Also called: Knifemaker
Forges, grinds and heat-treats custom knives and blades, fitting handles and selling chef's and hunting knives to collectors and cooks.
They forge steel, grind bevels, heat-treat blades, and fit handles of wood or bone. Custom chef's knives and hunting knives sell to collectors. Many build a following through social media and knife shows.
Estimate; top makers earn far more.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Apprenticeship, about 1 year after high school. Self-taught, classes, or American Bladesmith Society certification.
Ways in: Self-taught, Apprenticeship, Certification. Training cost: Under $15k.
Majors to look at: Metalworking.
Growing slowly. Small niche.
Low risk for 10 years. Forging and grinding custom blades is handcraft; factories make cheap knives, not collector pieces.
Classes: Welding or metals CTE, Chemistry, Art 3-D Design.
Official data: O*NET occupation 51-4022.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.