1 00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:08,833 [dramatic music] 2 00:00:08,833 --> 00:00:10,542 - Here in The Forge, we put hundreds 3 00:00:10,625 --> 00:00:12,375 of smiths to the test. 4 00:00:12,500 --> 00:00:14,000 - It's hot in here. 5 00:00:14,042 --> 00:00:16,042 - But only a select few have proven themselves 6 00:00:16,042 --> 00:00:18,833 time and time again, remaining undefeated. 7 00:00:18,917 --> 00:00:21,333 ♪ 8 00:00:21,375 --> 00:00:23,417 Now three of our most decorated champions 9 00:00:23,500 --> 00:00:25,333 will put their perfect records on the line 10 00:00:25,417 --> 00:00:27,042 and go head-to-head against previous 11 00:00:27,125 --> 00:00:28,542 "Forged in Fire" winners 12 00:00:28,625 --> 00:00:30,708 in some of the most heated battles yet. 13 00:00:30,792 --> 00:00:33,292 - This is a living nightmare. 14 00:00:33,292 --> 00:00:34,875 - Everything's [bleep] [bleep] right now, 15 00:00:34,875 --> 00:00:36,542 if you know what I'm saying. 16 00:00:36,542 --> 00:00:38,583 - Will anyone have what it takes to finally... 17 00:00:38,708 --> 00:00:41,583 [metal clanging] Oh! 18 00:00:41,667 --> 00:00:42,833 Beat the Unbeaten? 19 00:00:42,917 --> 00:00:45,083 ♪ 20 00:00:45,083 --> 00:00:49,458 [dramatic music] 21 00:00:49,542 --> 00:00:52,333 - My name is John Wigger, and I'm 33 years old. 22 00:00:52,333 --> 00:00:55,125 I first competed in season 5, 23 00:00:55,208 --> 00:00:58,333 and I was the champion of the bardiche. 24 00:00:58,417 --> 00:00:59,875 ♪ 25 00:00:59,875 --> 00:01:01,958 Everybody I went against last time, 26 00:01:02,042 --> 00:01:03,792 it was their first time in The Forge. 27 00:01:03,792 --> 00:01:06,167 Now, everybody I'm gonna be competing against this time 28 00:01:06,250 --> 00:01:07,708 has done it, and they've been champions. 29 00:01:07,708 --> 00:01:09,083 So no one's lost yet. 30 00:01:09,083 --> 00:01:10,833 Someone's gotta lose, 31 00:01:10,833 --> 00:01:11,833 and I know it's not gonna be me. 32 00:01:11,958 --> 00:01:14,708 ♪ 33 00:01:14,708 --> 00:01:15,625 - My name is Eric Finch. 34 00:01:15,708 --> 00:01:17,125 I'm 22 years old. 35 00:01:17,125 --> 00:01:18,708 I competed on season 9 36 00:01:18,708 --> 00:01:20,375 and became a "Forged in Fire" champion 37 00:01:20,500 --> 00:01:21,958 on the episode "Fastest Blade in the West," 38 00:01:22,083 --> 00:01:23,833 and I made the Vaquero machete. 39 00:01:23,875 --> 00:01:26,667 During the last competition, I made a Western Bowie knife 40 00:01:26,833 --> 00:01:28,875 that was complimented as the best replicated knife 41 00:01:28,958 --> 00:01:30,042 they'd ever seen on the show. 42 00:01:30,042 --> 00:01:31,333 So standards are set high. 43 00:01:31,333 --> 00:01:32,333 I'm hopefully gonna come out here 44 00:01:32,708 --> 00:01:34,833 and create something best they've ever seen again. 45 00:01:34,958 --> 00:01:36,500 ♪ 46 00:01:36,625 --> 00:01:38,292 - Well, bladesmiths, champions, gentlemen, 47 00:01:38,375 --> 00:01:40,042 welcome back to The Forge. 48 00:01:40,125 --> 00:01:42,000 Now, you guys know how this goes. 49 00:01:42,000 --> 00:01:43,625 You're here to compete and show your skills 50 00:01:43,625 --> 00:01:46,458 in an intense and unique bladesmithing competition. 51 00:01:46,542 --> 00:01:48,875 Now, this time, it's gonna consist of two rounds, 52 00:01:48,958 --> 00:01:50,292 the first of which will be 53 00:01:50,375 --> 00:01:51,667 the two of you going head-to-head 54 00:01:51,792 --> 00:01:54,833 in a straight five-hour round bladesmithing competition 55 00:01:54,875 --> 00:01:57,292 where you're gonna build a weapon from start to finish. 56 00:01:57,375 --> 00:01:58,750 Now, when that round is complete, 57 00:01:58,875 --> 00:02:01,333 the judges are gonna step in, testing your blades 58 00:02:01,333 --> 00:02:03,208 and ultimately deciding which one of you 59 00:02:03,208 --> 00:02:04,542 has impressed them the most and would be 60 00:02:04,625 --> 00:02:07,583 moving into the second round of competition. 61 00:02:07,583 --> 00:02:09,375 Now, your second round competitor 62 00:02:09,375 --> 00:02:11,500 will be one of our Titans of The Forge, 63 00:02:11,583 --> 00:02:13,583 a bladesmith who has been unbeaten 64 00:02:13,667 --> 00:02:16,875 in this competition with multiple wins. 65 00:02:16,875 --> 00:02:19,375 All right, gentlemen, let's talk about the first round. 66 00:02:19,375 --> 00:02:21,500 For this first round, we're doing a throwback 67 00:02:21,583 --> 00:02:23,542 to one of our favorite challenges. 68 00:02:23,542 --> 00:02:28,458 This is a challenge that we call Crazy Crates. 69 00:02:28,542 --> 00:02:31,083 Now, the good news here is that you guys get to build 70 00:02:31,208 --> 00:02:32,917 whatever blade you want. 71 00:02:33,000 --> 00:02:35,292 The bad news is, when the clock starts, 72 00:02:35,375 --> 00:02:36,917 you guys are gonna run up and choose 73 00:02:36,917 --> 00:02:38,792 one of these crates, not knowing 74 00:02:38,792 --> 00:02:40,458 what the challenge is inside. 75 00:02:40,542 --> 00:02:42,292 There will be steel and the technique 76 00:02:42,292 --> 00:02:44,792 that you must use to build your signature blade. 77 00:02:44,875 --> 00:02:47,667 Now, if you choose a crate that you're not comfortable with, 78 00:02:47,667 --> 00:02:49,333 you will have the option to come back up 79 00:02:49,333 --> 00:02:50,750 and grab another crate. 80 00:02:50,833 --> 00:02:52,000 But that's your backup steel, 81 00:02:52,083 --> 00:02:53,417 and you're stuck with that method. 82 00:02:53,500 --> 00:02:55,208 So I highly recommend you at least give 83 00:02:55,208 --> 00:02:57,042 the first crate a shot. 84 00:02:57,042 --> 00:02:58,333 - It's intimidating not knowing 85 00:02:58,375 --> 00:02:59,667 what you're gonna have to make, 86 00:02:59,708 --> 00:03:00,708 or especially what you're gonna have to make 87 00:03:00,792 --> 00:03:01,750 out of a certain material. 88 00:03:01,833 --> 00:03:02,833 I don't know what's in there. 89 00:03:02,917 --> 00:03:04,042 I don't know what I'm gonna get, 90 00:03:04,042 --> 00:03:06,250 so it's definitely very, very scary. 91 00:03:06,250 --> 00:03:08,500 - Now, gentlemen, when the five hours is up, 92 00:03:08,625 --> 00:03:09,958 like I said, the judges are gonna step in. 93 00:03:09,958 --> 00:03:11,000 They're gonna test your blades, 94 00:03:11,083 --> 00:03:13,167 first for strength and durability 95 00:03:13,250 --> 00:03:15,708 in a copper tube chop, and then check 96 00:03:15,708 --> 00:03:17,958 your edge retention in a playing card slice. 