My name is John-Francis Ellis. I'm a bladesmith, craftsman, and YouTuber. Take a look around my website, and please enjoy your stay!
Support what I do, and go grab yourself an awesome t-shirt or hoodie!
The past summer I had the privilege of traveling up to New York city to compete on Season 5 of the hit TV show Forged in Fire. It was a great experience participating in the show, getting to know the other smiths, and just having a whole lot of fun doing what I love, all on national televison!
Here you can see a selection of the blades that I have made over the years. I do not do exact copies of past work, but if you see something that you like, then by all means contact me about designing a custom project!
Click below to see the latest projects on my instagram page!
Hello! I'm a bladesmith currently living in rural North Dakota. I picked up the craft when I was 14 years old.
As a kid, I always wanted a sword, but it turns out that they are quite expensive for a young lad with no source of income. I thought that making it myself would be cheaper route. And with that, I set out to learn for to forge a sword.
A friend gave me a small 20lb anvil, I built myself a simple propane forge, and I got to work!
8 years later, I have spent way more than that original sword would have cost, but I developed a real love for the craft and discipline of knife making.
One of the things that really draws me to this artform is taking the raw materials--a steel bar, a rough chunk of wood, and maybe a piece of brass for a guard--and then shaping and forming these materials until they become something elegant, beautiful, and above all, functional.
If you have any questions about ordering a one of a kind blade, or designing a custom project, feel free to shoot me an e-mail at: dunstanforge@gmail.com, or send a message using the form below: