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.
Samurai 3000 Fantasy Sword by United Cutlery | Futuristic Weapon Katana w/ Scabbard
54 sec read
The Samurai Warrior 3000 Katana from United Cutlery embodies a design from the distant future when plasmium swords represent the best weapons of the samurai path. Although United Cutlery released only a little information about this interesting weapon, a truly functional combat version would apparently require knowledge of advanced physics as yet beyond our grasp.
We’ll have to wait until the year 3000 for the combat plasmium sword, but until then, this actually is a well-made display version of what a true samurai may carry in our distant future. The tang of the single-edged high carbon stainless steel blade fits securely into a decorative and oddly practical machined aluminum handle, with some of the styling of the traditional samurai katana but converted to knurled metal. The 28-1/2-inch blade does come pre-sharpened, although users will definitely want to improve on that if testing the sword’s physical limits.
Polished metal fittings on the black aluminum scabbard match the design of the katana’s handle but aren’t as decorative. The katana’s blade guard has a lethal appearance, with steel blades set into the aluminum wings of the cross-guard. Symbols engraved in the handle itself represent the Samurai ideals of justice, service and honor.
The katana feels a little heavy for fast action, but maybe that’s where the plasmium physics of future swordmasters come in. For the rest back here in ancient times, this is an interesting and unique prototype meant for the serious fantasy weapon collector.
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 Samurai Warrior 3000 Katana from United Cutlery embodies a design from the distant future when plasmium swords represent the best weapons of the samurai path. Although United Cutlery released only a little information about this interesting weapon, a truly functional combat version would apparently require knowledge of advanced physics as yet beyond our grasp.
