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.
Kershaw Lockback Barlow Knife w/ Rosewood Handle | Folding Clip Point Blade, Whiskey Gap
1 min read
Kershaw’s Whiskey Gap Lockback Folder has a nice look about it, with some of the old functionality of the Barlow popular in America’s early days but cleaned up a bit with subtle modern refinements. The single clip point 2-1/4-inch blade of AUS6A high carbon stainless steel lifts by the thumb notch and locks into place once fully open. Old Barlow knives were slip joint pocket knives, usually with two blades that stayed open by spring tension. The lockback feature is a welcome addition to a very practical pocket knife style.
Traditional barlows were made of rugged but plain materials. The generous bolster adds to the strength of this old design, which often sported roughly shaped bone or stag handles. Kershaw’s Whiskey Gap knife features a satin finished barlow style bolster and brass handle liners with handle slabs of rosewood. One of the most durable natural hardwoods for knife handles, rosewood is so thoroughly saturated with waxy resin that the wood doesn’t distort when exposed to moisture. The extremely hard rosewood polishes with heavy use instead of wearing away. A light rubbing of oil now and then will be all it needs to keep its luster.
Shallow finger notches in the grip of the handle help control the knife, but this small folder is intended for light work anyway — the sculpting helps the look more than the practicality. At about two ounces and just over three inches folded, the Whiskey Gap is a solidly built pocket folder in one of the most popular patterns of the American frontier.
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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Kershaw’s Whiskey Gap Lockback Folder has a nice look about it, with some of the old functionality of the Barlow popular in America’s early days but cleaned up a bit with subtle modern refinements. The single clip point 2-1/4-inch blade of AUS6A high carbon stainless steel lifts by the thumb notch and locks into place once fully open. Old Barlow knives were slip joint pocket knives, usually with two blades that stayed open by spring tension. The lockback feature is a welcome addition to a very practical pocket knife style.
