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.



Spyderco Resilience Hunting Knife, One Handed | Largest Value Series Folder w/ G-10 Handle

1 min read

Spyderco Resilience Hunting Knife, OneSpyderco’s Resilience is that company’s largest knife in the Spyderco “Value” series. With an open length of 9-3/8 inches and a blade 4-1/4 inches long, the Resilience has the size and heft of a small hunting knife. The Resilience’s reasonable price might make you wonder where the company cut costs, but the answers should leave you satisfied with a good deal.

Spyderco’s one-handed opening system depends on a simple thumb hole instead of a thumb stud system. The hole would weaken the blade of a smaller knife, but the Resilience has enough blade width to compensate. The Liner Lock designed by Michael Walker locks the blade open without complicating the build. The Walker system needs no extra buttons or levers, so just swing the blade open and it snaps securely in place. Release the blade after use by pressing on the liner lock springbar. The blade’s detente provides enough resistance that the blade stays safely closed when in the pocket. Spyderco’s 8Cr13MoV high carbon stainless steel holds an edge well but will need an occasional oiling. Like many other modern stainless steels, it’s corrosion-resistant, not corrosion-proof.

For smooth opening, Spyderco brackets the blade pivot with phosphor bronze bushings instead of steel bearings. Phosphor bronze holds lubricant in the pores of the metal and provides fast deployment with very little play. Bronze bearings cut costs and don’t have quite the lifetime of a stainless steel ball bearing movement, but if kept clean and oiled do perform well. Bronze wears easier than steel, so pay attention to maintenance and keep grit out of the works. If you don’t let the bearings get completely dry, the lubricant shields the metal from abrasive dirt.

G-10 handle slabs keep the weight of this knife down to 5.4 ounces, providing an easily gripped textured surface which won’t become slick when wet. The G-10 remains stable through a wide range of temperatures and resists most chemical solvents. A solid stainless steel clip secures the Resilience to the seam of your pants pocket.

If you’re looking for a knife of the same practical quality but slightly smaller, see the mid-sized knife in Spyderco’s value series, the Spyderco Tenacious.

Find this Spyderco Resilience Knife:

 

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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