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.
Handmade Samurai Sword by Trademark Global | Forged Steel Katana w/ Dragon Scabbard, Orange
1 min read
The flashy look is the most dependable feature of this Samurai Sword from Trademark Global, but you could get a sword good enough for light cutting. This forged and handmade katana would be a safer bet on display.
This imported sword with an unknown history holds many of the possibilities and dangers bargain hunters love. A hand-forged blade of carbon steel — not stainless steel — could mean a few hours of honing would turn this into a razor-sharp sword good enough for the usual practice targets in the back yard. Carbon steel has many grades and without a solid reputation behind it, only a test will tell. Individual blades vary considerably if standards aren’t firmly set, and a sword could be handmade by a master smith or by someone who wishes they had a different job.
Details of the sword would place it more comfortably in the display category. The stylish but breakable tsuba is an odd mixture of zinc and aluminum and not very strong. The cover of the hardwood handle laid over the full tang is imitation fish skin, according to Trademark Global — I’d give the maker the benefit of the doubt and call it imitation ray skin, to be fair. The orange lacquer of the hardwood scabbard is definitely an attention-getter, and the sword would fit easily into a collection of fantasy katana built to represent video game weapons.
The real draw here, however, is still the carbon steel and the possibility that it may have been done right. An owner who decides to find out will be either very happy or terribly disappointed.
If you’re interested in a more trustworthy katana with real cutting ability, see the Practical Pro Functional Katana from Hanwei Forge.
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.
The flashy look is the most dependable feature of this Samurai Sword from Trademark Global, but you could get a sword good enough for light cutting. This forged and handmade katana would be a safer bet on display.
