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.
Tiger Claw Martial Arts Weapons | Wushu Twin Broadswords | Chrome Steel 30 Inch
56 sec read
The design and appearance of this Twin Wushu Broadsword set from Tiger Claw is a good match for the heavier combat broadsword set which inspired it. Much lighter than the combat swords, these chromed steel broadswords are equal in length but not in weight or quality of steel.
Designed for forms practice and wushu competition, the forward part of the 30 inch blades uses a slimmer version of the traditional slashing broadsword pattern. The heavy build of the handles helps give the wushu broadswords more balance than in the original weapons, making them easier to wield and faster moving than the heavy fighting blades. Wushu swords are meant to bend and snap back to their original line — these should bend as far as a 180 degree arc and recover. A 90 degree bend is all that Wushu swords need. Pushing this test to extremes could cause damage.
Certainly not harmless, these twin broadswords were not intended for either fighting or striking targets. Using them for cutting practice will damage the light steel blades. Even though these 40-inch-long weapons look very much like the real thing, they are no match for combat steel.
For learning the movements of the very complex twin broadsword forms and for demonstration of that skill, this is a good set. The light broadswords won’t put too much stress on wrists unused to the unbalanced weight of the combat broadsword. The swords still require the same basic strengths and skills as with the real weapons.
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 design and appearance of this Twin Wushu Broadsword set from Tiger Claw is a good match for the heavier combat broadsword set which inspired it. Much lighter than the combat swords, these chromed steel broadswords are equal in length but not in weight or quality of steel.
