Bladesmith Steve Karakostas applies oil to a sword inside his workshop in Toronto, Ont., earlier this month.Arlyn McAdorey/The Globe and Mail
Steve Karakostas was an unlikely participant on Canada’s road to the 2022 World Cup.
But he helped arm the Canadian men on their way to Qatar.
Karakostas made the ceremonial sword that the Canadian players plunged into the pitch the day before games. He started making blades in 2012 as a hobby and began selling his works in 2016.
“I just really liked swords,” he explained. “And I thought to myself, ‘I can make something.’ And then I spent a small fortune on equipment. And then I just slowly, slowly started making things. And eventually I got good at it.”
It was a timely career change, given his original custom painting business dried up after the pandemic.
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Karakostas is essentially a self-taught bladesmith. He bought a lot of books, searched the internet and “talked to a lot of people online.”
“But it was mostly trial and error. And reversing-engineering some stuff, some techniques,” he said.
Mike Watson, a Vancouver business consultant who was working with Canada coach John Herdman at the time, found Karakostas online.
“I sent him this cryptic note at 11 o’clock at night saying, ‘I can’t tell you what it’s for. I can’t give you any details. But I’d like to meet with you because we’re on quite a journey, a quest, that’s got national implications, and love to talk to you about if we can get a confidentiality agreement from you.’”
Bladesmith Steve Karakostas grinds edge bevels on a sword using a belt grinder inside his workshop in Toronto, Ont., earlier this month.Arlyn McAdorey/The Globe and Mail
This photo was released on March 28, 2022 by Costa Rica’s Finance Ministry, showing the sword that belongs to Canada’s national soccer team, after it was seized at the San Jose International Airport.The Associated Press
Karakostas showed up the next day, ready and eager.
“His passion for creating it got carried right into the team,” said Watson. “And they had a passion for it.”
Swordsmiths are few and far in Canada, according to Karakostas.
The Canada project took a couple of weeks to complete in the fall of 2021.
He used 5160 spring steel, a durable type usually employed for truck springs, to forge the blade. It was then tempered, which makes the sword flexible while retaining a strong edge.
Herdman and the team kept the sword to themselves until news leaked out after the sword was seized by Costa Rican customs officials before a qualifying game in San Jose in March, 2022.
The sword is emblazoned with the Latin motto “Nihil timendum est,” which means “Fear Nothing.” The words “Qatar 2022″ are on the handle.
The publicity over the sword proved to be a boost for Karakostas.
“It definitely helped. It definitely shows well on the website,” he said.
It is a labour of love and one that is paying off, which is welcome considering what he put into the endeavour.
“I knew I was going to love it so I spent thousands and thousands and thousands of dollars,” he said. “I was tallying up the equipment in my shop and I stopped counting at 50,000 [dollars].
“It’s a lot, but it’s an investment. It’s my bread and butter. And there’s a ton of work. This is the most job security I’ve ever had.”
Karakostas is kept busy in his 500-square-foot shop in Toronto, the home of Winterborn Blades.
“I’m here seven days a week. It’s insane,” he said. “I have about a year backlog.”
He sells to collectors and has found there is a market for wedding swords.
“Surprisingly a lot of girls are proposing to their boyfriends with swords,” he said, “which is pretty awesome.”
Bladesmith Steve Karakostas poses for a portrait inside his workshop in Toronto, Ont. He says there is a constant demand for custom-made swords.Arlyn McAdorey/The Globe and Mail