Summers, Nate

"In 2001, I met Jared Williams, my first mentor in bladesmithing. In addition to a growing library of books on bladesmithing, I studied “the craft of the Japanese sword” intensely. In 2005, I took the introductory course from the ABS at their school in Washington, Arkansas. In 2007, I attended the Damascus making course from the ABS, and passed the initial portion of the Journeyman smith test. From 2007 to 2015, I was able to spend time practicing what I had already learned. My life had been changing very rapidly, and I won an episode of the show Forged in Fire in 2017. During filming, I had a powerful, emotional epiphany: I put all this time and passion into learning how to make blades, what good was it if I did nothing with it? To me, it was an honest moment, a realization of my desire to continue to build and create. After winning, there was a belief from myself that I could succeed in bladesmithing for a living."