JT Hats
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.



Cold Steel Pendleton Knife Lite Hunter | Field & Stream Magazine Award for Best Fixed Hunting Blade

1 min read

Cold Steel Pendleton Knife Lite Hunter Combining quality with lost cost, Cold Steel’s Pendleton Lite Hunter counters the idea that to get the best, you pay more. Cold Steel’s budget fixed blade hunting knife won the 2010 “Best of the Best” Hunting Knife award from Field & Stream magazine.

Designed by custom knife maker Lloyd Pendleton, the Pendleton Lite Hunter keeps the most important design features from the Pendleton Hunter line. The 8-5/8-inch knife carries 3-5/8 inches of drop point, hollow ground blade backed up with a scientifically designed grip. A dropped bolster formed from the grip prevents forward slips, and indentations near the bolster keep fingertips behind the working edge. The flared butt and dropped heel of the handle counteract slips in the opposite direction.

In appearance, the Lite Hunter so closely matches the more expensive Pendleton Hunter that at first it’s hard to understand the price difference. The only major changes were the shift to 4116 Krupp stainless steel in the blade and to polypropylene in the handle. With a cutting edge that’s slightly less hard than the SG-1 steel of the Pendleton Hunter, the Lite Hunter still performs exceptionally well. The lower temper of the Krupp carbon steel makes sharpening the knife easier and toughens the edge.

The polypropylene in the Lite Hunter’s handle replaces the rugged Kraton of the Pendleton Hunter. For normal uses the poly won’t be noticeably different, but it doesn’t have the extreme functional temperature range of Kraton or the high resistance to chemical damage. Cold Steel provides a ballistic nylon sheath.

See the Cold Steel Folding Hunter for a pocket clip version of the Pendleton Hunter.

Find this Cold Steel Pendleton Lite Hunter:

 

JT Hats
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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