New London resident wins 'Forged in Fire'
New London’s Brandon Hyner won “Forged in Fire” in an episode that aired Wednesday and walked away with $10,000 in prize money.
On “Forged in Fire,” a competition TV series on the History Channel, bladesmiths are given challenges to recreate historical edged weapons.
Hyner, who is an engineer at Electric Boat and has a forge at the Noank Foundry, said he was excited for people finally to know he won. He filmed the show six months ago and wasn’t able to say anything until it aired.
He gathered for a very small viewing party with friends and family in West Babylon, Long Island, where he grew up.
“I was super-excited, let me tell you, because I was waiting six months. It was great to see my family, my friends, my loved ones, everyone I cared about be super-excited and super-happy for me,” said Hyner, 23.
The contestant whose work impressed the judges the most in the opening round got to bypass in-between rounds and head directly to the finals, which Hyner did. That meant the chopper he created wasn't tested, though he thinks it would have held up well.
The finals required making a firangi sword, a historical type of Indian sword with a European blade.
When the judges declared him the winner, Hyner said it left him “fairly shocked."
"When they called my name, I was dumbfounded. I didn't even know what to do," he said. "On TV, if you watch, you can see I just put my head down and I was like, 'Oh, my God, I can’t believe that just happened.'”
Hyner is planning to use the prize money to buy some new blacksmithing and bladesmithing tools and to put some of the winnings toward a car.
Hyner, who has been making knives and blacksmithing as a hobby for a half-dozen years, said he was "really happy" to be on the show. "I didn’t even care if I won or not — that really wasn’t what it was about for me. It was just getting on the show and having that moment and opportunity and getting to showcase my skills a little bit but more so just prove to myself that I can actually do what they’re asking me to do in the time they’re asking us to do it,” he said of the five hours allotted.
Being on the show, Hyner said, "was one of the most amazing experiences I’ve had in my life."
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