The production team was greatly saddened to hear of Paul Champagne’s passing on April 11, 2009, both a master craftsman and a dear friend. During the shooting of Reclaiming the Blade, we visited Paul’s workshop in upstate New York and had the pleasure to speak with him about smithing and witness him at work. He was truly a man of great integrity and passion and we are so proud that he played a special role in Reclaiming the Blade.

His untimely death is a great loss to the HEMA community and the swordsmithing community alike. He will be forever remembered through his great contributions to both areas of research. True to Paul’s quote from Reclaiming the Blade, he will "keep swinging that hammer as long as [he's] able" because the paths of discovery are never truly complete.