This was a great episode because the weapons of both smiths performed well and it came down to some of the finer details and design considerations.Welcome to Bladesmith! The art and craft of forged blades. Although Ben is my favorite judge, I do think David Baker throws a better axe!

However, both axes performed well in all the tests.Īs with other episodes like “ The Pipe Tomahawks ” and “ Viking ” the strength test is throwing the axes, which I enjoy. As Ben Abbot pointed out, the palmswell is not ideal for a throwing axe. The edge seems angled too low relative to the handle as well. The width of the axe heads from the top to bottom seems too narrow. The other smith, while I appreciate he did not burn the handles, did not nail the aesthetics nor in my opinion the design. The fully polished headed and the decorative grinds are also outstanding. The leather overstrike guard is a nice touch. The hickory handles were charred which I don’t like but they still look excellent and the dark handles provide a stark contrast to the bright heads. One of the smiths made beautiful axe heads, the curve of the handles is also excellent from an aesthetic perspective. These axes have a long bit, an s-curved top and handles that curve away from the poll.

The finale weapon is a pair of Frankish throwing axes. This is yet another one of the great Forged in Fire Episodes with Axes. Season 7, Episode 13: “Frankish Throwing Axes” Perhaps a battle axe is wielded differently (Doug keeps his hands fixed), but I would want to be able to slide my hand down the haft as I swing. Doug Marcaida seemed to really like the regular handle swells up and down the axe. I must say I like the unibody design better from a structural perspective as well as the aesthetic. It has a more mechanical, industrial looking way of connecting the haft. The other took more time to drill the holes in a design, with multiple hole sizes, polish the blade and do some fit and finish work.

However, the blade and the eye of the axe are two separate pieces that are bolted/mig welded together rather than being forged out of a single piece of steel. One smith had a more rough and ready approach with what looks like a more authentic way of attaching the blade to the handle. The axes have several interesting design points including, a perforated bit to lighten the axe and that the beard of the axe is affixed to the haft of the weapon. It’s great to see two talented smiths bring their A game in the finals and it is too bad only one bladesmith can win.Ī favorite part of this episode is the strength test when the axes are thrown.Īxes in the episode : finale weapon pair of Viking War Axes

I don’t see the point of a leather wrap where the axe is gripped. They performed better and ultimately that is more important. I didn’t actually like the aesthetics of the other set of axes as much. The judge noted that a curve allows the edge to bite in more than a straight edge. But the straight bit, while looking awesome, didn’t perform as well. The low layer Damascus and a long beard for each axe is beautiful. I really like the axes the first smith put together. There might be specialty axes that have a straight edge, but a curve blade is optimal for any use to which I’ve put an axe. Having an axe with a straight bit from heel to toe isn’t ideal for a throwing axe. In this special “Viking Edition” of Forged in Fire the finale weapon is a pair of viking war axes.

Forged in fire season 6 episode 2