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  • WIL WILLIS: Braxton, Jake, congratulations.

  • You fellas have made it to the third round

  • of this competition.

  • Now we're sending you back to your home

  • forges just to make this iconic weapon from history--

  • the nagamaki.

  • Good luck, bladesmiths.

  • We'll see you in four days.

  • BRAXTON: It's day one.

  • I'm back at the home forge.

  • I'm pretty nervous going to make my first Japanese sword.

  • The first thing I do is taking it down to size.

  • Straightening this blade is a hassle.

  • It's wanting to curve like a banana,

  • and I'm having to straighten it out little by little.

  • I had to be very meticulous on the amount of curve it has.

  • It's the start of day two.

  • And I'm ready to get to work and try

  • and get this blade quenched-- fire 'em up, get 'em hot.

  • I've never welded anything that big,

  • and I really just can't wait to test it.

  • I can't wait to swing that thing around in the yard just

  • to have a feel for how it is.

  • I check the blade, and it's hard.

  • It's straight.

  • And I just have such a sense of relief.

  • Let's hack at something, see if it's going to break.

  • Just like that.

  • It snapped the tip off about six inches down from the tip.

  • I will not be able to meet parameters with this blade,

  • so I decide to start a new blade.

  • Son of a bitch.

  • You know, I probably had a stress fracture.

  • The grain in there is pretty tight.

  • I got half a day left to hammer out and forge out a blade.

  • BRAXTON: Now that I've got the blade done,

  • we got the hibachi done.

  • And now it's time to do the tsuba.

  • The guard is very important.

  • Everything needs to be smooth.

  • Ugh, that's a tight fit.

  • Feels really good.

  • It's just a little bit heavy.

  • The nagamaki being too heavy can make it unwieldable

  • and make it uncomfortable to swing around.

  • That's right where the guard is.

  • It's a little heavy.

  • I mill a simple pattern into the tsuba to lose some weight.

  • Actually feels a lot better now.

  • All I lack is the wrapping and doing a final cleanup.

  • I only have a few little things to do on day four.

  • This is cool.

  • JACK: My last day I had so much to do.

  • I have no room for error.

  • I was able to forge out a blade, grind

  • it out, and get it quenched.

  • So I'm just going to try and meet the parameters

  • and get the blade turned in and sharp.

  • That's pretty good.

  • I have my hibachi done.

  • That took me a long time yesterday.

  • I have my tsuba pretty much to where I want it.

  • My main goal for today in general

  • is just to get the handle complete.

  • I'm quickly running out of time.

  • I need to make this handle as quickly and as efficiently

  • as possible.

  • I'm trying to get a pretty good grip on to where the blade is

  • very easily indexed.

  • I don't want the handle to be too thick.

  • But honestly, I just need to get a handle on it.

  • It's solid That's for sure.

  • Once the glue dries on the leather wrap,

  • I go ahead and start this long process of the ito wrap.

  • This just so happens to be one of the hardest

  • builds I've ever done.

  • I really could have used an extra day,

  • but I'm just happy that it's over.

  • Oh, that is smooth!

  • DOUG MARCAIDA: All right, bladesmiths.

  • I will take your weapons to deliver

  • killing blows, slashes, and thrusts

  • on this wild boar carcass.

  • Braxton, you're up first.

  • Are you ready for this?

  • I'm ready.

  • [inaudible]

  • Let's do this.

  • BRAXTON: Oh, man.

  • We have a hogs around where I'm from.

  • The skin is very, very thick.

  • I'm nervous, but there is nothing I can do.

  • I just gotta let the chips fall where they lay.

  • [rock music]

  • All right, Braxton.

  • Your nagamaki here is definitely not boring.

  • It is razor sharp.

  • Every cut with this thick wild boar carcass

  • allowed me to peel off layers of the very thick hide

  • that it has.

  • Also, the lightness that you have with this blade

  • allows for switching with the grip here.

  • It's got very good grip in the handle.

  • I can index exactly were the edge is at all times.

  • Overall, sir, your nagamaki will kill.

  • Thank you.

