Daniel and Isaac Olsen: Bladesmiths

Daniel Olsen forged his first knife at the age of 14 after his family took a trip from Battle Mountain to Salt Lake City. At the time, he was inspired by stories of early America and the pioneers, so when they visited This Is The Place Heritage Park, Daniel talked to the blacksmith for several hours. At one point, Daniel said, “I wish I could do this.” The blacksmith replied, “Why not,” and proceeded to tell him how. When Daniel got back to Nevada, he dug a hole, filled it with charcoal, used his mom’s hair dryer as bellows, along with a small section of railroad track as anvil, to make a knife out of an old carriage bolt using a borrowed hammer and a pair of pliers. That was more than 30 years ago. 

Both of Daniel’s parents were teachers. Through their encouragement and the assistance of the town’s librarian, he was able to gather enough information to continue his journey in knifemaking. Daniel kept making knives until his early twenties, which is when people started noticing his work. He has been making and selling high-quality custom knives ever since.

When the TV series Forged in Fire on the History Channel started in 2015, people realized that handmade knives were not a thing of the past. Daniel’s knives grew in popularity; then, in 2024, Daniel’s son, Isaac, joined him in his custom-knife business, 4D Blades. Currently, they have a one-year waiting period, from creating blueprints through customer approval to creating the finished knife. They are working on a line of production knives involving repeatable processes and technology to increase efficiency while maintaining handmade quality. The father-son team likes making memorial knives, so they make videos along the way to document the creation process. Daniel likes saying, “A well-made knife can be a vehicle and anchor point for memories.”

Daniel and Isaac use mostly high-carbon steel, including 52100 ball-bearing steel or a combination of 15N20 and a 10-series steel for their Damascus blades. They also use unusual materials, such as pioneer-era wagon wheels, ski-lift cables, and old farrier rasps. With their proprietary heat-treating processes, the knives are guaranteed to perform at the peak of the material’s function. They create chef’s knives, hunting knives, filet knives, swords, and specialty knives when requested.