97 00:03:18,042 --> 00:03:19,708 ♪ 98 00:03:19,708 --> 00:03:22,000 Now, gentlemen, this is a very difficult challenge. 99 00:03:22,042 --> 00:03:24,750 And you've only got five hours on the clock, so good luck, 100 00:03:24,875 --> 00:03:26,875 because your time starts now. 101 00:03:27,042 --> 00:03:30,167 [rock music] 102 00:03:30,292 --> 00:03:31,500 Here we go, off to the races. 103 00:03:31,583 --> 00:03:32,542 These guys have to come up, 104 00:03:32,625 --> 00:03:35,125 pick one of these mystery crates, 105 00:03:35,208 --> 00:03:36,458 and attempt to build a blade with what's inside. 106 00:03:36,542 --> 00:03:37,542 - [laughs] 107 00:03:37,542 --> 00:03:39,208 - I'm going with this guy. 108 00:03:39,208 --> 00:03:41,917 Feeling lucky? - Yeah. 109 00:03:42,000 --> 00:03:43,750 - "What's in the box?" 110 00:03:43,875 --> 00:03:45,417 ♪ 111 00:03:45,500 --> 00:03:47,000 - Oh, what'd he get, what'd he get, what'd he get? 112 00:03:47,083 --> 00:03:48,875 - Twisted stack Damascus. - Ooh. 113 00:03:48,875 --> 00:03:50,208 - Twisted stack. 114 00:03:50,292 --> 00:03:51,208 - Eric got the twisted stack Damascus. 115 00:03:51,208 --> 00:03:52,667 - Oh, man. 116 00:03:52,750 --> 00:03:54,625 - That's the toughest one out there. 117 00:03:54,625 --> 00:03:55,708 - Nickel Go Mai. 118 00:03:55,708 --> 00:03:57,375 - Nickel Go Mai. - Oh, yeah, easy peasy. 119 00:03:57,375 --> 00:03:59,125 - So we got five different layers, 120 00:03:59,250 --> 00:04:01,875 alternating and forge weld together. 121 00:04:01,875 --> 00:04:02,958 - Ooh, you lucky dog. 122 00:04:02,958 --> 00:04:03,917 - Hey, let's do it. 123 00:04:03,917 --> 00:04:05,042 [laughter] 124 00:04:05,125 --> 00:04:06,792 - John's got nickel Go Mai. 125 00:04:06,875 --> 00:04:08,833 Eric's got the twisted stack Damascus. 126 00:04:08,875 --> 00:04:11,667 As of right now, as it stands, you guys think 127 00:04:11,750 --> 00:04:13,542 John's got the harder one, or Eric? 128 00:04:13,667 --> 00:04:15,292 - I think Eric's definitely got the harder one 129 00:04:15,375 --> 00:04:18,750 because Eric has to make Damascus, and then cut it, 130 00:04:18,750 --> 00:04:20,375 twist it, restack it. 131 00:04:20,458 --> 00:04:22,000 And then he can start making his blade. 132 00:04:22,125 --> 00:04:26,708 And John has one forge weld, and Eric at least has two. 133 00:04:26,708 --> 00:04:28,458 - I haven't ever really done nickel Go Mai. 134 00:04:28,583 --> 00:04:31,333 But out of all the other things that it could have been, 135 00:04:31,333 --> 00:04:34,000 I'm pretty comfortable with what I got. 136 00:04:34,083 --> 00:04:36,750 I have worked with a little bit of nickel in the past. 137 00:04:36,833 --> 00:04:39,083 But I kind of make what the people want at home, 138 00:04:39,083 --> 00:04:42,417 and not a lot of people ask for nickel in their knives. 139 00:04:42,500 --> 00:04:45,625 - The last time John was here, he did a cold forge outside, 140 00:04:45,708 --> 00:04:47,417 no power tools, right? - Yeah. 141 00:04:47,500 --> 00:04:48,500 Yeah, it was really, really hot. 142 00:04:48,583 --> 00:04:50,292 Plus, they were trying to reduce 143 00:04:50,375 --> 00:04:53,208 a huge piece of steel by hand. - Yeah. 144 00:04:53,333 --> 00:04:55,375 - My biggest concern with this technique 145 00:04:55,375 --> 00:04:58,000 is I'm not 100% sure what's gonna happen 146 00:04:58,083 --> 00:05:00,292 when I forge weld this together. 147 00:05:00,375 --> 00:05:02,917 - Now, with the Go Mai, it's a good idea 148 00:05:03,042 --> 00:05:06,208 to do an anatmospheric weld to close everything off 149 00:05:06,208 --> 00:05:08,208 so you don't have any runoff of that nickel 150 00:05:08,292 --> 00:05:09,708 when you're heating it up. 151 00:05:09,833 --> 00:05:11,042 - I don't think he is. 152 00:05:11,042 --> 00:05:12,417 Now, what can happen if he doesn't 153 00:05:12,500 --> 00:05:13,917 weld all the way around? 154 00:05:14,000 --> 00:05:15,125 - You might get delaminations. 155 00:05:15,125 --> 00:05:17,292 - Yeah, I've seen it kind of pop out 156 00:05:17,292 --> 00:05:19,542 when on Big Blu when someone starts their weld. 157 00:05:19,667 --> 00:05:21,375 - Last time I was at the forge, 158 00:05:21,375 --> 00:05:22,667 I was the young guy going against the old guys, 159 00:05:22,792 --> 00:05:25,000 and now I'm the old guy going against the young guy. 160 00:05:25,000 --> 00:05:27,333 So let's see if I can come out the winner again. 161 00:05:27,375 --> 00:05:31,208 Luckily, I brought my own power hammer. 162 00:05:31,208 --> 00:05:34,250 - For some reason, I feel like I know John intimately. 163 00:05:34,333 --> 00:05:35,375 - [laughs] 164 00:05:35,375 --> 00:05:38,292 - You bardiche will KEAL. 165 00:05:38,292 --> 00:05:39,833 Oh, it will KEAL! 166 00:05:39,958 --> 00:05:41,708 [laughter] 167 00:05:41,708 --> 00:05:44,208 - You know him very intimately. 168 00:05:44,208 --> 00:05:45,917 - 95. 169 00:05:45,917 --> 00:05:47,875 I've never done stacked twist Damascus before. 170 00:05:47,875 --> 00:05:50,042 Making any type of Damascus is difficult. 171 00:05:50,042 --> 00:05:52,208 You're always running the risk of getting delams 172 00:05:52,292 --> 00:05:54,500 or, you know, a piece falling off. 173 00:05:54,500 --> 00:05:57,333 Twisted Damascus, because of how many steps go into it, 174 00:05:57,333 --> 00:05:59,042 and twisting it, then having to re-forge weld it 175 00:05:59,042 --> 00:06:01,542 and bring it all back together, it's just multiplying 176 00:06:01,542 --> 00:06:03,042 your chances for error. 177 00:06:03,125 --> 00:06:05,833 - It is a very large difference 178 00:06:05,875 --> 00:06:07,833 between the amount of steel these guys have. 179 00:06:07,875 --> 00:06:09,500 - Yep. 180 00:06:09,500 --> 00:06:10,833 - Using all the metal I was given 181 00:06:10,875 --> 00:06:12,292 would have made way too big of a billet at once. 182 00:06:12,375 --> 00:06:14,042 So I'm deciding to take it in half 183 00:06:14,042 --> 00:06:15,292 and do two separate billets, and then combine them 184 00:06:15,292 --> 00:06:16,833 later down the road. 185 00:06:16,917 --> 00:06:19,625 - So Eric decided to make two separate stacks. 