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.
Fusilier Dive Knife by Underwater Kinetics 30234 | Diving UK Sable Upgrade w/ Serrated Blunt Blade
1 min read
The Underwater Kinetics Fusilier is a dive knife for those divers who don’t wish to carry actual knives. That seems like a strange idea, but there are reasons this knife might appeal to other more broad-minded divers as well.
The Fusilier is an upgrade of the UK Sabre, another blunt-tip knife/tool made of less rugged materials than the Fusilier. The four-inch-long, double-edged blade of the Fusilier has a more efficient serrated side than the Sabre, and this prybar-style knife is made from UK’s own alloy, Hydralloy. Hydralloy was developed to provide better durability and corrosion resistance than the 440C of the UK Sabre but remains lower priced than UK’s best titanium knives.
Although many would certainly prefer a strong knife point rather than the blunt chisel of the Fusilier, if your work or hobby requires frequent use of a chipping or prying tool, the Fusilier certainly provides that. The strong handle includes a deep finger choil for a solid grip on the tool and does have enough width for twisting power. Most functions of a knife blade are still covered by the Fusilier, which also has a cord-cutting notch ground into the base of the knife’s plain edge. The Fusilier has some handy potentials, but it might make a better accessory than a primary dive knife. Points still come in handy for most of us.
The friction locking sheath of the Fusilier could be worn on gear belts or straps, or bolted to equipment through the sheath’s pre-bored mounting holes, and holds the tool securely in any position.
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 Underwater Kinetics Fusilier is a dive knife for those divers who don’t wish to carry actual knives. That seems like a strange idea, but there are reasons this knife might appeal to other more broad-minded divers as well.
