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.
TOPS Border Crossing Tactical Knife | Black High Carbon Dagger w/ Micarta Handle
1 min read
Tactical knives come and go, some great ideas and some wanna-bes. I admit I’m skeptical when I see that knives are advertised as “in the hands of top field agents right now!” That’s an easy claim to make and tough to back up. The biographies of the founders of TOPS (Tactical Operations USA) make me curious–people are there who worked for the border patrol, special forces, FEMA and just about every other agency that might actually use a knife like the Border Crossing.
Looking at the knife, I’m impressed. The Border Crossing fits the high-tech engineering of modern tactical folders to the plain and simple full tang sheath knife design. That makes sense. This knife is all business and cut from a blank of high carbon CM-154 steel a full one-quarter-inch thick. That makes the Border Crossing prybar strong. A drop point plain edge blade 4 1/2 inches long and an overall length of 9-7/8 inches put this knife into the heavy category at a hefty 15 ounces. Black linen micarta handle slabs aren’t cut back to save weight — lightly contoured to increase the grip, there’s enough handle here for good leverage and twisting power. A Kydex sheath includes a rotating spring clip.
The heat-treated blade includes a thumb plate for increased control and working pressure and a general shape that combines a dagger-styled point with a more utilitarian cutting edge. The Border Crossing could double as a good skinning knife and in weight is about the same as the usual hunting blade. Overall, the knife exceeds the strength you’d need for hunting. This alloy was chosen for edge holding rather than shine — common sense maintenance with light oil will be needed. The black blade coating prevents most corrosion trouble from even getting started, as well as eliminating unwanted glare.
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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Tactical knives come and go, some great ideas and some wanna-bes. I admit I’m skeptical when I see that knives are advertised as “in the hands of top field agents right now!” That’s an easy claim to make and tough to back up. The biographies of the founders of TOPS (Tactical Operations USA) make me curious–people are there who worked for the border patrol, special forces, FEMA and just about every other agency that might actually use a knife like the Border Crossing.