  • All right, Jake.

  • It's your turn.

  • Ready for this?

  • Chop him up.

  • Let's do this.

  • JAKE: It makes me a little bit nervous.

  • I really want mine to chop through the boar as well.

  • But the blade can actually take a lot of damage

  • during the boar testing because there's bones.

  • I know that Braxton's blade set a very high bar.

  • Mine needs to perform just as good as his.

  • [rock music]

  • DOUG MARCAIDA: All right, Jake.

  • Let's talk about your nagamaki here.

  • It's sharp.

  • Wielding this weapon is a lot of fun also.

  • The weight you have here and the balance works.

  • Overall, sir, your nagamaki will kill.

  • Thank you.

  • Next up is the strength test.

  • Dave?

  • Now, to test the strength and overall construction

  • of your blades, I'll be chopping into this bamboo.

  • Now, this test is not about what your blades do to the bamboo--

  • what the bamboo does to your blades.

  • Braxton, you're up first.

  • You ready?

  • I'm ready.

  • [rock music]

  • All right, Braxton.

  • As far as what the bamboo did to your blade, it did nothing.

  • There's no deflection, rolls, chips, anything on this blade.

  • It's as sharp as when I picked it up.

  • Nicely done.

  • It's a very strong blade.

  • Thank you so much.

  • All right, Jake.

  • You're ready?

  • Let's do it.

  • [rock music]

  • All right.

  • So your edge, just as sharp as when it started.

  • There are no chips, rolls, defamation.

  • It sliced right through the bamboo.

  • Your handle is a little wide this way for me.

  • But the fact that it's lean this way

  • and that that wrap's so nice and comfortable is--

  • evens it out.

  • Well done.

  • JAKE: Thank you.

  • All right, bladesmiths.

  • We know your blades can kill.

  • We know they're strong.

  • Now it's time to find out how sharp they are.

  • Now, unlike the strength test, this

  • is all about what your edge will do

  • to these different materials, from the tatami,

  • the melons, or the sandbags.

  • Braxton, you're up first. You ready for this?

  • I'm ready.

  • [rock music]

  • DOUG MARCAIDA: All right, Braxton.

  • Your edge had no issues at all cutting

  • through the tatami mats.

  • Cuts the melon easily.

  • And on the sandbags, it will cut through.

  • Overall, sir, your weapon, it will cut.

  • Thank you.

  • DOUG MARCAIDA: Jake, your turn. Are you ready?

  • Let's do it.

  • [rock music]

  • DOUG MARCAIDA: All right, Jake.

  • Let's talk about you nagamaki right here--

  • razor sharp.

  • It cuts easily on the tatami.

  • Cuts the melons.

  • And just off the orders of the corners, it cut it easily.

  • Overall, sir, it will cut.

  • Thank you.

  • This is going to be very hard for us.

  • WIL WILLIS: Bladesmiths, the judges

  • have made their final decision.

  • The new "Forged in Fire" champion is Braxton.

  • Congratulations, you're the "Forged in Fire" champion.

  • Jake, unfortunately your blade didn't make the cut.

  • Ben Abbott's going to tell you why.

  • Well, Jake, you should be proud.

  • You made a beautiful and effective weapon.

  • And for us this came down to the finest of points--

  • the fact that your blade wasn't quite as finished,

  • and we had a slight preference for Braxton's handle.

  • And that's the reason we're sending you home.

  • Jake, please, surrender your blade.

  • JAKE: I think the time frame that I

  • had to build my second blade definitely had a factor in it.

  • I may not be the "Forged in Fire" champion,

  • but I feel like I accomplished a lot

  • and earned the privilege to be here.

  • Braxton, congratulations.

  • You're the "Forged in Fire" champion,

  • and that's a title that comes with a check for 10 grand.

  • Good job.

  • [applause]

  • BRAXTON: I feel great about what I've accomplished.

  • I'm still shaking.

  • It was an awesome experience, and I proved that I

  • can hang with the big guys.

  • [rock music]

WIL WILLIS: Braxton, Jake, congratulations.

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