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.
Made in the German knife-making center of Solingen, this stiletto-type pocket knife is functional as well as beautiful. Although it looks like an automatic, it’s a slip joint with some interesting extra features.
The blade shape of the 440A high carbon stainless steel gives the Medici the deadly look of a medieval dagger, and in use it even handles like one. If you open the Medici with the thumbnail notch and lock the blade, the knife works like a fixed blade and even has the parrying cross-guard of a fighting knife. For ordinary work, the cross-guard prevents slipping towards the cutting edge in wet or cold conditions. When the lockback lever is pressed, the blade and cross-guard rotate back toward the handle. While the blade fits between the liners, the cross-guard seats neatly against the bolster. For any sort of small cutting and piercing tasks, it’s an excellent knife.
Cross-guard, bolster, and pommel of polished brass accent the stainless steel blade and the handle slabs of natural stag antler. As with all Puma designs, each knife undergoes many hand operations, and the small differences in technique make every Puma handcrafted knife unique. Every pair of handle slabs is chosen for a close match in shape, but all show individual natural variation.
The Puma Medici delivers stiletto style without the legal problems of automatic knives. Only four inches long when closed and packing a 2-3/4-inch-long blade, it may leave you wishing for more knife. Although we’d like to see a larger version, it’s a beautiful pocketknife and definitely another Puma to treasure.
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.
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Made in the German knife-making center of Solingen, this stiletto-type pocket knife is functional as well as beautiful. Although it looks like an automatic, it’s a slip joint with some interesting extra features.
