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.
UZI Gift Set w/ Compass, Watch, LED Flashlight | Special Forces Tactical Knife Emergency Kit
1 min read
The UZI Special Forces Set includes a tactical pocket knife, compass, watch, and an LED flashlight. Overall, it’s a good deal and a handy emergency kit for anyone’s pockets.
The tanto-style pocket clip folder knife, only 4-1/4 inches when closed, wields a combo-serrated cutting edge of 8Cr14 high carbon stainless steel that flicks open with one hand and locks open with a very familiar and dependable liner lock mechanism. The skeletonized grip is light and secure in the hand, but does expose the inner workings of the knife to dust and grit. It will need cleaning frequently if that one-handed opening feature is expected to work well. The knife is still a good sturdy pocket blade, better for ordinary work than tactical uses but very handy to have around.
The watch isn’t fancy, but it’s waterproof to 300 feet. That means the quartz movement wristwatch with rotating and ratcheting bezel will definitely not be affected by rain, sweat, or river crossings. The stainless steel back holds up to the corrosive action of salt and oil in human sweat, always a plus in a watch. Divers might consider it marginal, but the outdoorsman should find this watch good enough. Attached to the wristband is a small plastic bubble compass which some would consider a toy — if this is the only compass available when you need one, it’s a durable and treasured piece of gear. When the GPS batteries go dead, you’ll be glad you have it.
The last piece in the set is a black LED flashlight, 4 inches long, which runs on only one AA battery and detaches from a lanyard and key ring. LED lights last for hours, provide brilliant light, and the machined aluminum case is even just barely big enough to be a decent fist load weapon.
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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The UZI Special Forces Set includes a tactical pocket knife, compass, watch, and an LED flashlight. Overall, it’s a good deal and a handy emergency kit for anyone’s pockets.
