When NorthStar Forge founder Jason Kraus is asked how he got started in knifemaking, his typical response is, “I just never grew up.” But it’s really much deeper than that.

Becoming a bladesmith has been the perfect forging of both his appreciation for knives and being mesmerized by the smoldering coals of a campfire.

His earliest appreciation for knives came when he was just a kid watching the 80s hit action show “MacGyver.” He still uses the same Swiss Army knife he was gifted when he was 5, which is MacGyver’s exact model!

Jason’s struggle with dyslexia led him to working with his hands. He spent his 20s soul-searching in the trades, first working as an apprentice chef, then starting a professional painting business – neither of which he found fulfilling.

In 2011, he was introduced to the works of Bob Kramer, an American Bladesmith Society (ABS) Master Smith from Washington. That inspired him to attend the Bill Moran School of Bladesmithing in Arkansas through the ABS.

“This two-week course opened my eyes to a whole new world of knives – how they are made and how they are expected to perform,” he said.

Upon his return, Jason jumped into the long process of learning the art of bladesmithing.

In 2011, he rented a shop in a retrofitted barn used as a maker’s space in downtown Carver, MN. Soon after NorthStar Forge was born. He began purchasing all the necessary equipment to start a bladesmith shop and began making hand-forged knives and teaching classes.

He continued to build his skills in the craft with the goal of eventually becoming ABS Master Smith like Kramer.

In 2022, he found himself two-thirds of the way there by achieving ABS Journeyman Smith status after testing at Blade Show Atlanta, an annual knife convention hosted by BLADE Magazine.

What he appreciates most about knifemaking is being able to repair or bring back to life family heirlooms, like a great-grandfather’s knife or a son’s US Marine Corps ka-bar, in addition to creating new family heirlooms that will outlive their maker.

Teaching others the ancient trade of bladesmithing also has its rewards.

“It brings great joy to introduce others to the rebirth of this craft and to share it through the classes I teach,” Jason said. “Nothing satisfies me more than helping someone forge their first knife or better yet, forging a new bladesmith!”

While he appreciates an everyday utility knife or chef knife, what he enjoys making the most are bowies, Scottish dirks, and anything with damascus steel.

One of the highlights of his career was competing in the History Channel’s Forged in Fire (Season 3, episode 15) and Discovery’s Master of Arms (Season 1, episode 8).

“It was fun to compete with other smiths who have since become lifelong friends,” he said.

The popularity of Forged in Fire has certainly helped business, as well, by sparking interests of others to pursue knifemaking through classes offered at NorthStar Forge.

While growing a business has its challenges, Jason said he is fortunate to have had strong support from family and friends from the beginning.

Throughout the years, he’s experienced feasts and famines, as business ebbs and flows.

“It gets very scary when you don’t know where your next paycheck is coming from, or anticipating the day when clients no longer seek luxury items like hand-forged knives,” he said.

Running a full-time bladesmith shop and school requires multiple hats – more than Jason was able to wear, he said.

“I chose to be a bladesmith, but to do it full-time, there are necessary requirements and obligations of running your own business. It also requires diversifying your streams of income, which creates other obstacles and growing pains,” he said.

Luckily, he had an “awesome web guy” who created a professional website and supported the online sales demand in his early years.

As business and classes grew, the demands increased with emails, phone calls, fulfillments, accounting and taxes – just to name a few.

He credits meeting his wife, Kristen, as being a vital part of the current success of NorthStar Forge.

“I never would’ve guessed that a young journalist would fall in love with me after sharing my story in her newspaper,” he said.

Jason met Kristen at a kitchen store in Excelsior where he had knives on display in 2020 following a painful divorce. She was working for a weekly Twin Cities newspaper and decided to write an article about NorthStar Forge shortly after.

“We met just before COVID and became best friends around many campfires and hiking excursions,” he said. “Fortunately, she had just as much enthusiasm about my forging business as I do and happened to have all the strengths that compensated for my weaknesses.”

The couple married in October 2022. Now, Kristen works behind the scenes at NorthStar Forge as Operations Manager corresponding with students and clients, scheduling classes, updating the website, bookkeeping, marketing, etc. Really, all the important stuff Jason doesn’t like to do!

Despite the challenges and pressures that may arise, the demand for classes and custom knives have not ceased, and Jason’s love for the art continues to grow.

“I’m often reminded of how blessed I am that I’ve found a way to get paid to do my favorite thing,” he said.