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]