186 00:06:19,708 --> 00:06:21,792 So he's gonna be working two billets at the same time. 187 00:06:21,875 --> 00:06:23,083 - That's smart because you can draw one out, 188 00:06:23,167 --> 00:06:24,542 draw the other one out. 189 00:06:24,667 --> 00:06:26,958 And you know, it doesn't cost you any more time. 190 00:06:27,042 --> 00:06:28,333 - All right, here we go. 191 00:06:28,333 --> 00:06:30,208 Both our smiths have their billets in the fire. 192 00:06:30,292 --> 00:06:32,750 ♪ 193 00:06:32,833 --> 00:06:35,042 - As my billet's heating, I'm looking for handle material 194 00:06:35,042 --> 00:06:37,083 'cause you only have a certain amount of time 195 00:06:37,167 --> 00:06:39,250 to spend on each object. 196 00:06:39,333 --> 00:06:41,167 - John's already mixing up some glue. 197 00:06:41,250 --> 00:06:43,042 Is he doing his own slab? 198 00:06:43,042 --> 00:06:45,083 - Yeah, he had a couple little slabs of G-10 in his hand. 199 00:06:45,167 --> 00:06:46,708 - That's good. 200 00:06:46,708 --> 00:06:48,458 So he's also working on his handle material. 201 00:06:48,542 --> 00:06:50,583 - I ended up choosing Micarta because the last time 202 00:06:50,583 --> 00:06:53,625 I was on the show, I tried to use some wood. 203 00:06:53,708 --> 00:06:54,458 Oh, no! 204 00:06:54,542 --> 00:06:56,542 It cracked. 205 00:06:56,542 --> 00:06:59,417 And every time I put it in the drill press, it just broke. 206 00:06:59,417 --> 00:07:01,417 Micarta is super strong and durable, 207 00:07:01,542 --> 00:07:03,125 and I don't want to deal with any of those 208 00:07:03,208 --> 00:07:04,208 problems this time. 209 00:07:04,208 --> 00:07:05,875 ♪ 210 00:07:05,958 --> 00:07:08,458 - Eric, with that massive pile of steel he cleaned up, 211 00:07:08,458 --> 00:07:10,542 first out of the fire. 212 00:07:10,667 --> 00:07:12,667 He's using the press like a power hammer. 213 00:07:12,708 --> 00:07:14,250 - Oh, I do it all the time. - [laughs] So awesome. 214 00:07:14,333 --> 00:07:15,833 - Yeah, yeah. 215 00:07:15,875 --> 00:07:17,708 - So I have to forge out a billet of Damascus, 216 00:07:17,708 --> 00:07:20,333 cut in half, then twist each one and then take them 217 00:07:20,375 --> 00:07:21,708 and stack them on top of each other 218 00:07:21,708 --> 00:07:23,250 to forge my blade out of. 219 00:07:23,333 --> 00:07:25,333 I gotta be really careful here because if I screw this up, 220 00:07:25,375 --> 00:07:27,625 I'm gonna have to go get another crate. 221 00:07:27,625 --> 00:07:29,875 - All right, Eric with the second billet, same deal, 222 00:07:29,875 --> 00:07:34,208 real quick, gentle presses, parallel to the dies. 223 00:07:34,333 --> 00:07:35,958 - I'm taking a big risk with doing this. 224 00:07:36,042 --> 00:07:38,708 And if this fails, I have to go get another crate, 225 00:07:38,708 --> 00:07:39,917 and I have no idea what's gonna be in it. 226 00:07:40,042 --> 00:07:41,250 But it's "Forged in Fire." 227 00:07:41,250 --> 00:07:43,458 ♪ 228 00:07:43,542 --> 00:07:44,875 - While my billet's heating, 229 00:07:44,875 --> 00:07:46,250 I'm gonna start designing my blade 230 00:07:46,375 --> 00:07:48,833 and figure out the steps I'm gonna take to finish that. 231 00:07:48,917 --> 00:07:51,875 I end up choosing not to double up my CRV core. 232 00:07:52,000 --> 00:07:54,375 I was worried that the center may be too thick, 233 00:07:54,500 --> 00:07:56,167 and you wouldn't get a good contrast in the nickel 234 00:07:56,208 --> 00:07:57,625 and the other metals. 235 00:07:57,708 --> 00:07:59,000 I'm a little worried because I'm not 236 00:07:59,000 --> 00:08:00,875 gonna have very much material at the end of this. 237 00:08:00,875 --> 00:08:02,583 ♪ 238 00:08:02,667 --> 00:08:04,583 - What the hell is dribbling? 239 00:08:04,583 --> 00:08:06,542 - It's gotta be in the nickel. - I know. 240 00:08:06,542 --> 00:08:08,000 - He's cooked that nickel. 241 00:08:08,000 --> 00:08:10,375 He left it in there so long it just dropped out. 242 00:08:10,500 --> 00:08:12,333 - It seems like that anatmospheric weld 243 00:08:12,333 --> 00:08:15,042 would probably have been a very good idea. 244 00:08:15,125 --> 00:08:16,500 - He's gonna have big voids. 245 00:08:16,625 --> 00:08:18,667 - I don't even think he noticed it. 246 00:08:18,792 --> 00:08:21,667 - Start forging out the billet, and I'm getting 247 00:08:21,708 --> 00:08:25,375 a little worried that I may not have enough material. 248 00:08:25,375 --> 00:08:27,125 If I don't have enough material, 249 00:08:27,208 --> 00:08:29,792 what I'll probably have to do is squeeze down 250 00:08:29,875 --> 00:08:31,917 on the sides of the blade and draw it out. 251 00:08:32,042 --> 00:08:33,500 But I'm worried about doing that also, 252 00:08:33,542 --> 00:08:35,667 because that's what causes delam. 253 00:08:35,708 --> 00:08:39,750 So I'm just going to forge it out as far as I can 254 00:08:39,750 --> 00:08:41,292 and keep a good thickness that 255 00:08:41,292 --> 00:08:43,083 I'm comfortable with to profile later. 256 00:08:43,083 --> 00:08:44,500 ♪ 257 00:08:44,583 --> 00:08:46,125 - All right, champs, you guys are an hour in. 258 00:08:46,208 --> 00:08:48,667 You've got four hours left. 259 00:08:48,750 --> 00:08:50,667 - Now that my final two pieces of twisted Damascus 260 00:08:50,792 --> 00:08:52,333 are drawn together and drawn out, 261 00:08:52,375 --> 00:08:53,792 I have to twist each one. 262 00:08:53,875 --> 00:08:55,250 ♪ 263 00:08:55,375 --> 00:08:57,375 Going into a twist, you risk having 264 00:08:57,375 --> 00:08:59,083 your end layers start pulling apart. 265 00:08:59,083 --> 00:09:01,458 So I'm making sure to clamp down in the vise 266 00:09:01,458 --> 00:09:03,667 my end layers, and I twist it slowly. 267 00:09:03,708 --> 00:09:05,208 - When you're twisting, you want to keep 268 00:09:05,292 --> 00:09:06,958 a nice, even pressure on it 269 00:09:06,958 --> 00:09:10,208 because those shocks often find the weakest link 270 00:09:10,333 --> 00:09:11,917 and then tear it. 271 00:09:12,042 --> 00:09:13,208 - This is definitely tougher than 272 00:09:13,208 --> 00:09:14,875 I thought it was gonna be. 273 00:09:14,875 --> 00:09:16,875 - That's a very thick billet to be twisting. 274 00:09:17,000 --> 00:09:19,500 - Yeah, he's gonna be exhausted here in a second 275 00:09:19,542 --> 00:09:20,917 trying to twist this. 276 00:09:20,917 --> 00:09:24,875 ♪ 277 00:09:24,875 --> 00:09:27,417 - Hey, use the-- use the press to squeeze it, 278 00:09:27,542 --> 00:09:28,500 and then you can spin it. 279 00:09:28,625 --> 00:09:29,708 - We'll give it a try. 280 00:09:29,708 --> 00:09:30,958 You know what? We'll give it a try. 281 00:09:31,042 --> 00:09:32,667 ♪ 282 00:09:32,708 --> 00:09:34,500 The press is so heavy that it allows me 283 00:09:34,583 --> 00:09:36,333 to twist it with no problem. 