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.
Resident Evil Double Kukri Alice Sword | Fantasy Twin Blades Zombie Movie Replica w/ Sheath & Belt by Trademark
1 min read
The Resident Evil Double Kukri Set from Trademark does resemble the backup weapons of Alice, the amnesiac bio-weapon who battles the infected zombie hordes and the mysterious Umbrella Corporation in the many Resident Evil video games and movies. Milla Jovovich’s martial skills made the knives famous as she slashed her way through zombie hordes as the gore-spattered heroine of the Resident Evil films.
Two black-handled high carbon stainless steel kukris, each one 20-1/2 inches long overall, ride in separate brown leather sheaths on a harness meant to be worn as a waist belt. The grips of the knives enclose the tangs of the kukris completely and are held in place by stainless steel butt caps. Meant to be slashing weapons primarily, these kukri blades have very little blade guard — only a notched section on the base of the blade prevents a hand from slipping forward.
Blades of only 1/8-inch thickness are a little light for zombie hunting but are fast moving. The feeling, though, is that the pair are display quality and you’d be better off with the shotgun if faced with a real zombie horde. Drawing these 14-inch long blades from a harness placed low on the back is a trick few will master — the kukris would deploy much better with an over-the-shoulder design.
Fans of the story will still be pleased by the accurate appearance of the knives themselves. Hopefully, we’ll see them in action again soon since the fifth movie in the series is due for release in early 2011.
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 Resident Evil Double Kukri Set from Trademark does resemble the backup weapons of Alice, the amnesiac bio-weapon who battles the infected zombie hordes and the mysterious Umbrella Corporation in the many Resident Evil video games and movies. Milla Jovovich’s martial skills made the knives famous as she slashed her way through zombie hordes as the gore-spattered heroine of the Resident Evil films.
