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.
Hanwei Tanto Short Sword, Functional & Battle Ready | CAS Practical Martial Arts Combat
59 sec read
The Hanwei Practical Tanto offers the martial artist a dependable cutting weapon designed with the same functional quality as CAS Hanwei’s more traditional swords. Substitutions of modern materials for the traditional components lower the cost of the Practical series.
What’s most important hasn’t changed: blade quality. The hamon or tempering mark along the edge of this 12-inch tanto is the real thing. The 7-inch cutting edge of this high carbon steel blade is differentially hardened and will provide traditional cutting action. Edge strength is a hard HRC 60, while the Rockwell rating of the blade’s spine drops to a tough and resilient HRC 40.
Wherever else CAS Hanwei could save money and still provide practical quality, substitutions for traditional materials and alternate construction methods have been made. The differences are most obvious in the grip. Decorated with a cast metal dogwood blossom, the grip’s white covering is rugged synthetic, and there’s no woven ito. Nothing but friction and grip strength prevents the hand from slipping forward off the four-inch-long handle. The tanto is light and fast, weighing only 6 ounces and with excellent balance. A black lacquered scabbard is included that matches the old carrying system. The look isn’t traditional, but the tanto won’t seem out of place next to more conventional items. CAS Hanwei chose design elements which make sense in the old terms.
CAS Hanwei did a good job on the re-design, keeping the important features that make the tanto work properly. Even though it’s not a traditional tanto, there’s equivalent quality in this modern rebuild.
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.
The Hanwei Practical Tanto offers the martial artist a dependable cutting weapon designed with the same functional quality as CAS Hanwei’s more traditional swords. Substitutions of modern materials for the traditional components lower the cost of the Practical series.
