Anticipation ran high at the Cargile house in Lowndes County the night of Jan. 15. Friends and family gathered around the television — Mitch Cargile was about to make his screen debut. Cargile, 38, was one of four bladesmiths competing in that evening’s episode of “Forged in Fire.” The History channel series, produced by Outpost Entertainment, weekly features four contenders in a three-round elimination to forge bladed weapons. Only two smiths survive to the final challenge — to make a classic and historically significant weapon, be it a famous sword, mighty shield or fierce battle axe from a time long past. The winner takes home $10,000.
Cargile — husband, dad of four and Columbus Air Force Base telecommunication technician — has been a fan of the show that premiered in 2015 ever since he got hooked on the power of heat, hammer and anvil a few years ago.
“It’s the only show I’ll let my kids stay up to watch,” he said with a chuckle.
That Wednesday’s program was the culmination of an adventure that began this past June, when Cargile’s brother-in-law alerted him that “Forged in Fire” was taking applications, and sent along a link. By mid-July, Cargile had made the cut. In August, he flew northward, to the television set he’d seen so often as a viewer.
He recalled the official walk-through where the show is filmed near Stamford, Connecticut.
“It was pretty surreal,” he said. “I was actually more nervous during the meet-and-greet, meeting the judges, going through the forge, getting the safety talk (than during filming).”
Six months later, the watch party at Cargile’s home waited eagerly to see how it all ends.
“It was a very exciting time,” said Lori Cargile, Mitch’s wife. “We invited our church family and friends, who didn’t know the results of the show because there was very little he could share, even with us,” she added, referring to the show’s confidentiality requirements.
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The first round of competition saw the four smiths given surprise metals and a time limit to design and forge signature blades. Even after a harrowing weld fail with two ball bearings and just 48 minutes left on the clock, Cargile rallied, using his final ball bearing to make a knife that met requirements. And then there were three contenders, tasked with casting bronze guards in the second challenge. Each adrenaline-fueled round is strictly timed.
“That is 100 percent legitimate; that is no ‘Hollywood’ there,” Cargile said. “(You’re told) ‘your time starts now; you have three hours,’ there’s no retakes on that.”
Cargile and contender Peyton Ramm advanced to the final round, where they learned of their ultimate challenge — to recreate Joyeuse, the legendary sword of King Charlemagne.
When the challenge weapon was revealed, Cargile — who had never built a sword before — remembers thinking, “What in the world?”
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The first two rounds were filmed on the show’s set, with its range of metalworking equipment. Cargile and Ramm returned to home turf to craft their versions of Charlemagne’s sword. They were given a specified number of hours over four days to work on it, and a two-person production crew from the show to time-keep, film and document the process.
“The film crew stayed with me the entire time,” Cargile said. “One stipulation is that no work can be done on the sword without the producer there and the camera rolling. There was a camera guy and another who kept the official minutes, the time, even recording breaks.”
When time is up, each finalist’s sword is shipped to the show.
“We fly out the very next day, and they bring us in for the finale and have another round of tests they do,” explained Cargile. On his episode, judges tested the smiths’ blades on wild boar meat, on armor, helmets and on shields that would have been similar in Charlemagne’s time. Design, quality, balance and many technical points were evaluated, including how well the blade retained its edge.
“Both swords did great,” Cargile said. “But mine was just a little bit heavy on the blade.”
Although Peyton Ramm took home the top prize, Cargile is well-satisfied that his sword did well. He knows he’s come a long way from the first backyard forge he fashioned from an old brake drum, a smoker and his daughter’s hair dryer.
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It was only seven or so years ago that Cargile attended a charity auction for Golden Triangle Outdoors, where he saw hand-crafted knives.
“Oddly enough, I’d never thought of a person taking their time to make a knife because I grew up if you need a knife, you go down to the local store,” he said. He came away from the event determined to try it himself.
“That weekend, I bought a couple of hand files, drill bits, some sandpaper and made my first knife on the back porch. And then I got real big and moved my production from the back porch to the carport,” he laughed. “I call the knives I made there my ‘carport edition knives.'”
He’s fortunate and blessed, he said, to have been able to save up and build a 600-square-foot workshop at home. He spends time there almost every day.
For the first couple of years, he used the stock-removal method, shaping pre-flattened bar stock into knives with tools, removing any stock not needed. But once he discovered the art of forging raw materials into whatever he wanted them to be, he’d found his calling. Under the name Cargile’s Custom Knives, he makes a range of knives, favoring traditional Bowie knife styles.
“Camp knives, hunting knives, skinning knives, kitchen knives — I really like making kitchen knives,” he said.
Cargile has been greatly influenced by the American Bladesmith Society.
“It’s an inspiration to see what the master smiths of ABS could do. Once I got affiliated with them, I took as many classes as I could take and met a lot of really good people that have helped me along the way.”
He’s learned from smiths in Arkansas, New Jersey, Texas and Washington and is continually honing his skills. This past June, he achieved a milestone, earning his ABS Journeyman Smith rating after rigorous testing and performance. Each applicant must present five forged knives to judges for intense evaluation. He aspires to earn a Master Smith rating by the time he’s 40.
“That’s one thing about my husband,” said Lori Cargile. “He continues to take classes, and he’s his own worst critic. This is not something he takes lightly. He absolutely has a passion for making knives.”
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When possible, Mitch attends knife shows and bladesport competitions, where knives are put through their paces on everything from filled water bottles to 2-by-4’s.
His wife recalled the first show she attended with him.
“I didn’t realize how big it was, and I also got to see a glimpse of what he was talking about, how he meets such great people,” she said. “It opened my eyes to see and understand the passion he has for it.”
Cargile is ready to push himself to the next level.
“I’m a perfectionist, I guess. I can’t help it,” he said. “If I do anything good I understand that if I put the effort into it, I can do it better next time.”
In March, he travels to Alaska to study under Adam and Haley DesRosiers, “phenomenal knife makers,” he said.
“At the same time, I’m starting to work on my five knives I have to present in 2021 to go to my ABS Master Smith rating. It’s a really hard rating to get. If I get that, I’ll be one of about 150 people who hold it.”
As for his TV experience, being on “Forged in Fire” was an “awesome privilege.”
“I definitely consider it a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity — although I’d go back if they invited me,” he said with a grin.
Jan Swoope is the Lifestyles Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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