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 slip joint style pocket knife — like the Puma Stockman Stag — used to be the standard pocket blade for ranchers, farmers, and outdoorsmen. Three blades covered most common purposes no matter what the profession, and if the tip broke off one of them, it also counted as an emergency screwdriver. The Puma Stockman with stag antler handles matches a design so familiar it attracts very little attention — but if you compare the Puma version to rival American-made knives, you will see a subtle difference.
The three-inch clip point, two-inch sheepsfoot, and 2-1/4-inch spey blades were hand forged at the company’s factory in Solingen, Germany, where the main and best Puma product line is still produced. The high carbon D1.4 stainless steel blades have been Rockwell-tested to between 57 and 59, so you know they’ll hold an edge. All the materials are high quality, including the stag antler handle slabs and nickel-silver polished bolsters. Puma also makes the Stockman with bone handle slabs, but the antlers are a renewable harvest humanely collected without harm to the animals.
Brass liners protect the folded blades, which snap into position once opened and are held in place firmly by bars of spring steel. Don’t consider this a lockback knife, even though the action is solid — a firm pressure releases the blade for closure. At three ounces and four inches folded length, it’s a sturdy knife big enough for real work but not too big for pocket carry. The Puma should last a lifetime if you wipe it down now and then with a lightly oiled cloth and don’t lose it in the lake.
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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The slip joint style pocket knife — like the Puma Stockman Stag — used to be the standard pocket blade for ranchers, farmers, and outdoorsmen. Three blades covered most common purposes no matter what the profession, and if the tip broke off one of them, it also counted as an emergency screwdriver. The Puma Stockman with stag antler handles matches a design so familiar it attracts very little attention — but if you compare the Puma version to rival American-made knives, you will see a subtle difference.
