With a lifetime devoted to the research and study of the history, science, and methods of forged blades, Kevin Cashen is one of the most respected experts in his field on many aspects of his craft. Kevin has been an American Bladesmith Society approved instructor for over 20 years, and has been integral in helping to organize and lead programs for the Ashokan Knife and Sword Seminars.

Matt began smithing in 1987 on a coal forge. In 2017 he retired from his day job and turned his passion into a full-time focus. Matt specializes in swords from the Viking Age, with work ranging from the Bronze Age up to the 1400s, combining smithing skills with years of lost-wax casting experience to produce elaborate swords from the first millennium AD.

Jordan LaMothe is a Master Smith in the American Bladesmith Society and a full-time knifemaker based in Hebron, NY. He makes a wide variety of knives and swords, from kitchen and field knives to presentation blades and historically based weapons. In 2022, Jordan received a Fulbright grant to study koftgari and Indian weapons-making techniques in Udaipur, Rajasthan, spending 9 months learning from master craftsmen and studying historical weapons in museums across Rajasthan. He was also champion of Forged in Fire (Season 4, Episode 7).

Matthew has been a full-time smith since 1998 and specializes in culinary knives as well as modern takes on historical blades from the 7th–17th centuries. A Forged in Fire Champion, ABS Journeyman Smith (2016), and staff writer for Knife Magazine, Matthew is a founding partner and owner of Dragons Breath Forge.

Tim made his first knife in 1979 while still in high school. In 1982, he made his first Damascus steel, and in 1983 knife making became his full-time profession. He has been the director of the Ashokan Knifemaking Seminar for most of the last two decades and a regular contributor to Blade Magazine and Knives Illustrated.

Lee is a retired pathologist whose interest in collecting antique arms began in the 1960s. His collection spans from the Bronze Age through the late Medieval Period. Lee worked with Ewart Oakeshott and Ian Peirce toward the 2002 publication of Swords of the Viking Age and operates vikingsword.com. 2025 marked his fifth Ashokan Sword Seminar presentation.

Emiliano Carrillo began bladesmithing in 2014 and focuses on Viking Age pattern welding, Medieval sword forms, and Japanese sword making. Studying original artifacts in museums and private collections, he smelts bloomery iron and steel to create Japanese-style blades from tamahagane and oroshigane as well as Viking spears, swords, and seaxes.

Michael Edelson is the bestselling author of Cutting with the Medieval Sword: Theory and Application, and a lifelong martial artist with over 30 years of experience. He founded the New York Historical Fencing Association in December 2005 and served as an event director for Longpoint, helping establish modern HEMA cutting practice and competition across North America and Europe.

Tristan has been a member of NYHFA since 2009 and an instructor since 2011. He served as Director of HEMA Programs at Sword Class NYC (2013–2019), on the HEMA Alliance Curriculum Council (2014–2016), and co-founded Squinting Rabbit Productions.

Herb started making knives as a teenager and made his first journey to Ashokan for the 1995 Sword year, missing only a handful of years since. A structural and pipe welder by trade, he leads the Open Forge program and teaches blade forging fundamentals.