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.
Serenity Reaver Sword | Firefly River Tam Collectible Weapon, Fantasy Movie Replica
1 min read
Fans of the Fox TV series Firefly or the subsequent movie Serenity will recognize this weapon as a Reaver sword, based on the blade acquired by the young psychic River Tam in one of the story’s final scenes. Although details don’t exactly match the sword she brandishes in ads for the movie, construction quality is good, and the movie’s theme leaves some room for artistic variation.
Many of the characters in the story wielded weapons of a style unique to their class or race, but with individual differences, and that customized technology makes this Reaver sword’s design more acceptable. The heavy high carbon stainless steel blade has more of a machete-style weight and shape than the heroine’s sword, but it’s definitely cut in the Reaver pattern. Short for a sword, the strong 11-inch blade brings the total length to only 16 inches — enough for a space cannibal Reaver’s backup blade, but certainly not their full-sized battle blade.
Firefly gained a strong following before the Fox network canceled the series after airing only 11 of its 14 episodes. Creator Joss Whedon also wrote the screenplay for Universal Studio’s movie spin-off — the award-winning sci-fi film Serenity. The movie featured an interesting martial arts blend of swordplay and gunfire with visual elements taken from the American Civil War’s Reconstruction period. Summer Glau, who played the young sword-wielding psychic River Tam, trained in a system derived from Jeet Kune Do along with techniques gleaned from other styles of kung fu, ballet, and kickboxing.
Movie replica sword enthusiasts will also be interested in the Ultraviolet Sword, another unique fantasy blade.
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.
Fans of the Fox TV series Firefly or the subsequent movie Serenity will recognize this weapon as a Reaver sword, based on the blade acquired by the young psychic River Tam in one of the story’s final scenes. Although details don’t exactly match the sword she brandishes in ads for the movie, construction quality is good, and the movie’s theme leaves some room for artistic variation.
