TEXARKANA, Ark - Besides appearing on the History Channel on Friday, professional bladesmiths Jerry Fisk and Mark Fleming dropped by Naaman's restaurant for a four-hour appearance to talk knife forging with any and all interest patrons.
"I've been forging knives for more then 48 years now and I still love it," Fisk said.
Fisk, who lives in Nashville, Arkansas, said the bowie knife, in particular, sharpen his interest in knives while he was still a kid.
"James Black was actually the one who invented the bowie knife back in Old Washington (Arkansas)," Fisk said. "Jim Bowie just became famous for it. I got interested in the bowie knife back when I was 10 years old. History is a specialty for both me and my wife. We even have some wood from the original Alamo - and the bowie knife is know as the National American Knife."
For Mark Fleming, who actually took an interest in bladesmithing only three years ago, said he got drawn to the craft by his life long work in welding.
"Welding is something I've been doing since I was 15 years old," he said.
Along with Fisk and Fleming, Ricardo Vilar of Brazil, who became the winner of the 1999 Forged in Fire knife-making contest at the University of North Carolina, said he learned of the bowie knife when he was still in Brazil.
"I came to the U.S. four years ago and I have judged knife forging here since 2020," he said. "It's a craft that is very popular in the Old West and it looks like it's going to stay that way."