Skilled Beyond Her Years: An Interview with Knifemaker Felicia Howard

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Scissortail Bladeworks in Oklahoma, is owned by knifemaker Felicia Howard. While she considers herself a knifemaker, her appearance in season 9, episode 12 of Forged in Fire proved she has some forging skills in her pocket. Not only did she walk away as a champion, but she also holds the title of youngest female champion in the show's history.

Felicia spoke with us about how she got into knifemaking, how her parents have helped her pursue her passion, and her appearance on the show.

How Felicia got into Knifemaking

BRUTE de FORGE: How did you get into forging, Felicia?

Felicia Howard: Growing up, I was homeschooled. I have four older brothers, and “the shop” has always been my happy place. That's where the guys were always hanging out. I was out there one day, and we had some lawn mower blades sitting there, and I said, “You know if I just did this and this, it would be a knife.” So, I tried it, and it worked! That’s how I got into it initially.

BDF: What is your shop like?

FH: It is just a two-car garage, gym, carpentry, and mechanic shop all in one. It’s not a space dedicated to one thing. We do everything out there.

BDF: Had you watched Forged in Fire before, or did your inspiration to try and make a knife just come from curiosity?

FH: No, I had never even heard of Forged in Fire until about a year after I started making knives. I made my first knife, and my mom said, “This didn't turn out as bad as I thought it would. Is this something you think you'd like to pursue because this is pretty good?” After some conversations, she sent out some emails to local knife makers. There are several local to the state of Oklahoma. I had no idea that there was a community, let alone that it was a huge one!

Anyway, the gentleman that responded was Billy Helton. He said I could hang out and learn. He was actually in the very first episode of Forged in Fire. He told me it was a TV show and explained to me about it because we don't have cable or anything at my house. So, we went to his place and visited him several times. Finally, he said, “You know what, you don't suck at this!” He hired me as his apprentice, and I worked for him for about a year.

The Origins of Felicia’s Forge Name

BDF: That’s amazing. It is a fantastic community. What is the name of your shop?

FH: Scissortail Bladeworks is the name of my company.

BDF: Is there a story behind the name?

FH: Initially, I was working under the name Harosheth Felicia which in Hebrew means ‘to forge.’ But no one knows what Harosheth means, and I got tired of answering that question, so I decided to change the name. I looked around for different inspirations, and the Scissortail is the state bird of Oklahoma. It's a pretty bird, it’s patriotic, and it sounded good.

BDF: I love your maker's mark.

FH: I'm pretty fond of it too. It's very simple. Most people can’t identify it, which is a little bit frustrating. I still have to answer lots of questions. I've had to tell a frightening number of people that it's not a swallow. A surprising number of people also ask if it is a pheasant.

Felicia is a Knifemaker, not a Bladesmith

BDF: You’ve used the term knife maker several times now. Do you consider yourself more of a knifemaker than a bladesmith?

FH: I'm a knifemaker. It’s semantics, really, but I'm a knifemaker.

“I do bladesmithing some, but I’m a knifemaker. ”

There are two basic disciplines of knife making. You have bladesmithing and stock removal. Bladesmithing is done with the forge, and you push metal from a mass into the shape of a knife. Then there's stock removal, where you start with a rectangle and grind it to the shape. I do bladesmithing some, but I’m a knifemaker.

When I went on Forged in Fire, I had made around one hundred and fifty knives, and I was pretty proud of that number. Then they said, “That’s great, but you’re going to forge this!” It was, maybe, the third knife I'd ever forged. I was grossly underprepared because they're completely different disciplines.

But I'm proud to say I'm a knifemaker! I suck at bladesmithing.

BDF: Do you have a style?

FH: I'm really into small knives. I personally don't see the point in large knives. I'm not going to use a 10-and-a-half-inch bowie knife to open my mail. I'd rather have a knife that I can use daily, so I prefer to make EDCs. Typically, they fall under 3.5 inches, and the overall length is under eight inches. That is the closest I can find to the “technical classification” of an EDC. People have different opinions on it, but that's my happy place. I like to make a drop point EDC. It's very straightforward. It's very versatile as a blade and works super well for so many things.

I almost exclusively do hollow grinds or concave grinds. It’s partially an ego thing but also a geometry thing. A lot of people don't like doing hollow grinds because they're hard to learn and hard to do. That's pretty much all I do because I like being able to say I do that. I don't do a lot of flat grinds and stuff. I guess you could say that's my style.

How Felicia found herself on Forged in Fire

BDF: How did you get on Forged in Fire? Did you apply?

FH: That's a fun story. So, I worked for Billy Helton for probably eight months, and he was like, “So when are you going to go on Forged in Fire?” I said that I wasn’t because I didn’t have the skills. Then there was a casting all for season nine, and a buddy of mine sent me a link to the application. I thought I would at least look at it and ask for an application. They sent one back to me, and I was looking through it, and I came to the conclusion that I was grossly underqualified. So, I never resubmitted my application.

“I called my buddy, Billy, and asked if he would teach me a few things for no reason whatsoever because you can’t talk about going on the show with anyone.”

