This week’s interview takes us to the Midwest United states. Colton Arias’ work is bold, yet polished, no matter what style of knives you like his talent is undeniable. I absolutely love speaking to passionate people, so I knew right away I wanted to share his story, and I am very pleased to be able to share it with you.
To start off, please tell us a little about yourself.
I am based in Ceresco, Nebraska. my business is inspired by my middle name, which was given to me in honor of Jim Bridger, a legendary frontiersman in American history, and his qualities I try to embrace in my work. The spirit of adventure, toughness, patriotism, and ambition to me are critical. I also had the honor to participate twice in Forged in Fire and was excited to bring home two victories.
What sparked your interest in knives?
I have always been very interested in medieval and ancient weapons, fantasy, movies, and novels, art, and building things with my hands. When I was around nine or ten years old, I began making things with a forge, like swords, and other tools. From there, I began focusing more on knives specifically, and over the course of the last fourteen years I have taught myself the ins and outs of blade smithing and business.
What inspired you to do this and how did you learn?
My grandfather was a professional woodworker so from ages four to twelve he taught me how to use woodworking tools and how to make things like furniture and art. My obsession with fantasy and medieval weapons also contributed in no small part to my interest in bladed weapons. I also spent a lot of time building contraptions from medieval warfare like crossbows, catapults, long bows and other things like small engines before focusing in on blade smithing as a main interest.
When did you start making knives?
I began forging and making knives and swords when I was around 10 to 11 years old but really started to push it as a high-level craft and business about five years ago.
What did you make your first knife with?
I technically made my first knife out of wood when I was about six years old, but the first real functional knife I ever made was of course from a railroad spike when I was nine.
Do you have a favorite knife you made, tell me about it?
Honestly, every knife that I make is my new favorite knife because with every project I undertake, I gain more knowledge and skills to apply to the next piece. I feel like if you fixate on past projects, that doesn’t leave much room for becoming excited about new pieces.
What is the most important aspect of a well-made knife?
The most important aspect is usability and functionality in relation to its intended purpose. However, in the art knife world, and when dealing with knives that have a large aesthetic purpose, it is very important to pay attention to things like geometric congruence, symmetry, uniformity, color scheme, and overall visual impact of the design. The purpose of all art is to evoke a desired emotion from the viewer, and in the case of art knives, the handler.
What keeps you going?
My desire to improve and become a better craftsman and artist is always the biggest motivator; however, making knives and swords is my favorite activity in my daily life so it’s not very difficult to find motivation.
Biggest struggle?
The biggest struggle is balancing blade smithing as a business and as a passion, there are many activities that I must do from the business perspective that may take time away from actual blade smithing so that can be tempting to overlook at times. However, since I went to school for business and have a passion for entrepreneurship, I do enjoy all aspects of it.
What kinds of knives do you make?
I mainly make high-end art knives and swords ranging from chef knives, utility knives, hunting knives, daggers, Bowie knives, to swords and even fantasy weapons. I make lots of intricate Damascus steel patterns and use all types of handle materials to create each piece. Although the knives that I make are technically classified as art knives because of the amount of aesthetic attention that I give to them, they are all fully functional and will perform at the highest level.
How did your background affect your approach to knives?
I have an extensive background in drawing and sculpting and many other types of art, but I also have a background in building, engineering and mechanics. Combined with my passion for history, bladed weapons, and the fantasy genre, this makes it more compelling for me to make mechanically sound and well-built knives that have a large historical or artistic influence.
Who helped you early on?
Early on, I was not aware of any other Bladesmiths around me or really anywhere honestly, given that I did not have social media until high school, but my grandfather helped me learn how to use woodworking tools and that certainly helped me navigate a shop once I started to gather my own tools. More recently, I have found a large community of extremely skilled Bladesmiths that are very willing to share knowledge and help wherever they can, which I am extremely grateful for.
Who are your influences/inspirations?
