NorthStar Coalition
JASON KRAUS
NORTHSTAR FORGE Founder / bladesmith / instructor / ABS Journeyman Smith / carver, mn
Jason grew up with a genuine curiosity of knives and glowing campfire coals. These, along with his challenges with dyslexia, helped him develop a natural liking to the hands-on profession of bladesmithing.
“I’ve always had a fascination for blades – they were in every one of my childhood adventures, so I wanted to learn to make them myself,” Jason said. “What I love about bladesmithing is how I could spend five lifetimes making blades and still not have enough time to make everything I would like.”
In 2011, he founded NorthStar Forge in historic downtown Carver, MN, taking custom knife orders and eventually guiding others through classes as interests grew for learning this lost craft.
When History Channel’s Forged in Fire gained in popularity, Jason competed on Season 3, Episode 15 in January 2017, gaining him local popularity and taking his business to the next level. The following year, he competed again, this time on Discovery Channel’s Master of Arms.
His greatest achievement was earning Journeyman Smith status through the American Bladesmith Society in 2021 and will someday (soon) begin his quest for Master Smith.
His favorite style knife to make is the bowie knife. “They are the perfect palette for a variety of artistic and cultural expressions,” he said.
JAKE KRZENSKI
Gunny Forged/ bladesmith / instructor / Veteran / Montgomery, mn
Jake Krzenski of Gunny Forged joined the NorthStar Forge coalition as a guest instructor in Dec. 2023 after moving back to his hometown of Cloquet, MN from Australia.
Now a retired veteran, Jake first joined the US Marine Corps in 2001 and then moved to Australia in 2006 where he served in the Australian Army. He is now the co-owner of Warrior Brewing, a veteran-owned brewery in Duluth, MN.
His knifemaking career began around 2019 after becoming interested in the hobby while recovering from surgery and watching TV shows like the History Channel’s Forged in Fire.
Nurturing his competitive side, Jake was determined to create even better knives than what he was seeing on TV. Slowly, he purchased some of his own tools and materials and it snowballed from there.
He started following NorthStar Forge Founder and fellow Minnesota native Jason Kraus after seeing him compete on Forged in Fire (season 3, episode 15) and Master of Arms. Upon his return home, Jake reached out to Jason to catch up and talk knives. He also brought Jason 20 pounds of Australian timbers for handle material. Thanks, Jake!
Favorite blade: The hunter
Sam Wandishin
bladesmith / Guest instructor / Ross Peak Steelworks / Lakeville, MN
Sam Wandishin of Ross Peak Steelworks joined Northstar Forge as a guest instructor in the winter of 2025.
He is a local blacksmith and bladesmith who recently moved to Burnsville, Minnesota from Montana. His interest in metalworking began in high school where he learned to weld in shop class and watched various videos on metalworking and blacksmithing.
“I love creating tools that are beautiful and functional,” Sam said. “Blacksmithing, in my opinion, is probably the coolest forms of metalwork, and you have the opportunity to make ordinary things extraordinary.”
He has studied under the tutelage of David Osmondson of Arrowhead Forge, along with Alec Steele and Will Stelter.
“I learned so many more skills and got to make friends with really talented young men,” he said.
Dustin Larson
Knifemaker/ D. Larson Knives / waseca, mn
Dustin Larson has always been interested in making things by hand and learning different arts and crafts. He has pursued a variety of skills including metalworking, woodworking, painting, ceramics, and some jewelry making.
Dustin has collected knives since he was young, and in 2012 he started making knives with the goal of making something better than what he could afford to buy. Dustin worked several years for a knife making materials supplier, becoming familiar with materials and tools used in custom knife making.
“I mostly make blades from powder metallurgy steels. I do my own heat treating in house including a liquid nitrogen cryo process to ensure my knives will hold a sharp edge and have good toughness for their intended use.”
Dustin makes sheaths out of kydex for its function and durability and uses micarta, g10, carbon fiber, and various exotic woods for knife handles. He also makes balisongs or “butterfly knives” using titanium or titanium damascus. Some of his favorite knives to make are balisongs and kitchen knives.
Chris Thorson
KnifeMaker / LeatherWorker / Creative Operations / Minneapolis, MN
Chris started making Nordic-style fixed-blade knives in 2015 as part of a deeper dive into his cultural background: Swedish, Norwegian, and Danish. He was gifted a “kit” that included a Swedish blade, a block of masur birch, a couple of antler pieces, and some leather. No instructions, just the pieces to make a Northern Sámi knife and sheath. After finishing that first knife, he started sourcing materials and taking classes to learn more about the craft.
