Meet Anthony Eggert | Bladesmith

We had the good fortune of connecting with Anthony Eggert and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Anthony, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
When COVID-19 broke out, my work slowed down a lot. So I needed to do something to supplement my income. But I wanted to do something fun and unique. I have been in construction for 20 years, so starting something like this was out of my wheelhouse. My wife and I started brainstorming on how we could make it work. And she came up with a brilliant idea. Since I have always liked knife collecting and playing with fire, forging knives seemed like a natural choice.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
What sets me apart is my versatility. If I see it, I can build it. If you need it, I can make it. If you can dream it, I can make your dream a reality. Most knife makers have a set of styles that they stick to. Since I don’t limit myself to only a few styles, I continue to learn and grow. I went to visit a buddy of mine in Alabama. He took me to his dad’s bladesmithing shop. I was amazed! I wanted to do it so bad!!! But I didn’t have the time or the skills. So it kind of faded into the back of my mind. I have watched a few different knife making and bladesmithing programs and thought to myself, “I can do that!” But I still didn’t have the equipment. Then for my 10th year anniversary, my wife bought me a small black smithing set. After that, I spent every bit of time I could working on blades. It wasn’t easy at all. This craft requires a lot of patience and endurance. Especially when working in the heat. Some days here in Houston it was 102 degrees outside, and I was standing next to an 1800 degree forge waiting for my steel to heat up. Another challenge for me was social media. I’m not that great with social media. So when my wife offered to help me with that, I was thrilled!!! To overcome the challenges I had to be smart. Patience came at the cost of me making mistakes that could have been avoided. Endurance came from the patience I learned. And I overcame the social media challenge by relying on my wonderful wife’s help. The heat……. nothing you can do about that except drink 2 gallons of water everyday and buy a canopy. LOL!!! Lesson 1. Don’t rush. Slow is smooth, and smooth is fast. You can mess up art by rushing. Then it takes you more time to repair the mistakes you made. Lesson 2. Always ask for help. If you don’t know how to do something, google it or ask someone who has done it before. Lesson 3. Set aside a portion of what you make to reinvest back into your company. Buy better tools. Get better materials. Build up your stock. You won’t regret it. I started this business with 5 tools, $100, and the support of my wife and friends. You don’t need a lot to turn something you love into something amazing. I am a bladesmith because it is something I love doing. I love seeing people’s faces when they see their newly crafted knife for the first time. I love the challenges my customers send me, because I’m not scared to grow and try something new. If you never give up, you will never fail. You will only stumble. If you stumble and don’t try again, then you have failed at something. I turned my love of knives and fire into something that I can share with people and support my family with. I will continue to make quality knives and tools until I can’t swing a hammer any more.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I would take him to discovery green park in downtown for a show or whatever event is going on. The Silos to check out some kool artwork. The Boot in the Heights has awesome Cajun food, drinks and live music. Bon Temps!!! Astral brewery is one of my favorite local breweries. They have great IPA’s and they have free shuffleboard, ping pong, snes systems.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My wife Rachel has been the biggest support to me. Her eye for detail makes me better at what I do. Her love for me makes me want to keep pushing when I’m tired of hearing my grinder run. And her drive to want to see me succeed is second to none. Without her, none of this would have been possible.

Website: Bladesbytony.com
Instagram: @Blades_by_tony
Facebook: @bladesbytony

Image Credits
Rachel Eggert