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.
Hanwei Practical Pro Functional Katana | Battle Ready Martial Arts Sword w/ Black Saya
1 min read
Similar to Hanwei’s Practical Plus Elite Katana, the Hanwei Practical Pro Katana focuses on heavy cutting ability in a moderately priced functional build. Differences between this katana and the more traditional Practical Plus Elite include a longer handle for increased power and a thicker, heavier blade.
With a weight of three pounds — nearly half a pound heavier than its Elite counterpart — the Practical Pro packs in eight extra ounces of steel. Blade thickness at the guard is 0.36 inches compared to the Elite’s lighter and faster 0.26-inch-thick blade. Width of the XL blade series is also greater than in the Elite, but otherwise the blades are very similar in design. Neither has blood grooves, but both blade designs are differentially hardened with cutting edges of higher Rockwell hardness than the tough steel of the blade spines. Both show the distinctive hamon of true clay-mask edge tempering.
The Practical Pro tsuba also outweighs the equivalent on the Elite, made with less decoration and more strength. The Pro version’s tsuba has eight strong spokes symbolizing the Eight Fold Path of the Buddha and also adding considerable parrying potential to the katana. The Pro is definitely more massive with a full inch of extra cutting length and a handle with 3-1/2 inches more grip than the Elite’s 11-1/2-inch tsuka. In style, both are similar with simulated leather ito wrappings which, according to the manufacturer, increase the security of the grip compared to traditional cotton.
The Practical Pro Katana saya is built simply but strongly with a plain black lacquer finish and black cotton sageo. While it would be more difficult to control than the lighter Practical Plus Elite, this Practical Pro katana deals more damage.
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.
Similar to Hanwei’s Practical Plus Elite Katana, the Hanwei Practical Pro Katana focuses on heavy cutting ability in a moderately priced functional build. Differences between this katana and the more traditional Practical Plus Elite include a longer handle for increased power and a thicker, heavier blade.
