About Me:
I grew up in the country on an acreage in Nebraska, USA. As a kid I did a lot of hunting, fishing, trapping and other outdoor activities and since then have always enjoyed the outdoors. Into my teen years, I worked for my dad during the summer time doing woodworking and construction. Working with my hands was something I enjoyed thoroughly, just as generations of my family before me. Having access to the tools my dad had, I was always building or working on something in my free time and I guess it was just a matter of time before I would make a knife. I have loved knives since I was a child, and I have had knives as far back as I can remember. It wasn’t until I started getting into more custom and high end knives that I decided to get into making my own.
History of Jarosz Knives:
I made my very first knife during a blizzard in December of 2009, when I was snowed in for 5 or 6 days. I don’t know what triggered the idea to go ahead and start making my own blades, but I am glad it happened. After that first one, I couldn’t get myself out of the shop. I didn’t know what I was doing, had no idea what heat treat was or anything like that, I just knew I loved making knives. After I made a few blades, and decided I wanted to take it a step further and making some fancier stuff, I started doing some research online and grabbing some books. I found out that there was a lot more to it than grinding down a piece of steel. With the knowledge I obtained, I started purchasing equipment and materials to make better knives. Since then it has just been progression and trying to make a better knife than the last. In September of 2011 I attended and had a table at my first show, the “USN Gathering III”. It was one of the most memorable experiences of my life, and drove my love for knife making to new heights. Since that show, I have attended many. At G4 2012, I was very thrilled to have won the award of “Best New Maker”. You can see the picture below of this event.
Winning that award was a great boost to motivation, as I was going to be a Full Time Knifemaker in a short month’s time. October 1st 2012 marked my entrance into the Full Time Knifemaking world, and I have been happily making knives since.