My Origin Story ;)
Thank you for taking the time to learn more about Blue Collar Blades. My name is Nate and I am the founder.
Around 2013 I made the decision to sell my beloved project car as I felt it was taking away too much time, money, and energy from the family not to mention the house needed some financial attention. As I parted ways with the car, I found myself yearning to create. Stuck in this what to create next block, I began researching and looking for creative outlets that were new to me yet could leverage my life’s experiences and skills.
I stumbled across a YouTube video of a writer turned professional chef knife maker. The spark began in this video for me, despite the warnings from the gentlemen being interviewed about the long learning process I was fully committed to learning how to make 6 kitchen knives as Christmas gifts. Well, those 6 knives quickly turned into 3 knives ha-ha. What I learned from that experience of those first 6 knives was I had found a passion and a craft, I loved like I have never loved a craft before! Eager to work on more cutlery I began buying materials and plotting my next blades prior to even finishing my first 6. I had been bitten by the knife making bug and hard and with my wife’s support I kept on going!
Over the next decade I continued to make handcrafted cutlery for friends, family, clients, and amazing retailers. During that decade I kept investing in equipment and materials, eventually leading to building my first dream tiny work shop. I have even gone as far to trade mark the Blue Collar Blades name and logo. All in a quest to leave a legacy and show I was here serving this wonderful community. I have been truly blessed to own a small business that continually introduces me to outstanding people who are just as passionate about “handmade” and supporting small businesses as I am.
I believe the way to create a better world is to help people do meaning things. I do this by handcrafting quality tools that bring people together around good food & great memories
My why may be simple and what I do and how I do it to achieve that level of simplicity and functionality is quite the under tanking. There are knife manufactures turning out more knives in a week of production than I aspire to make in my life time. This is not about high-volume low cost; this is about connecting passionate chefs and passionate craftsmen dedicated to serving people and providing tools for lasting memories!
The ‘Pumpkin Dragger’
After years of being project car free, Nate is nearly ready to hit the streets with his 1979 JDM inspired, patina shop truck! This Truck is bagged & sitting on 18” Tesla Model 3 wheels! The team over at Wilson MotorSports has been instrumental in helping breath life back into this truck. From rough idle to major air suspension updates they have been delivering W after W as we close in on releasing this beast back into the wild (the street’s).