a secure grip, this modern fencing foil can’t match the speed and flexibility of true tempered steel but is good enough for practice and display. Artistically, it lacks much of the fine scrollwork of the swords that inspired it. The 45-inch sword slightly outweighs older versions, but in this type of weapon, extra weight isn’t an advantage.
Fencing rapiers date back to the 16th century in Europe, where this refined sword became the chosen weapon of civilians, not soldiers. The light blade served as a self defense and dueling blade. The unsharpened part of the sword’s blade, called the ricasso, usually extended just beyond the hand guard. The remainder of the sword was forged with a double edge. In this model, most of the blade is an unsharpened bar of high carbon stainless steel, with the last third ground to a serviceable shape. Many of the old rapiers featured full hand protection with a bell-shaped guard and wrought steel basket grip, but others did follow the more open build of this sword.
Even though no one would mistake this rapier for an antique, it’s not a cheap souvenir. The construction is machine-shop quality instead of museum quality. It’s an interesting example of what happens when modern processes try to match old world craftsmanship. The result isn’t bad, but it’s definitely not the same.
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.
This functional stainless steel Medieval Fencing Sword isn’t so much a replica as it is a modern counterpart to the medieval rapier. More angular in design, the handguard resembles the old fencing swords in concept but not in detail.
