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.
Hand Forged Roman Sword, Authentic Replica | Historical Gladius Gladiator Pompeii Reproduction
57 sec read
Fans of the Gladiator movie starring Russell Crowe will remember and admire this type of sword. Heavy but very efficient, the gladius became one of the main weapons of the Roman Legion’s infantry. This Trademark Global Roman Sword recreates the old design in modern hand-forged steel.
This heavy 29-3/4-inch sword wields a wide, double-edged blade 19-1/2 inches long and 3/32 inches thick. A rat-tail tang extends completely through the turned wooden grip and ends in a threaded pommel of cast brass. Brass also plates the front face of the wooden bladeguard. Made from high carbon steel, the blade shows some signs of genuine hand workmanship. Expect some asymmetry and other small imperfections.
The sheath is hardwood with a leather cover and fittings of brass plate. Rings on the sheath hardware allow suspension from a belt or display on the wall. This sword recreates one of the shortest styles of the Roman gladius, called the Pompeii. Original Pompeii swords were about two inches wide with blades about 20 inches long and an overall maximum length of 25-1/2 inches. Some Pompeii swords were a few inches shorter and weighed about 1-1/2 pounds. Over the years, better metal and improved forging techniques allowed smiths to increase the length of the gladius without decreasing blade strength. Longer swords which kept the parallel edges and triangular point of the Pompeii pattern became known as semi-spatha.
See the Valiant Armory Praetorian Sword — a different but still authentic ancient Roman sword — for another hand-forged modern version of the gladius.
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.
Fans of the Gladiator movie starring Russell Crowe will remember and admire this type of sword. Heavy but very efficient, the gladius became one of the main weapons of the Roman Legion’s infantry. This Trademark Global Roman Sword recreates the old design in modern hand-forged steel.