A lot of my influence comes from fantasy movies, such as Lord of the Rings, but an equal amount of it comes from the use of geometry in classical art, such as architecture.
How do you think those inspirations translate into your work?
I believe that there are infinite ways to combine simple geometric principles in a design to make it feel and function properly, while also having a very striking and beautiful appearance. This principle is displayed many times over in historical weapons and art, but also in architecture from all over the world.
Any specific breakthroughs or revelations in your knife making journey?
The main breakthrough that I had was being able to spend more time blade smithing rather than being in high school. Once I begin going to college for business, I was able to a lot a larger amount of time blade smithing, though often at the expense of sleep and downtime.
What is the perfect knife?
The perfect knife is a completely subjective concept, and looks different to everybody, and for every task that the knife is supposed to accomplish. The perfect knife for one person may be an extremely simple hunting knife with no bling or extravagance. The perfect knife for somebody else may be a mosaic Damascus Dagger with gold, ivory, gems, and silver adorning the hilt. Even then, though, I don’t believe that the perfect knife exists for more person than one at a time. If I were capable of making the perfect knife, it would take away a lot of motivation for me to improve. Every knife can be improved upon in some way.
How do you approach a new concept and that concept’s implementation?
For me, new concepts are always easiest to accomplish when you break them down into their base principal steps and focus on mastering each step. Even if it’s a completely new process, it can often be broken down into basic steps that are very similar to every other process in the craft. A great example of this would be learning to forge a knife with a hammer versus learning to use an air engraver. These two processes may seem extremely different; however, they both involve learning how to maneuver an implement that is intended to change the shape of the medium. In black smithing, the implement is a hammer, and you are changing the shape of the medium by altering the angle and the power of each hammer blow to accomplish different shapes. With an air engraver, you are using a graver chisel and pneumatic hammer drive mechanism to change the shape of the medium by removing material in small amounts by changing the angle and the power of each pass.
How do you approach knife testing?
Knife testing is subjective to the type of Knife, which you are testing. Chef knives should be tested in vastly different ways than swords and bowie knives. However, all knives should have some level of impact resistance, some level of ductility on the edge, edge geometry, a very specific level of hardness, weight distribution, and edge retention. Ultimately, a knife should be tested by doing the things that that knife is intended to do.
How do you develop a design, select a steel, and fine-tune a heat treatment?
My design process always begins with the intended usage of the knife or sword. There are many different design elements that are integral to the functionality of the piece, so those must be included in the design. If the purpose of the piece is to be an art knife with a beautiful flowing design, the base functionality of the knife must still be present. Steel selection is extremely important to me, and one must be very well-versed in metallurgy and the properties of each knife steel to select the proper steel for the intended usage of the blade. Knife heat treatment is the most important part of the knife making process and must be studied. The smith must be familiar with what effects different methods of heat treating will have on the end result of the steel and what properties can be achieved through different methods of heat treating. I have found the book ‘Knife Engineering’ by Larrin Thomas to be profoundly helpful in understanding knife steel metallurgy, and heat-treating methods.
How has the knife world changed since you started?
It has introduced me to a whole world of other craftsmen, who are on a similar yet individual journey in the world of knifemaking. It is always extremely helpful to hear other people’s methods of performing similar tasks to gain a full understanding and broaden your lexicon of knowledge. The knifemaking community is extremely generous with sharing information and helpful to anyone looking to learn the craft.
What’s up next for you? Any exciting new projects to tell us about?
I will continue expanding the business and making custom orders and blades that I will put up for sale through my Instagram and website, but I’m extremely excited about a few specific challenging custom swords and knives that I have coming up in 2025 and 2026!
To keep up to date with Colton, and see what he is working on check out his website https://www.bridgerforgeblades.com/ follow him on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/barbell_blacksmith/ TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@bridgerforge and Facebook https://www.facebook.com/colton.arias.826206/ and subscribe to his YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/@BridgerForgeBlades
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