284 00:09:36,417 --> 00:09:37,667 - John just talked to Eric, 285 00:09:37,750 --> 00:09:39,333 and I think he was telling him, hey, buddy, 286 00:09:39,458 --> 00:09:41,917 we got a press right there, use that. 287 00:09:42,000 --> 00:09:43,667 - So now that I have my two pieces of twisted Damascus, 288 00:09:43,708 --> 00:09:45,458 clean, tack up the ends, 289 00:09:45,458 --> 00:09:46,333 and get it right back in the forge. 290 00:09:46,375 --> 00:09:49,375 ♪ 291 00:09:49,458 --> 00:09:51,167 - John's already profiling a blade. 292 00:09:51,167 --> 00:09:53,500 I can see the tang and the shape of the blade. 293 00:09:53,542 --> 00:09:55,500 - I noticed when I'm forging this billet, 294 00:09:55,542 --> 00:09:57,542 when I'm trying to forge on the corners of it, 295 00:09:57,542 --> 00:09:59,333 it's wanting to split apart a little bit. 296 00:09:59,458 --> 00:10:00,958 - I think he's got a giant delam. 297 00:10:00,958 --> 00:10:02,167 - [bleep]. 298 00:10:02,208 --> 00:10:03,750 So I'm a little worried. 299 00:10:03,833 --> 00:10:05,958 - At this point, if John has to start over, 300 00:10:06,042 --> 00:10:08,833 he better hope that one of those boxes is monosteel. 301 00:10:08,917 --> 00:10:10,208 - There's no time for this. 302 00:10:10,292 --> 00:10:12,500 I have to make this blade work. 303 00:10:12,583 --> 00:10:13,958 Oh, man. 304 00:10:18,208 --> 00:10:19,458 - So we're 90 minutes in. 305 00:10:19,458 --> 00:10:21,167 Right now, John's almost got a billet 306 00:10:21,167 --> 00:10:22,333 that is the length of the blade he needs. 307 00:10:22,375 --> 00:10:23,667 He still needs the tang. 308 00:10:23,667 --> 00:10:25,500 He still needs the tip. 309 00:10:25,500 --> 00:10:27,375 - I think he's got a giant delam. 310 00:10:27,458 --> 00:10:29,292 - Oh, man. 311 00:10:29,375 --> 00:10:30,792 So I'm a little worried. 312 00:10:30,917 --> 00:10:32,625 But my other side of my billet looks good. 313 00:10:32,625 --> 00:10:34,542 I think I'm gonna make that the top of my knife 314 00:10:34,667 --> 00:10:36,875 and get a new edge. 315 00:10:36,875 --> 00:10:38,708 The welds look pretty good, and I think 316 00:10:38,792 --> 00:10:40,750 I'm gonna be okay with that. 317 00:10:40,833 --> 00:10:42,333 - All right, so John's got this delamination, 318 00:10:42,333 --> 00:10:45,042 but it's kind of isolated on one side of the billet. 319 00:10:45,167 --> 00:10:47,875 And it seems like he's come up with a plan to get past that. 320 00:10:47,875 --> 00:10:49,000 He's just flipping it around 321 00:10:49,083 --> 00:10:50,375 and utilizing that as his tang. 322 00:10:50,375 --> 00:10:51,958 - There you go. 323 00:10:52,042 --> 00:10:53,875 - I'm able to move my delam to the tang. 324 00:10:54,000 --> 00:10:58,750 But then I look down the spine and I see a few more delams. 325 00:10:58,875 --> 00:11:01,208 [bleep]. - Oh, no. 326 00:11:01,333 --> 00:11:03,792 He's got a delamination that looks like a crack 327 00:11:03,875 --> 00:11:05,583 all the way down the spine of his blade. 328 00:11:05,667 --> 00:11:07,375 - I do not have time to start this all over. 329 00:11:07,458 --> 00:11:09,750 So I have to work with what I got. 330 00:11:09,750 --> 00:11:13,667 I look at my blade edge, and there is no delams. 331 00:11:13,708 --> 00:11:15,333 I'm just gonna run a bead of weld 332 00:11:15,375 --> 00:11:16,875 all the way down the spine of it 333 00:11:16,958 --> 00:11:18,792 in any spot there's a delam. 334 00:11:18,792 --> 00:11:21,042 And then I know I can grind that off. 335 00:11:21,042 --> 00:11:24,750 - All right, gentlemen, you guys have three hours left. 336 00:11:24,833 --> 00:11:26,958 - Now that my twisted pieces are back up to temperature, 337 00:11:27,042 --> 00:11:28,333 I gotta get them welded up. 338 00:11:28,333 --> 00:11:30,500 If this weld fails, there's a chance 339 00:11:30,583 --> 00:11:32,333 I might have to restart my billet. 340 00:11:32,458 --> 00:11:34,417 - He needs to take his time 341 00:11:34,500 --> 00:11:35,625 and be patient with this forge weld. 342 00:11:35,708 --> 00:11:37,500 - Yep. Nice. 343 00:11:37,625 --> 00:11:38,583 I'm liking what I see. 344 00:11:38,583 --> 00:11:39,833 - Tiny, couple touches. 345 00:11:39,833 --> 00:11:41,333 - Nice. - Done. 346 00:11:41,458 --> 00:11:42,667 - Yep. 347 00:11:42,750 --> 00:11:44,333 - Dude, he is doing it by the book. 348 00:11:44,458 --> 00:11:45,458 - I love it. 349 00:11:45,458 --> 00:11:47,208 I love what I'm seeing. 350 00:11:47,292 --> 00:11:48,875 - I have a solid billet, and now I'm ready 351 00:11:48,875 --> 00:11:50,500 to start drawing this out. 352 00:11:50,583 --> 00:11:52,208 ♪ 353 00:11:52,292 --> 00:11:54,375 - I would like to see these blades quenched. 354 00:11:54,458 --> 00:11:55,458 2 1/2 hours left. 355 00:11:55,542 --> 00:11:56,917 - Yep. 356 00:11:57,042 --> 00:11:58,542 - I get the delams worked out. 357 00:11:58,625 --> 00:12:00,542 I get my profile worked in. 358 00:12:00,625 --> 00:12:04,042 And everything's to parameters, thank God. 359 00:12:04,042 --> 00:12:06,917 I'm just praying this quench goes well. 360 00:12:06,917 --> 00:12:08,417 ♪ 361 00:12:08,417 --> 00:12:09,542 - Whoa. 362 00:12:09,625 --> 00:12:10,625 - All right, he's quenching. 363 00:12:10,708 --> 00:12:11,667 - Oh, a little hot. 364 00:12:11,708 --> 00:12:13,167 - All right. 365 00:12:13,208 --> 00:12:14,542 - It wasn't screaming hot. It was just hot. 366 00:12:14,542 --> 00:12:16,125 - No. - Whoo! 367 00:12:16,208 --> 00:12:17,583 She's hard. 368 00:12:17,583 --> 00:12:18,500 It's skating like Nancy Kerrigan. 369 00:12:18,625 --> 00:12:20,000 [laughs] 370 00:12:20,083 --> 00:12:23,250 Whoo, whoo! Pretty sweet. 371 00:12:23,333 --> 00:12:25,000 - For any blade, going into the quench 372 00:12:25,083 --> 00:12:27,000 is definitely the most make or break moment. 373 00:12:27,125 --> 00:12:30,208 You risk cracking, twisting, warping, 374 00:12:30,208 --> 00:12:32,375 especially after doing a multi-stack twist 375 00:12:32,375 --> 00:12:34,292 Damascus billet. 376 00:12:34,375 --> 00:12:36,542 - All right, now Eric is in the oil. 377 00:12:36,542 --> 00:12:38,208 This is absolutely insane. 378 00:12:38,208 --> 00:12:42,292 After all that effort, Eric is now caught up with John. 379 00:12:42,292 --> 00:12:43,250 - It's straight. 380 00:12:43,250 --> 00:12:44,208 I don't see any cracks. 381 00:12:44,208 --> 00:12:45,792 I see no warping. 