My name is Jordan LaMothe. I am a Master Bladesmith, a Fulbright scholar, a member of the Art Knife Invitational Show, and a teacher of knife-making. My work has won numerous awards and has been published in magazines internationally. But it didn't all start this way...
The Beginning:
For as long as I can remember, I have been fascinated with making things. When I was only six years old, I set up a workshop in my parents' basement, and would spend hours by myself pounding and twisting metal coat hangers into different shapes, and filing scrap wood into swords to spar with my siblings. When I was nine, my family moved to a retired dairy farm in upstate New York. The history of the land and the barns fascinated me, and I wanted to learn how to live off the land, grow my own food, raise livestock, and build everything I needed with wood harvested from the woodlot. I read book after book about homesteading, farming, log cabin building, and traditional wood working. The more I read, the more I realized that it takes good, quality tools to make a life from the land, and if I was going to do any of these things I was reading about, I would have to find a way to get those tools; so I decided to make them.
The Beginning:
For as long as I can remember, I have been fascinated with making things. When I was only six years old, I set up a workshop in my parents' basement, and would spend hours by myself pounding and twisting metal coat hangers into different shapes, and filing scrap wood into swords to spar with my siblings. When I was nine, my family moved to a retired dairy farm in upstate New York. The history of the land and the barns fascinated me, and I wanted to learn how to live off the land, grow my own food, raise livestock, and build everything I needed with wood harvested from the woodlot. I read book after book about homesteading, farming, log cabin building, and traditional wood working. The more I read, the more I realized that it takes good, quality tools to make a life from the land, and if I was going to do any of these things I was reading about, I would have to find a way to get those tools; so I decided to make them.
I told my parents that I wanted to be a blacksmith, and they bought me yet another book. I read and re-read it, then got another book and read that one too, and finally (I was thirteen by this point) I signed up for a three-day introductory blacksmithing workshop at the local art center. As soon my hammer hit the iron, I was hooked. I knew I needed to pursue this craft. I began reaching out to local blacksmiths and machinists and I managed to piece together my blacksmith shop: just a coal forge with a hand-crank blower, an anvil, and a hammer. The rest of the tools, I knew, I would make for myself.
My first four years of blacksmithing involved working through, step-by-step, the various projects outlined in my blacksmithing books. I made fire tools, tongs, chisels, punches, and hammers for my blacksmith shop, and I made gate latches and wall hooks for the farm. I carved wooden yokes for my team of oxen and forged the iron hardware. I forged hatchets and cant hooks to use in the woods while harvesting firewood. With each of these projects, I built my skills and refined my technique.
Then came the knives.
I was always going to make a knife someday. A knife is one of the most fundamental tools of humankind: a tool that nearly every person in the world uses on a daily basis, and a tool that saw extensive use on the farm, from cutting hay strings, to opening grain bags, to preparing hearty meals of homegrown veggies and meat. With a few years of blacksmithing experience under my belt, I was finally ready to give it a try. My first knives were not pretty, or even very functional, but I fell in love with the process. I loved the combination of metalwork and woodwork; I loved the various different ways you could attach the handle and blade; I loved the satisfaction of honing a razor-sharp edge; and I loved being able to carry it around the farm in a leather sheath on my belt, prepared for anything.
As I used my knives on the farm and in the kitchen, and as I practiced my technique, my knives got better. Around the time I entered college, I found about the American Bladesmith Society: an organization dedicated to educating people about knife-making. I started going to hammer-ins (knife-making conferences) and bringing my work. Every time, I would bring my finest work, show it to anyone more experienced than I was, and ask for critique: how can I make this better?
My first four years of blacksmithing involved working through, step-by-step, the various projects outlined in my blacksmithing books. I made fire tools, tongs, chisels, punches, and hammers for my blacksmith shop, and I made gate latches and wall hooks for the farm. I carved wooden yokes for my team of oxen and forged the iron hardware. I forged hatchets and cant hooks to use in the woods while harvesting firewood. With each of these projects, I built my skills and refined my technique.
Then came the knives.
