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.
Credit card knives usually don’t include much steel or much functionality, but the SOG Access Card 2.0 Knife is very impressive for a low profile cutter. Only 3/16 inches thick without the pocket clip, this tactical black folder opens and closes with one hand and even provides a solid blade lock.
Something this small and this light — only 1.8 ounces — won’t be bulletproof. Using the Access Card for much more than straightforward slicing action might quickly bring on mechanical problems, since the knife is built around two layers of thin high carbon stainless steel. Twisting or levering with this knife could mean the end of it. Use the knife within its limits, and you’ll appreciate the VG-10 stainless steel blade. This top-quality Japanese knife steel takes a harder temper than lesser alloys, bringing a long lasting Rockwell 59-60 cutting edge to the money-clip sized package. Three finger choils on the handle frame and jimping on the spine of the blade give users a solid grip and good thumb leverage. The Access Card isn’t heavy duty, but it’s practical.
This tiny knife includes SOG’s Arc-lock in a scaled-down size. That’s the same rugged bar-lock concept used in SOG’s larger folders. The Arc-lock lever shifts with only fingertip pressure but securely locks the blade either open or closed, with more strength under load than an equivalent liner-lock mechanism. Just over 6 inches long when locked open, the SOG Access Card packs 2-3/4 inches of hollow ground cutting edge. Even though it’s small enough to clip to the watch pocket of your jeans, there’s enough knife here to do some serious work.
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.
Designed by Doug Ritter of “Equipped to Survive,” the Adventure Medical Kits Pocket Survival Pak earned positive reviews from survival instructor Cody Lundin and...
Multi-purpose gear for hikers, backpackers, and other outdoorsmen gets better every year. If you make the Buck 731 X-Tract LED Multi-Tool part of your...
Leatherman’s back with an even stronger version of the original Leatherman Super Tool. The Super Tool 300 Multi-tool offers the strongest pair of multi-tool...
Credit card knives usually don’t include much steel or much functionality, but the SOG Access Card 2.0 Knife is very impressive for a low profile cutter. Only 3/16 inches thick without the pocket clip, this tactical black folder opens and closes with one hand and even provides a solid blade lock.