382 00:12:45,875 --> 00:12:46,708 And man, it feels good because I think 383 00:12:46,833 --> 00:12:47,750 I'm gonna get this blade done. 384 00:12:47,833 --> 00:12:49,208 [sighing] Oh. 385 00:12:49,333 --> 00:12:50,333 - All right, guys, you got 90 minutes left 386 00:12:50,417 --> 00:12:52,208 to finish your work. 387 00:12:52,208 --> 00:12:53,792 - I'm feeling really good right now. 388 00:12:53,875 --> 00:12:54,917 I'm grinding the profile, 389 00:12:54,917 --> 00:12:57,000 and everything looks pretty tight. 390 00:12:57,083 --> 00:12:59,875 So now I'm gonna work on making the handle feel good. 391 00:12:59,875 --> 00:13:01,708 Because I've seen people go home just because 392 00:13:01,708 --> 00:13:03,625 of the handle, if it's got hot spots in it, 393 00:13:03,625 --> 00:13:05,292 if it slides up and down their hand. 394 00:13:05,375 --> 00:13:07,792 So I'm gonna try to make it kind of tight in my hands 395 00:13:07,792 --> 00:13:10,375 so I know it's good for everybody. 396 00:13:10,458 --> 00:13:11,500 Eric's got his blade. 397 00:13:11,583 --> 00:13:13,125 It looks great. 398 00:13:13,208 --> 00:13:15,250 So I'm a little worried about that at the moment. 399 00:13:15,250 --> 00:13:17,250 ♪ 400 00:13:17,250 --> 00:13:19,000 - Now that my blade is quenched, 401 00:13:19,083 --> 00:13:20,583 it feels a little heavier than what I'd like. 402 00:13:20,708 --> 00:13:22,042 So I'm gonna add a big fuller on the front half, 403 00:13:22,167 --> 00:13:23,375 removing some of that weight to help 404 00:13:23,500 --> 00:13:25,042 bring it back a little bit. 405 00:13:25,125 --> 00:13:27,042 For one, it's gonna lighten up the blade. 406 00:13:27,167 --> 00:13:29,208 But it's also gonna hopefully give me an advantage 407 00:13:29,333 --> 00:13:31,250 in the card slice. 408 00:13:31,250 --> 00:13:32,750 Because instead of the cards having to go the whole way up 409 00:13:32,833 --> 00:13:34,292 to a thick edge, they only go up halfway, 410 00:13:34,375 --> 00:13:35,708 enter into the fuller, and hopefully make it 411 00:13:35,792 --> 00:13:37,875 a lot better of a slicer. 412 00:13:37,875 --> 00:13:41,125 - You know, Eric's blade is looking beautiful. 413 00:13:41,125 --> 00:13:42,833 - It really is. - It's got a nice fuller to it. 414 00:13:42,833 --> 00:13:44,208 - He's just kind of got it running almost down 415 00:13:44,208 --> 00:13:45,958 the middle, which is neat because 416 00:13:46,042 --> 00:13:48,833 it should expose more of the pattern. 417 00:13:48,875 --> 00:13:52,167 - John, Eric, guys, 30 minutes left. 418 00:13:52,292 --> 00:13:55,083 - With not much time left, I need to grind down now 419 00:13:55,083 --> 00:13:56,542 so you're able to see the nickel 420 00:13:56,542 --> 00:13:58,167 and the different kinds of metal. 421 00:13:58,292 --> 00:14:01,292 - Looking at John's blade, you can see the nickel 422 00:14:01,375 --> 00:14:02,875 very close to the edge. 423 00:14:03,000 --> 00:14:04,542 Is there a way to bring that up in the grind? 424 00:14:04,625 --> 00:14:06,708 - Yeah, you just need a very, very acute grind, 425 00:14:06,792 --> 00:14:08,208 and it'll come up. 426 00:14:08,292 --> 00:14:10,458 - Yeah, which has its own problems 427 00:14:10,458 --> 00:14:12,667 in the test that we're doing. 428 00:14:12,750 --> 00:14:15,083 As I'm grinding, I see there's another delam. 429 00:14:15,083 --> 00:14:16,667 [bleep]. 430 00:14:16,708 --> 00:14:17,708 It's away from the edge. 431 00:14:17,792 --> 00:14:19,250 I know it's the nickel. 432 00:14:19,375 --> 00:14:20,833 It's too late in the competition 433 00:14:20,833 --> 00:14:23,875 to try to do anything to the delam. 434 00:14:23,958 --> 00:14:25,750 If I do that, I'm gonna ruin my heat treat, 435 00:14:25,750 --> 00:14:27,125 my temper, and all that. 436 00:14:27,208 --> 00:14:28,500 So there's really no reason to risk 437 00:14:28,583 --> 00:14:29,917 messing up my blade edge, 438 00:14:29,917 --> 00:14:31,417 'cause that's what's most important. 439 00:14:31,500 --> 00:14:33,750 So I'm gonna try to hide it. 440 00:14:33,833 --> 00:14:35,708 - John put nail polish on his blade. 441 00:14:35,792 --> 00:14:38,375 He followed the nickel with nail polish 442 00:14:38,375 --> 00:14:41,167 and made, like, a secondary shiny bit. 443 00:14:41,250 --> 00:14:42,167 - Camouflage. 444 00:14:42,250 --> 00:14:44,375 ♪ 445 00:14:44,458 --> 00:14:45,833 - So I want my handle on my blade to be 446 00:14:45,833 --> 00:14:48,042 pretty thick and comfortable. 447 00:14:48,042 --> 00:14:49,125 These judges are upping the game 448 00:14:49,125 --> 00:14:50,833 for this champions competition. 449 00:14:50,917 --> 00:14:52,542 I know they're expecting a lot out of us. 450 00:14:52,625 --> 00:14:54,708 I think the judges are gonna be really impressed with 451 00:14:54,833 --> 00:14:56,500 what I got done. 452 00:14:56,625 --> 00:14:58,542 - That's a sweet-looking blade. 453 00:14:58,625 --> 00:15:01,167 - I'm really relieved to see a really cool-looking pattern 454 00:15:01,208 --> 00:15:03,000 and no signs of any delams or cracking 455 00:15:03,125 --> 00:15:04,750 or any welds in my blade. 456 00:15:04,750 --> 00:15:05,792 All that's left to do is sharpen. 457 00:15:05,875 --> 00:15:08,958 ♪ 458 00:15:09,042 --> 00:15:13,708 - 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. 459 00:15:13,792 --> 00:15:15,333 Bladesmiths, put down your tools. 460 00:15:15,417 --> 00:15:17,167 This round is over. 461 00:15:17,292 --> 00:15:19,542 - It was a stressful five hours, 462 00:15:19,542 --> 00:15:20,958 but I got everything done. 463 00:15:21,042 --> 00:15:22,417 I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. 464 00:15:22,500 --> 00:15:25,417 [dramatic music] 465 00:15:25,417 --> 00:15:26,583 - All right, gentlemen, 466 00:15:26,667 --> 00:15:27,708 it's time for our strength test, 467 00:15:27,708 --> 00:15:29,958 the copper pipe chop. 468 00:15:30,042 --> 00:15:31,792 John, your nickel Go Mai is up first. 469 00:15:31,875 --> 00:15:33,333 You ready for this? - Do what you gotta do. 470 00:15:33,417 --> 00:15:34,292 No turning back now. 471 00:15:34,375 --> 00:15:35,292 - All right. 472 00:15:35,375 --> 00:15:36,917 ♪ 473 00:15:36,917 --> 00:15:38,958 - I know going into this pipe chop, 474 00:15:39,042 --> 00:15:41,250 I can't really afford to take any damage 475 00:15:41,333 --> 00:15:44,042 because I don't know if Eric's gonna be taking any damage. 476 00:15:44,042 --> 00:15:46,167 And I think that could be the decision of who wins. 477 00:15:46,208 --> 00:15:50,792 ♪ 478 00:15:50,792 --> 00:15:51,917 - [grunts] 479 00:15:52,042 --> 00:15:53,167 [rock music] 480 00:15:53,292 --> 00:15:56,833 [grunting] 481 00:15:56,875 --> 00:16:04,042 ♪ 482 00:16:09,542 --> 00:16:10,917 - That'll be enough of that. 483 00:16:11,000 --> 00:16:12,208 - Yeah, that was brutal. 