I was always going to make a knife someday. A knife is one of the most fundamental tools of humankind: a tool that nearly every person in the world uses on a daily basis, and a tool that saw extensive use on the farm, from cutting hay strings, to opening grain bags, to preparing hearty meals of homegrown veggies and meat. With a few years of blacksmithing experience under my belt, I was finally ready to give it a try. My first knives were not pretty, or even very functional, but I fell in love with the process. I loved the combination of metalwork and woodwork; I loved the various different ways you could attach the handle and blade; I loved the satisfaction of honing a razor-sharp edge; and I loved being able to carry it around the farm in a leather sheath on my belt, prepared for anything.
As I used my knives on the farm and in the kitchen, and as I practiced my technique, my knives got better. Around the time I entered college, I found about the American Bladesmith Society: an organization dedicated to educating people about knife-making. I started going to hammer-ins (knife-making conferences) and bringing my work. Every time, I would bring my finest work, show it to anyone more experienced than I was, and ask for critique: how can I make this better?
Forged in Fire
While I was a college student, I knew that I wanted to make my career as a knife maker, and so I built my first website, started taking orders, and went home on school breaks to work in my shop and fill those orders. In 2017, I had the opportunity to compete on Forged In Fire, the blade-smithing reality show competition on the History Channel. I skipped a week of classes during my senior year to travel to New York City and then back to my home forge, to film Season 4, Episode 7. In a tense competition with three other bladesmiths from around the country, I had to forge a talwar, an Indian saber, that would successfully chop through sugar cane, a ballistic dummy, and a rack of beef ribs. My blade performed beautifully, and I earned the title: "Forged in Fire Champion."
While I was a college student, I knew that I wanted to make my career as a knife maker, and so I built my first website, started taking orders, and went home on school breaks to work in my shop and fill those orders. In 2017, I had the opportunity to compete on Forged In Fire, the blade-smithing reality show competition on the History Channel. I skipped a week of classes during my senior year to travel to New York City and then back to my home forge, to film Season 4, Episode 7. In a tense competition with three other bladesmiths from around the country, I had to forge a talwar, an Indian saber, that would successfully chop through sugar cane, a ballistic dummy, and a rack of beef ribs. My blade performed beautifully, and I earned the title: "Forged in Fire Champion."
American Bladesmith Society
Immediately following my Forged In Fire appearance (and my college graduation,) my order books were full, and I started work as a full-time bladesmith. As a way to continue my development as a craftsman, I decided to work my way up through the ranks of the American Bladesmith Society. In 2018, I earned my Journeyman Smith certification, through a series of two tests: I made a knife that would slice a hanging rope, chop wood, shave hair, and bend 90 degrees without breaking, and then I submitted a set of 5 knives to be scrutinized for their fit and finish and symmetry by a panel of Master Smith judges. One of those presentation knives was recognized with the "Joe Keeslar Award" for the best knife submitted for the Journeyman rank that year.
Three years later, I took the even-more-rigorous Master Smith certification test; also a two-part test of knife performance and technical skill, but this time with pattern-welded "Damascus" steel and far more exacting standards. Again, I was fortunate to win the award for best knife submitted for the Master Smith rank that year, known as the "B. R. Hughes Award," and that same knife also earned me the awards for "Best Fixed Blade" and "Best in Show" at the Atlanta Blade Show.
I feel that the title of Master Smith carries with it responsibility. It is a statement of my commitment to the art and the craft of the forged blade. As a Master Smith, I am determined to deliver to ever increasing quality for my clients and collectors; to continue to learn and grow my own skills; and to teach and encourage others, passing along the knowledge that so many generous people gave to me.
Immediately following my Forged In Fire appearance (and my college graduation,) my order books were full, and I started work as a full-time bladesmith. As a way to continue my development as a craftsman, I decided to work my way up through the ranks of the American Bladesmith Society. In 2018, I earned my Journeyman Smith certification, through a series of two tests: I made a knife that would slice a hanging rope, chop wood, shave hair, and bend 90 degrees without breaking, and then I submitted a set of 5 knives to be scrutinized for their fit and finish and symmetry by a panel of Master Smith judges. One of those presentation knives was recognized with the "Joe Keeslar Award" for the best knife submitted for the Journeyman rank that year.
