‘Bladesmithing is a craft that takes many years to perfect. I am just starting out and only make knives for fun not money, but I am committed to getting better’ – Chris Pears
Chris Pears has been a member of NorthStar Forge since 2022. His bladesmithing journey began after taking an Intro to Blacksmithing course with NorthStar Forge Founder Jason Kraus.
NSF: How did you become connected with NorthStar Forge and when?
Pears: I took an Intro to Blacksmithing course with Jason (NorthStar Forge Founder and ABS Journeyman Smith) about three years ago and really enjoyed it. Jason was a great teacher and very supportive as I started my bladesmith journey.
What inspired you to start making knives?
After taking the Intro to Blacksmithing course with Jason, I decided I wanted to make a memorable gift for all my fellow Minnetonka High School football and soccer coaches in my bible study group.
So Jason taught me how to make 15 puukkos – Nordic utilitarian knives. After that, I was hooked on making knives. I took an American Bladesmith Society Intro to Knifemaking course at the Bill Moran School of Bladesmithing in Texarkana, TX and followed up with a handles and guards course at New England School of Metalwork.
But Jason has been instrumental in teaching me to make all sorts of different knives. I also learned a lot from other members of NorthStar Forge. Chris T. has inspired me to make some great kitchen knives and Adam P. showed me how to make a mini ka-bar Marine Corps knife with a 50-caliber shell for a handle. Rich Patterson, JS of Patterson Blades, has also been a great mentor- he taught me how to make an integral kitchen knife.
What do you like about the knife-making process?
You need to combine the discipline of being precise and accurate in your work with the capacity to be creative and innovative in the designs you come up with that are personal to you. You also get to combine different skills of forging, grinding steel, working with wood and leather, even ceramic work. You will never be bored making knives; there is no end to the different types of knives you can make and that’s before you even start on axes and hammers!
What is the most challenging?
I continue to work on improving my ability to grind a blade with precision.
What type of knife/blade do you like making the most?
There is no one specific type of knife, but my favorite part is making the handle to go on the blade. There are so many different types of handles you can make that really make a knife distinct and memorable. I have now made handles out of wood, steel, wrought iron, epoxy resin, leather, and elk to name a few.
Tell us about your dagger project.
For my son Henry’s wedding, I decided to make daggers for him, his best man and groomsmen. Jason helped me design a dagger, showed me the specific blade grind to use and then how to make the guard and pommel out of wrought iron.
I took a course back in England on making ceramic glass inlays and embedded these in the pommel and handle. I also made hand-carved wooden sheaths. Each dagger has the same basic design but different sheaths and ceramic inlays.
Then my wife said, “You can’t make these gifts for all the men and have nothing for the ladies!” So, Jason taught me how to forge roses out of copper and we made a dozen of those for the bride, bridesmaids and mothers of the happy couple.
Any words of wisdom?
Bladesmithing is a craft that takes many years to perfect. I am just starting out and only make knives for fun not money, but I am committed to getting better. That journey of improvement is an enjoyable one, especially when you do it in such a supportive environment as NorthStar forge where you have a great mentor in Jason and a great bunch of friends all working on making different kind of knives. I just keep saying “Better is possible!”
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