484 00:16:14,542 --> 00:16:15,958 [dramatic music] 485 00:16:15,958 --> 00:16:17,333 - All right, John, in your billet, 486 00:16:17,417 --> 00:16:19,042 there are some delaminations. 487 00:16:19,042 --> 00:16:20,667 I think you dealt with them really well. 488 00:16:20,667 --> 00:16:23,083 For competition, you got that sealed up in the back. 489 00:16:23,167 --> 00:16:25,083 Didn't open up, didn't change at all, 490 00:16:25,167 --> 00:16:26,917 so good for you on that. 491 00:16:26,917 --> 00:16:29,083 Handle for me is just a hair small. 492 00:16:29,083 --> 00:16:31,083 It would have been nice to have a little more handle 493 00:16:31,208 --> 00:16:33,750 with this much blade doing impact testing like this. 494 00:16:33,750 --> 00:16:36,417 But the main thing, your edge-- 495 00:16:36,542 --> 00:16:39,500 that thing is just as sharp as when I started. 496 00:16:39,625 --> 00:16:40,542 Nicely done. 497 00:16:40,667 --> 00:16:42,208 - Thank you, sir. 498 00:16:42,292 --> 00:16:43,750 - All right, Eric, you ready to go? 499 00:16:43,750 --> 00:16:45,500 - Let's do it. - Okay. 500 00:16:45,542 --> 00:16:47,333 ♪ 501 00:16:47,333 --> 00:16:49,208 - It's very intimidating looking at these pipes, man. 502 00:16:49,208 --> 00:16:51,458 Copper is softer than steel, but it's still a metal. 503 00:16:51,542 --> 00:16:53,125 It's not something a blade should naturally 504 00:16:53,125 --> 00:16:54,167 get put up against. 505 00:16:54,250 --> 00:16:55,917 ♪ 506 00:16:56,000 --> 00:16:57,625 I'm just hoping that it survives it. 507 00:16:57,708 --> 00:17:00,083 ♪ 508 00:17:04,375 --> 00:17:05,958 - Copper is not something a blade should 509 00:17:06,042 --> 00:17:07,792 naturally get put up against. 510 00:17:07,875 --> 00:17:09,250 I'm just hoping that it survives it. 511 00:17:09,250 --> 00:17:14,583 ♪ 512 00:17:14,667 --> 00:17:17,500 [rock music] 513 00:17:17,542 --> 00:17:21,083 ♪ 514 00:17:21,167 --> 00:17:23,500 - [grunting] 515 00:17:23,542 --> 00:17:30,417 ♪ 516 00:17:33,583 --> 00:17:34,875 [grunts] 517 00:17:34,958 --> 00:17:36,417 - Oy. 518 00:17:36,500 --> 00:17:38,542 - [laughs] 519 00:17:38,625 --> 00:17:40,333 - [sighs] 520 00:17:40,333 --> 00:17:43,333 - All right, Eric, right off, that is a beautiful knife. 521 00:17:43,375 --> 00:17:45,042 It's honestly one of the best-looking 522 00:17:45,125 --> 00:17:47,250 five-hour knives I have ever seen, 523 00:17:47,375 --> 00:17:48,958 so good on you for that. 524 00:17:49,042 --> 00:17:51,208 Your handle construction, that bird's head 525 00:17:51,292 --> 00:17:53,583 back here gives it a lot of retention. 526 00:17:53,583 --> 00:17:55,167 As far as the edge of your blade goes, 527 00:17:55,250 --> 00:17:56,667 sharp as it can be. 528 00:17:56,667 --> 00:17:58,000 A beautiful knife, it's got a great shape 529 00:17:58,042 --> 00:17:59,042 and a wonderful feel. 530 00:17:59,042 --> 00:18:00,583 Well done. - Thank you. 531 00:18:00,667 --> 00:18:04,292 [dramatic music] 532 00:18:04,375 --> 00:18:06,667 - All right, champions, this is the sharpness test, 533 00:18:06,708 --> 00:18:09,333 the playing card slice. 534 00:18:09,417 --> 00:18:11,000 John, you're up first. You ready for this? 535 00:18:11,083 --> 00:18:13,292 - Do what you do. - All right, let's do this. 536 00:18:13,375 --> 00:18:20,208 ♪ 537 00:18:33,250 --> 00:18:35,083 All right, John, let's talk about your blade. 538 00:18:35,167 --> 00:18:36,833 As I was cutting, I could definitely feel 539 00:18:36,917 --> 00:18:39,375 that it's a very sharp blade, except some of the edges 540 00:18:39,375 --> 00:18:41,375 over here weren't as sharp as the others, 541 00:18:41,458 --> 00:18:43,208 because you could see, it just tore the cards 542 00:18:43,292 --> 00:18:45,333 instead of cutting cleanly. 543 00:18:45,417 --> 00:18:47,375 Around here, there's a little indentation in that. 544 00:18:47,375 --> 00:18:49,375 It might have been the reason why 545 00:18:49,375 --> 00:18:51,333 it didn't cut through some of the cards. 546 00:18:51,375 --> 00:18:53,125 But overall, it will cut. 547 00:18:53,125 --> 00:18:54,667 - Thank you. 548 00:18:54,792 --> 00:18:55,917 - All right, Eric, your turn, so are you ready? 549 00:18:55,917 --> 00:18:56,833 - Do what you gotta do. 550 00:18:56,917 --> 00:18:58,333 - Let's do this. 551 00:18:58,375 --> 00:19:05,083 ♪ 552 00:19:14,708 --> 00:19:16,167 - Holy smokes. 553 00:19:16,250 --> 00:19:17,667 - Oh, my God. 554 00:19:21,375 --> 00:19:23,458 - All right, Eric, let's talk about 555 00:19:23,458 --> 00:19:25,417 your store-bought knife right here. 556 00:19:25,500 --> 00:19:26,833 - [laughs] 557 00:19:26,917 --> 00:19:29,042 - It is just exquisitely made. 558 00:19:29,042 --> 00:19:30,750 Good job on that. 559 00:19:30,750 --> 00:19:33,208 Now, your edge, I guess you were all in, 560 00:19:33,333 --> 00:19:35,250 'cause as you can see, it cut all the way through. 561 00:19:35,333 --> 00:19:37,958 Overall, your knife, it will cut. 562 00:19:38,042 --> 00:19:40,667 - Thank you. 563 00:19:40,792 --> 00:19:43,458 ♪ 564 00:19:43,542 --> 00:19:44,875 - Gentlemen, before we get to the hard part, 565 00:19:44,958 --> 00:19:46,375 I gotta commend both of you. 566 00:19:46,375 --> 00:19:48,125 That was an extremely difficult challenge, 567 00:19:48,125 --> 00:19:49,500 and you both brought us great blades. 568 00:19:49,583 --> 00:19:50,958 But as you know, in this competition, 569 00:19:50,958 --> 00:19:52,833 only one of you can join us in the second round 570 00:19:52,875 --> 00:19:54,167 to go against our Titan. 571 00:19:54,250 --> 00:19:55,833 The bladesmith leaving The Forge is... 572 00:19:55,833 --> 00:20:00,375 ♪ 573 00:20:00,458 --> 00:20:01,500 John. 574 00:20:01,500 --> 00:20:02,750 Sorry, man, but you missed out 575 00:20:02,750 --> 00:20:03,792 by just this much. 576 00:20:03,875 --> 00:20:05,083 And Dave's gonna tell you why. 577 00:20:05,167 --> 00:20:06,708 - Hey, John, you fought a great fight. 578 00:20:06,708 --> 00:20:09,875 But what this came down to is your edge geometry. 579 00:20:09,958 --> 00:20:11,167 It was great for a strength test, 580 00:20:11,167 --> 00:20:12,792 but not quite as good for that card cut. 581 00:20:12,917 --> 00:20:14,833 Well, those are the reasons we're letting you go. 582 00:20:14,833 --> 00:20:16,375 - So are you telling me 583 00:20:16,375 --> 00:20:18,167 that I did this for nothing? 