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.
Martial Arts Chain Whip by Bud K | Stainless Steel w/ Hardwood Display Plaque
55 sec read
Said to be one of the most difficult martial arts weapons to master, the chain whip combines high velocity with powerful centrifugal force, putting a cutting edge and heavy weight at the end of the whip strike. This imaginative version of the chain whip, from Bud K., does something very different.
Forty-two-and-a-half inches long, the Bud K. chain whip combines a knurled stainless steel handle with 21 axe-shaped stainless steel vertebrae linked together like a bicycle chain. Each link has two shaped edges, but none are exceptionally sharp. That’s probably good, since if this interesting weapon really was sharp, it would present owners with at least 22 different ways to hurt themselves.
In essence, the Bud K. chain whip is only a fantasy weapon and should remain on the hardwood wall plaque that comes with it. Although it’s a fascinating item, there are some genuine practical issues which could make either it or the user short-lived if the chain whip is tested in the real world.
This linking system, like a bicycle chain, flexes in only two directions and isn’t built as solid as the power train of a mountain bike. Strike off that critical plane, and you could do permanent damage to the whip. As a striking instrument, it ought to work very well going out. On the rebound, chain whip masters wrap the classic chain whips around themselves to redirect the force. With this one, that would probably hurt a lot.
The Bud K. chain whip is still a very unusual collector’s piece and a genuine eye-catcher.
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.
Said to be one of the most difficult martial arts weapons to master, the chain whip combines high velocity with powerful centrifugal force, putting a cutting edge and heavy weight at the end of the whip strike. This imaginative version of the chain whip, from Bud K., does something very different.