About two weeks later, the assistant casting director called me, and he asked why I never applied. I told him, “Well, I’m way underqualified for this.” He said that it was his job to determine, and that’s why they have the applications. He told me to fill it out, send it back, and let them decide. So I did, and he called me a couple of days later and said, “You are grossly underqualified for this.” But then he said if I could learn to forge, they could work with it, and it would be a major step towards being more qualified. So, I called my buddy, Billy, and asked if he would teach me a few things for no reason whatsoever because you can’t talk about going on the show with anyone. I learned a few things about forging, and that's how I got on the show!

BDF: So, did you learn how to use a coal forge before the show?

FH: When I first started forging at Billy’s, I learned some basics about blacksmithing, grinding, and things like that. I’m a chronic people-pleaser, and I did not want to waste his time, so I was not at his place often. He would teach me how to do different things, and I would go work at home. He lent me a coal forge, and that's what I started with. Fortunately, I was pretty familiar with them when it came time for the show. The difference was that I had an automated blower, and on the show, they had hand-crank blowers, which were definitely a little bit different. You have a lot more control over the actual fire, and it's harder to do.

BDF: Were you worried about anything specific challenge-wise? You mentioned that you hadn’t ever watched the show, so did you know what you were getting into?

FH: They started releasing select episodes on a local channel when I applied for the show, so I was familiar with the format and how it was supposed to work. I hadn't seen many episodes, and I had never seen any episodes outside the studio, so I didn't know that was an option. Then they said they wouldn’t let us use any tools, which was frustrating. I ended up not using any of my personal tools, which added to the frustration.

“I was excited to get on the show and use the equipment that they had available. Instead, I had an angle grinder and a coal forge.”

I was just concerned in general because I am small. I was looking forward to having access to power tools and big grinders. At home, I have the best grinder ever. I have to tell you the story because it's so great. So, I was making my first knife, and we had this little three-and-a-half-inch, half-horsepower bench grinder—the same one every garage in America has. You could stop it with your thumb, which was terrible. Anyway, I'm in the middle of my first knife and realized my grinder was terrible.” I was fifteen then, so I ran to my parents and said, “Mommy, Daddy, I'm turning sixteen, and what I really want for my birthday is a grinder that works!” Because they are the most supportive parents on the planet, they got me an eight-inch Delta variable speed bench grinder, which was super awesome. I love that grinder to death! I’ve made a couple hundred knives on it. It's not a 2X72 bench grinder, though, so I was excited to get on the show and use the equipment that they had available. Instead, I had an angle grinder and a coal forge.

BDF: You made it work, though! It turned out all right for you.

FH: I won by default rather than skill, but it works. I'll take it.

BDF: Did you repay your parents with your winnings like you said you would?

FH: Yes! That was the first thing I did, and it was awesome.

After I got the phone call, it hit me that I could win some money if I did well. When they said they wanted to pursue getting me on the show, I looked around and was like, “Wow, I don't have the equipment for this.” I was working on this tiny fifty-pound anvil I found in my grandpa's barn. I didn’t have the right equipment, but I was thinking about rebranding anyway, and after they called me, I decided to change my name, brand, and all that.

I was Googling things and trying to ensure nobody had the name I wanted to use—Scissortail Bladeworks. I found a gentleman working under the name Scissortail Forge, and I went to his Facebook page, and there was a post that he was dying of cancer, which is terrible. His name is Edward, and he was supposed to go on Forged in Fire but couldn’t because of his diagnosis. Before I continue, I want to say that he did not die! He recovered and is now fine, which is great! But, because he was so sick, he was selling off all of his equipment cheaply. He was selling this one-hundred-pound anvil for $250 and I told my parents how good of a deal it was, but I didn’t have the cash. They are so amazing! They loaned me the money, drove me to his place, and bought it for me, which was awesome.

Then, after I won, I was able to pay them back, which was pretty nice. Very cool.

BDF: Wow, that story took a happier turn than I expected. Shout out to Edward! Hope to see him on the show one day! Did you do other fun things with your winnings?

FH: I upgraded my grinder, which I still haven't used. I upgraded to 2X72 Ameritrade, the second biggest purchase of my short life, next to my truck. It's the most amazing piece of equipment I own, and it was super awesome. The rest went back into my business and tried to grow it.

BDF: You are the youngest female champion and one of only four female champions. How does that feel?

FH: It's pretty cool. I think it gives me a distinction that it would be hard for me to achieve otherwise, especially with my performance on the show. I think it's a good marketing factor. It was pretty awesome. There are not many women in this community, so it's always fun when you bump into another one.

“Just do it. Why would you not? That’s my favorite saying. That’s what I live my life by; why would you not?”

People are always surprised. I had three back-to-back shows—the biggest ones I've ever done—and my family was there. It was funny because people kept assuming that my dad was the maker and would ask me sarcastically if I made the knives. It was amusing when I got to say yes, that I was the knifemaker, not him.

BDF: Do you have any advice for aspiring knife makers?

FH: Just do it. Why would you not? That's my favorite saying. That's what I live my life by; why would you not? I never anticipated becoming a knife maker. I didn't even know knifemakers were a thing. God put an opportunity in front of me, and I took it, and it has taken off.

To see more products from Felicia, follow her on Instagram @scissortail_bladeworks, Facebook at Scissortail Bladeworks and visit her website scissortailbladeworks.com.