584 00:20:18,167 --> 00:20:20,792 [laughter] 585 00:20:20,875 --> 00:20:22,833 - That's the sweetest thing anybody's ever done for me. 586 00:20:22,958 --> 00:20:24,958 [laughter] 587 00:20:25,042 --> 00:20:26,667 Well, John, before you step off The Forge floor, 588 00:20:26,667 --> 00:20:28,042 I would love a hug. 589 00:20:28,042 --> 00:20:30,000 [laughter] 590 00:20:30,083 --> 00:20:31,875 - Love you, man. 591 00:20:32,000 --> 00:20:32,833 - Great job. - Good job, John. 592 00:20:32,833 --> 00:20:34,208 - Thank you. 593 00:20:34,292 --> 00:20:35,708 I knew it could come down to the fit and finish, 594 00:20:35,792 --> 00:20:37,167 and it did. 595 00:20:37,167 --> 00:20:38,000 I still feel comfortable with the knife 596 00:20:38,083 --> 00:20:40,875 I made in the time given. 597 00:20:40,875 --> 00:20:42,500 Since Eric's beat me now, 598 00:20:42,583 --> 00:20:44,375 I'm absolutely rooting for him 599 00:20:44,375 --> 00:20:45,708 in this next round. 600 00:20:45,708 --> 00:20:47,708 ♪ 601 00:20:47,708 --> 00:20:49,333 - Well, Eric, congratulations, man, 602 00:20:49,458 --> 00:20:51,250 and welcome to the final round 603 00:20:51,333 --> 00:20:53,208 of this Beat the Unbeaten competition. 604 00:20:53,208 --> 00:20:55,375 Now, it's about to get a whole lot harder. 605 00:20:55,375 --> 00:20:57,708 Because in order to take home your second champion title 606 00:20:57,792 --> 00:20:59,667 and a check for $10,000, 607 00:20:59,750 --> 00:21:01,750 you're going to have to go up against a Titan, 608 00:21:01,750 --> 00:21:04,208 somebody with one of the highest winning records 609 00:21:04,292 --> 00:21:06,375 we've ever seen in this competition. 610 00:21:06,458 --> 00:21:08,875 It'll either be Gladiator of The Forge Jesse Hu, 611 00:21:08,875 --> 00:21:10,583 Super Champ Collin Sage, 612 00:21:10,583 --> 00:21:13,375 or our very own judge, Ben Abbott. 613 00:21:13,458 --> 00:21:15,208 You ready to find out who you're going against? 614 00:21:15,292 --> 00:21:16,917 - Bring it on. - All right, Eric. 615 00:21:16,917 --> 00:21:19,083 You are gonna have to fight against this guy. 616 00:21:19,083 --> 00:21:22,000 [dramatic music] 617 00:21:22,083 --> 00:21:27,083 ♪ 618 00:21:27,167 --> 00:21:29,667 Gladiator of The Forge Jesse Hu. 619 00:21:29,667 --> 00:21:31,375 - [laughs] 620 00:21:31,500 --> 00:21:34,208 - Jesse, welcome back. 621 00:21:34,208 --> 00:21:35,833 - My name is Jesse Hu. 622 00:21:35,875 --> 00:21:37,250 I had to run the gauntlet 623 00:21:37,250 --> 00:21:38,667 in the Gladiators of The Forge competition, 624 00:21:38,833 --> 00:21:40,750 where I had to face eight smiths. 625 00:21:40,875 --> 00:21:43,292 ♪ 626 00:21:43,292 --> 00:21:45,708 - Jesse, you are unstoppable. 627 00:21:45,833 --> 00:21:47,167 - Honestly, to this day, I still don't know 628 00:21:47,208 --> 00:21:49,000 how I managed to get through all eight. 629 00:21:49,125 --> 00:21:51,125 And so I'm back in The Forge 630 00:21:51,208 --> 00:21:54,042 because if I have the title of unbeaten, 631 00:21:54,042 --> 00:21:56,208 and it's never tested, 632 00:21:56,292 --> 00:21:57,917 that title is meaningless. 633 00:21:57,917 --> 00:22:00,125 ♪ 634 00:22:00,125 --> 00:22:03,500 - So gentlemen, here's how this second round is gonna go. 635 00:22:03,625 --> 00:22:06,958 In just a moment, Eric, you've got two choices to make. 636 00:22:06,958 --> 00:22:09,500 I'm gonna open up the "Forged in Fire" vault, 637 00:22:09,583 --> 00:22:11,417 give you access to all the weapons 638 00:22:11,417 --> 00:22:13,167 that were built by previous champions, 639 00:22:13,167 --> 00:22:16,292 and select one that you want to build against Jesse. 640 00:22:16,292 --> 00:22:19,958 And not only that, you get to choose the technique as well. 641 00:22:20,042 --> 00:22:21,417 ♪ 642 00:22:21,500 --> 00:22:23,417 So without further ado, Eric, 643 00:22:23,500 --> 00:22:24,542 are you ready to pick your weapon? 644 00:22:24,625 --> 00:22:25,833 - Let's do it. - All right. 645 00:22:25,917 --> 00:22:27,667 Let's get this vault open. 646 00:22:27,750 --> 00:22:34,583 ♪ 647 00:22:45,000 --> 00:22:47,958 Eric, come choose your weapon. 648 00:22:48,042 --> 00:22:49,083 - You know, I want to choose something that's gonna 649 00:22:49,167 --> 00:22:50,167 be a challenge for both of us. 650 00:22:50,292 --> 00:22:51,750 But I don't want it to be something 651 00:22:51,750 --> 00:22:53,375 that I'm gonna end up biting off more than I can chew 652 00:22:53,458 --> 00:22:54,875 and screw myself over in the end. 653 00:22:54,875 --> 00:22:56,542 So I think I'm gonna look for something that is 654 00:22:56,542 --> 00:22:57,833 more of a one-edge knife. 655 00:22:57,875 --> 00:22:58,875 - Ooh. 656 00:22:59,042 --> 00:23:00,000 What do we have here? 657 00:23:00,125 --> 00:23:01,667 ♪ 658 00:23:01,708 --> 00:23:05,000 All right, Eric, you chose the Kachin dao. 659 00:23:05,042 --> 00:23:09,208 ♪ 660 00:23:09,292 --> 00:23:10,833 The Kachin dao was the weapon of choice 661 00:23:10,875 --> 00:23:12,500 for one of the most feared headhunting tribes 662 00:23:12,667 --> 00:23:15,000 in the world, the Kachin of Myanmar. 663 00:23:15,000 --> 00:23:16,500 Known for their deadly fighting skills, 664 00:23:16,583 --> 00:23:17,625 these fearsome warriors wielded 665 00:23:17,708 --> 00:23:19,208 this single-edged broadsword 666 00:23:19,292 --> 00:23:20,875 with a widened square tip to chop, 667 00:23:20,875 --> 00:23:23,208 slice, and decapitate anyone unlucky enough 668 00:23:23,292 --> 00:23:24,750 to cross their path. 669 00:23:24,750 --> 00:23:26,375 This deadly weapon has also taken down 670 00:23:26,458 --> 00:23:28,000 smiths in the "Forged in Fire" arena, 671 00:23:28,042 --> 00:23:30,417 where, back in season 4, one smith's loose handle 672 00:23:30,500 --> 00:23:32,875 put that smith on the chopping block. 673 00:23:32,958 --> 00:23:35,625 Gentlemen, in order to have your weapons tested, 674 00:23:35,625 --> 00:23:37,833 you will have to follow some very specific parameters. 675 00:23:37,875 --> 00:23:39,375 So listen closely. 676 00:23:39,375 --> 00:23:40,833 Your single-edged straight blade will 677 00:23:40,958 --> 00:23:43,958 have to measure between 20 and 22 inches. 678 00:23:43,958 --> 00:23:46,167 Now, that blade will have to have a spatulated tip. 679 00:23:46,250 --> 00:23:47,625 Moving down into the hilt, 680 00:23:47,625 --> 00:23:49,167 it needs to have a swelled pommel. 681 00:23:49,208 --> 00:23:50,917 ♪ 682 00:23:50,917 --> 00:23:53,500 - I've never seen the Kachin dao in my life. 683 00:23:53,542 --> 00:23:54,708 I didn't know it existed. 