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.
Primitive Bowie Knife Replica by Trademark Global | Brass & Stainless Steel Reenactment Blade
1 min read
Trademark Global’s Primitive Bowie clearly is too much knife for today’s hunter or fisherman, but it will fit right in at frontier re-enactments. This 18-1/2-inch Bowie does closely resemble some of the fighting knives made in the days of James Black and features one classic detail missing from modern Bowie knives.
What catches the eye after you get over the sudden appearance of a 13-inch high carbon stainless steel blade, finished to a mirror polish, is that unusual brass back fused to the blade’s spine. There’s still some argument over what exactly that brass strip was intended to do. Obviously, the brass blade guard is there to help keep the user’s hand on the polished hardwood handle — and to protect those important fingers from the enemy’s cutter. The brass spine itself is a puzzle.
Some think it was placed there to add strength to the blade, in days when steel was of questionable quality. Having worked with both metals, I doubt there’s any reason to believe that theory. I also have more faith in James Black’s ideas and don’t believe he’d have worked with inferior stock. Another thought is that the brass was there to catch the edge of an attacker’s blade, which seems much more likely. A heavy blade striking that strip would cut into it and lodge instead of sliding down.
The Trademark Primitive Bowie includes a well-made traditional leather sheath and should be the cause of many interesting discussions at your next Frontier Rendezvous.
For a beautiful, classic Bowie knife with a much more refined character, see the Zweibruder Grandpa Bowie.
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.
Trademark Global’s Primitive Bowie clearly is too much knife for today’s hunter or fisherman, but it will fit right in at frontier re-enactments. This 18-1/2-inch Bowie does closely resemble some of the fighting knives made in the days of James Black and features one classic detail missing from modern Bowie knives.