Chris focuses on a specific type of knife called a Puukko. A Puukko is a traditional Finnish or Nordic all-purpose knife featuring a curved cutting edge, a straight spine, and a Scandinavian grind. The blade is a short, single-edged blade (typically 3 to 4 inches) made from high-carbon or stainless steel, ground flat on the sides with a zero-bevel edge (Scandi grind), which makes it very easy to sharpen in the field. A straight ergonomic handle, usually made from curly birch, wood, or birch bark, traditionally built without a finger guard to allow a variety of close-up grips.
These knives excel in woodcraft and bushcraft activities. They are excellent for fine wood carving, notching, feather-sticking, and splitting small pieces of kindling. Puukko knives are widely used in hunting, fishing, and everyday camp chores like food preparation. Through his connections in the Nordic countries, he can source high-quality blades from professional bladesmiths throughout Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Finland.
Chris has also expanded his skills to include leatherworking. In addition to knife sheaths, he also makes key fobs, wrist cuffs, valet trays, and is always experimenting with new ideas.
LUKE DELLMYER
ABS JOURNEYMAN SMITH / DELLMYER KNIVES / FARRIER / HELLERTOWN, PA
Luke is a fellow ABS Journeyman Smith and longtime friend of Jason’s. He lives on a horse farm in Hellertown, PA and is a full-time farrier.
Luke’s forging journey started at 16 as an apprentice farrier, which then kick-started his hobby of ornamental ironwork and eventually bladesmithing.
In 2018, Jason and Luke met while competing on Discovery Channel’s Master of Arms series. This friendly competition quickly forged a brotherhood.
In 2023, Luke’s creativity and dedication earned him Journeyman Smith through the American Bladesmithing Society, along with the James R. Lucie Award for Best Knife Submitted by a New Journeyman Smith.
Today, Luke continues advancing his skills of the trade and teaching bladesmithing classes, while also operating a 26-stall horse training facility with his wife.
Favorite blades: Hunters, bowies and camp knives
CHARLIE REMER
bladesmith / Vargr knives / graphic designer/ Winsted, mn
Charlie of Vargr Knives has always been drawn to creativity, starting with sketching cartoon characters like the Ninja Turtles as a kid. That passion for art led him to study graphic design, where he honed his sense of aesthetics and layout.
Whether it was drawing, building furniture, or experimenting with new projects, he has always loved the process of making things with his hands.
Charlie’s obsession with knife-making began when he stumbled across a Walter Sorrells video on YouTube while learning about woodworking. Inspired, he tried his hand at making his first knife—a rough piece fashioned from an old Sawzall blade.
A few years later, Charlie connected with Northstar Forge founder Jason Kraus, who deepened his appreciation for the craft. “There’s something incredibly satisfying about creating a tangible, usable tool, especially when it combines artistry and function,” he said.
Charlie’s favorite knives to make are Japanese-style chef knives, blending elegance with functionality, in particular finishing the handles with unique woods, as it’s always a thrill to uncover the grains and patterns hidden within each block.
“Knife-making has become more than a craft for me—it’s a way to merge creativity with purpose, resulting in tools that are both beautiful and built to last,” he said. “Plus it keeps me out of trouble.”
ADAM RITCHIE
BLADESMITH / Koi Knifeworks / Bloomington, MN
Adam Ritchie has a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Minneapolis college of Art and Design and has been making knives since 2011.
“My style of knife-making is strongly influenced by the tool makers of our past. I have an interest in the history of early American, European, and eastern knife-making, as well as arms and armor from the past.”
He is also a collector and restorer of antique cutlery, which is how vintage knife parts became an important material in his work.
“All of my knives have a very distinctive acid etched texture, and graphic design imagery of some kind. I sometimes design the knife around an interesting found object or vintage knife part. Sometimes the design is driven by a film, an historic event or time period.”
His sheaths are made from leather and Kydex, or a combination of the two. The Kydex surfaces are finished with a graphic design of spray paint, paint pen and acrylic paint.
Favorite blades: Those where I use reclaimed parts for the handles.
FRANK BECK
blacksmith / independence, MN
Francis Beck’s curiosity for moving metal began nine years ago at the age of 13 and eventually became Jason’s first apprentice at NorthStar Forge.
“I was just doing a lot of hunting and trapping, and I wanted to make the tools for that,” he said.
He started off making knives and moved into more of the ornamentals and utilitarian ironworks four years ago.
“I like that there’s just endless possibilities. Honestly, that is literally the best part of blacksmithing – you can learn anything anytime, and there will never be an end to it,” Beck said.
He likes to focus on creating things that are going to be used daily, predominantly, kitchen and homeware. The sculpture side is also cool, because it allows for a lot of creative and emotional expression, he said.
Beck graduated from North Idaho College in Coeur d’Alene in 2024. His main aspirations are starting a family and finding a job he loves to do. He also plans to pursue some ornamental ironwork, specifically larger scale sculptures.