Three years later, I took the even-more-rigorous Master Smith certification test; also a two-part test of knife performance and technical skill, but this time with pattern-welded "Damascus" steel and far more exacting standards. Again, I was fortunate to win the award for best knife submitted for the Master Smith rank that year, known as the "B. R. Hughes Award," and that same knife also earned me the awards for "Best Fixed Blade" and "Best in Show" at the Atlanta Blade Show.
I feel that the title of Master Smith carries with it responsibility. It is a statement of my commitment to the art and the craft of the forged blade. As a Master Smith, I am determined to deliver to ever increasing quality for my clients and collectors; to continue to learn and grow my own skills; and to teach and encourage others, passing along the knowledge that so many generous people gave to me.
Fulbright Research Grant
Let's circle back to Forged in Fire for a moment. After making a talwar and winning my episode, a number of people asked me to make them talwars. I was delighted to accept these commissions, but I still felt like a novice when it came to designing these blades, and I had little knowledge of the traditions surrounding these swords or even the techniques by which they were made historically. Forged in Fire cracked open the door to the vast world of Indian weaponry, and I was determined to step through it. I applied for a Fulbright grant to go and study historical Indian weapons in Udaipur, Rajasthan. I chose to go to Udaipur because it was the home of Sandeep and Rahul Singh Chauhan, two brothers who are masters of koftgari art, the primary method used to decorate Indian sword hilts with intricate silver and gold designs. I spent nine months living in India, studying with Sandeep and Rahul, and examining and documenting historical swords in the collection of the Udaipur City Palace Museum. My work and experiences in India gave me a host of new ideas and techniques to weave into my own work, as well as a deep appreciation for the rich culture and wonderful people I met while I was there.
What's Next?
Upon Returning from India in 2023, I dove back into my work with a flurry of new projects, from fancy chef knives to everyday hunting knives to opulent Indian-inspired daggers, and much more. I was invited to exhibit at the prestigious Art Knife Invitational show in Las Vegas, and I am now an official member of the show with the privilege of exhibiting every year, where I display and offer only my most exquisite work. I am also a regular exhibitor at the Blade Show Atlanta, and in between shows, I take commissions for all manner of knives, swords and daggers. I teach a small number of classes each year, and you can find my schedule on my calendar page.
If you would like to keep tabs on what I am up to, please subscribe to my email newsletter, and follow me on your social network of choice. My channel is @jordanlamotheblades on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.
Let's circle back to Forged in Fire for a moment. After making a talwar and winning my episode, a number of people asked me to make them talwars. I was delighted to accept these commissions, but I still felt like a novice when it came to designing these blades, and I had little knowledge of the traditions surrounding these swords or even the techniques by which they were made historically. Forged in Fire cracked open the door to the vast world of Indian weaponry, and I was determined to step through it. I applied for a Fulbright grant to go and study historical Indian weapons in Udaipur, Rajasthan. I chose to go to Udaipur because it was the home of Sandeep and Rahul Singh Chauhan, two brothers who are masters of koftgari art, the primary method used to decorate Indian sword hilts with intricate silver and gold designs. I spent nine months living in India, studying with Sandeep and Rahul, and examining and documenting historical swords in the collection of the Udaipur City Palace Museum. My work and experiences in India gave me a host of new ideas and techniques to weave into my own work, as well as a deep appreciation for the rich culture and wonderful people I met while I was there.
What's Next?
Upon Returning from India in 2023, I dove back into my work with a flurry of new projects, from fancy chef knives to everyday hunting knives to opulent Indian-inspired daggers, and much more. I was invited to exhibit at the prestigious Art Knife Invitational show in Las Vegas, and I am now an official member of the show with the privilege of exhibiting every year, where I display and offer only my most exquisite work. I am also a regular exhibitor at the Blade Show Atlanta, and in between shows, I take commissions for all manner of knives, swords and daggers. I teach a small number of classes each year, and you can find my schedule on my calendar page.
If you would like to keep tabs on what I am up to, please subscribe to my email newsletter, and follow me on your social network of choice. My channel is @jordanlamotheblades on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.