About the Bladesmith and Our Handmade Custom-Knives

Thank you for your interest in North River Custom-Knives.

My name is Stephen Osborne and I am the Master Bladesmith at the North River Forge.

I first started blacksmithing back in 1986 when I needed a pair of strap hinges for a small rustic log cabin that I just built high in the mountains. Because I could not find the historic look that I wanted, I forged a pair myself.

From forging architectural hardware, I discovered my passion. I later acquired the essential skills for working with high carbon tool steels in order to forge hand made knives and fine woodworking tools.

I later discovered that there were people wanting to purchase my hand-forged knives and bowies, so what began as a hobby became a part time job and eventually a full time occupation. A dream became a reality.

Being a history buff, my work is heavily influenced by our colonial past when beautiful knives were forged by skilled craftsmen, one at a time with great pride in their work.

All of the operations in the making of a handcrafted knife - from the initial hammer blow to the finished period knife - are done by myself at The North River Forge.

I offer historically accurate hand-forged replicas of the knives that are representative of the period 1650-1865 from the height of the fur trade to the beginning of the Industrial Revolution in North America.

I also forge, from time to time, modern hunting knives and bowies using both forging and stock removal methods.

The North River Forge is located in eastern Ontario, Canada.