Local knife maker gets national recognition on TV series

One Blackfoot knife maker is making his national television debut on History Channel’s competition show, Forged in Fire, next week. The TV series has four blade smiths compete in three-round contests to forge bladed weapons.

“A friend of mine introduced me to a guy in Idaho Falls that forges blades,” said Brandon Williams, the owner of 4B Outdoors and Grip-N-Pull Bullet Pullers. “I actually took over his forge for a little while after he passed away and then I started bringing my own stuff here.”

Born and raised in Blackfoot, Williams has been making knives for seven years and forging for more than two years.

“I never thought it would lead me to where I am at now,” Williams said. “I’ve been making knives for awhile and forging. I’d go to gun shows; people would ask me, ‘Have you seen Forged in Fire?’ At first it was no. I’ve never even heard of it.”

Williams looked it up and found that he enjoyed it. That may be now one of the best decisions he’s made.

“One day I was on Facebook and I saw a casting call, where it said email this if you want to be on the show. So I did,” Williams said.

That following day, Williams got a phone call from the show telling him he’d been moved onto the next round. He did a Skype interview in which he showed the series’ casting department his collection and what he had made.

“They said, ‘Welcome to the show,'” Williams said.

Over this past summer he was flown to New York and then Stamford, Connecticut to film and compete on the series.

“It’ll all make more sense after the show airs and I can talk more about it, but I feel like my whole life has come full circle,” Williams said.

Monday, he was able to share good news with friends, family and supporters over Facebook.

“I was ecstatic,” said Alyssa Williams, Brandon’s daughter. “It’s crazy to see him as a little town forger and going to Connecticut.”

Though the experience itself was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, Williams cannot wait until after the episode airs for his life to really change.

“It put’s me on the national stage,” Williams said. “There’s millions of people that watch the show every week and I’m very excited for that. I’m very excited to represent Blackfoot, Idaho in that show.”

Williams could not give out too many details of the episode because of a strict confidentiality agreement he signed.

However, he invites everyone to come watch it with him next Wednesday when it airs. There will be a viewing party at Tommy Vaughn’s at 850 Jensen Grove Drive in Blackfoot. The TV show starts at 7 p.m.