684 00:23:54,708 --> 00:23:56,375 It looks like a mix between 685 00:23:56,458 --> 00:23:58,292 a pirate's cutlass and a competition chopper. 686 00:23:58,375 --> 00:24:00,292 But I could be severely underestimating 687 00:24:00,292 --> 00:24:01,292 what I have to make. 688 00:24:01,375 --> 00:24:02,750 ♪ 689 00:24:02,833 --> 00:24:04,042 - Now, there is another decision to make. 690 00:24:04,125 --> 00:24:07,375 Eric, because you came out on top of round one, 691 00:24:07,375 --> 00:24:09,000 you get to choose whatever technique you want. 692 00:24:09,042 --> 00:24:10,833 So what are you thinking? 693 00:24:10,917 --> 00:24:12,500 - He can obviously pick something 694 00:24:12,500 --> 00:24:13,708 that could be detrimental to me. 695 00:24:13,708 --> 00:24:14,917 I have no say in anything. 696 00:24:15,000 --> 00:24:16,458 And he knows my work. 697 00:24:16,542 --> 00:24:18,292 And that is the terrifying part. 698 00:24:18,375 --> 00:24:20,333 - How about we go with some... 699 00:24:20,375 --> 00:24:22,167 ♪ 700 00:24:26,458 --> 00:24:27,875 - Eric, because you came out on top of round one, 701 00:24:27,958 --> 00:24:29,500 you get to choose whatever technique you want. 702 00:24:29,583 --> 00:24:30,833 So what are you thinking? 703 00:24:30,833 --> 00:24:32,167 ♪ 704 00:24:32,250 --> 00:24:33,833 - How about we go with some... 705 00:24:33,875 --> 00:24:36,000 ♪ 706 00:24:36,083 --> 00:24:37,833 Damascus San Mai. 707 00:24:37,917 --> 00:24:40,167 - Damascus San Mai, that's a great choice. 708 00:24:40,250 --> 00:24:42,167 Jesse, how do you feel about that? 709 00:24:42,250 --> 00:24:44,167 - [laughs] - Little iffy? 710 00:24:44,208 --> 00:24:46,333 It sounds like you made an excellent choice, Eric. 711 00:24:46,375 --> 00:24:47,750 - [laughs] - All right, gentlemen, 712 00:24:47,875 --> 00:24:50,083 this challenge will only consist of eight hours. 713 00:24:50,083 --> 00:24:51,917 So without further ado, gentlemen, good luck, 714 00:24:51,917 --> 00:24:53,875 because your eight hours starts now. 715 00:24:53,875 --> 00:24:56,167 ♪ 716 00:24:56,208 --> 00:24:57,292 - Whoo! - All right, here we go. 717 00:24:57,375 --> 00:24:59,458 We've got Damascus San Mai 718 00:24:59,542 --> 00:25:01,458 with a fairly straightforward weapon. 719 00:25:01,542 --> 00:25:02,750 It looks like a machete. 720 00:25:02,875 --> 00:25:04,333 - That's basically what these are. 721 00:25:04,375 --> 00:25:07,333 So it needs to be a light, fast weapon. 722 00:25:07,417 --> 00:25:09,500 - I've known Jesse for a few years now. 723 00:25:09,583 --> 00:25:11,333 I've seen his work. I know what he can do. 724 00:25:11,458 --> 00:25:12,750 It's extremely impressive. 725 00:25:12,833 --> 00:25:14,542 I know he's gonna do the best he can. 726 00:25:14,625 --> 00:25:16,208 But I gotta stay focused on what I'm working on. 727 00:25:16,292 --> 00:25:19,083 ♪ 728 00:25:19,167 --> 00:25:20,458 Similar to the last challenge, 729 00:25:20,542 --> 00:25:22,750 I decided to go with two stacks. 730 00:25:22,833 --> 00:25:25,500 Doing two stacks allows me to work on two different billets 731 00:25:25,542 --> 00:25:27,625 at the same time, so I'm not wasting time 732 00:25:27,708 --> 00:25:29,333 waiting for the one to heat up. 733 00:25:29,375 --> 00:25:31,917 I'll take those two stacks, forge weld them together. 734 00:25:32,000 --> 00:25:33,667 I'm gonna turn that into my core, 735 00:25:33,667 --> 00:25:35,458 jacket 80CrV2 around it, 736 00:25:35,458 --> 00:25:36,958 and I'll forge my blade from that. 737 00:25:36,958 --> 00:25:38,542 - You know, this is gonna be exciting, 738 00:25:38,625 --> 00:25:43,500 only because we just saw Eric submit a beautiful blade, 739 00:25:43,583 --> 00:25:45,833 one that is worthy of going up against Jesse, 740 00:25:45,958 --> 00:25:47,375 who's won eight times already. - Yep. 741 00:25:47,458 --> 00:25:51,375 ♪ 742 00:25:51,500 --> 00:25:53,375 - Winning "Forged in Fire," 743 00:25:53,375 --> 00:25:55,708 it changed my life a pretty drastic amount. 744 00:25:55,708 --> 00:25:57,167 People on the internet are like, 745 00:25:57,250 --> 00:25:59,250 how'd you get such a nice job at such a young age? 746 00:25:59,250 --> 00:26:00,417 Is it Daddy's money? 747 00:26:00,417 --> 00:26:01,542 I'm just like, no, I just-- 748 00:26:01,542 --> 00:26:03,417 I won "Forged in Fire." 749 00:26:03,417 --> 00:26:06,042 Winning again would confirm 750 00:26:06,125 --> 00:26:08,250 that those eight wins weren't a fluke. 751 00:26:08,250 --> 00:26:10,083 - So Jesse's got 24 layers 752 00:26:10,167 --> 00:26:12,417 of 1095 and 15N20 back at the welder. 753 00:26:12,500 --> 00:26:13,333 - Good. - Awesome. 754 00:26:13,417 --> 00:26:14,917 - I'm excited. 755 00:26:14,917 --> 00:26:18,125 Jesse has shown us some very intricate designs 756 00:26:18,208 --> 00:26:19,875 in some of the past Gladiator competitions. 757 00:26:19,875 --> 00:26:21,667 - My blade looks menacing. 758 00:26:21,750 --> 00:26:23,917 It looks terrifyingly sharp. 759 00:26:23,917 --> 00:26:25,542 The grind lines are pretty much perfect. 760 00:26:25,667 --> 00:26:26,792 - The look of this is sweet. 761 00:26:26,875 --> 00:26:28,208 The scale is right on. 762 00:26:28,292 --> 00:26:29,833 Nicely done. 763 00:26:29,917 --> 00:26:31,542 - This weapon looks fairly unassuming, 764 00:26:31,542 --> 00:26:34,667 so I have to find a way to make mine pop. 765 00:26:34,667 --> 00:26:37,958 So I'm gonna do a twist Damascus San Mai. 766 00:26:38,042 --> 00:26:40,875 I went for one singular bar, which I could twist in one go, 767 00:26:40,958 --> 00:26:44,792 cut it in half, and then just slap it onto an 80CrV2 core. 768 00:26:44,875 --> 00:26:48,917 ♪ 769 00:26:48,917 --> 00:26:50,083 Whoo-hoo. 770 00:26:50,083 --> 00:26:51,875 ♪ 771 00:26:51,875 --> 00:26:54,167 - Eric's on the press with his first billet. 772 00:26:54,250 --> 00:26:55,667 So fast. 773 00:26:55,667 --> 00:26:58,167 That was three seconds on the press. 774 00:26:58,250 --> 00:26:59,542 - On my first heat, I want to make sure 775 00:26:59,625 --> 00:27:01,542 I do nice, gentle taps, just making sure 776 00:27:01,542 --> 00:27:03,542 to set those welds and not overdoing it 777 00:27:03,542 --> 00:27:04,750 where it's gonna pull the billet apart. 778 00:27:04,750 --> 00:27:06,167 - Is there some kind of logic 779 00:27:06,250 --> 00:27:09,083 behind Eric doing such quick passes through the press? 780 00:27:09,167 --> 00:27:10,875 - It does two things. First, you're not cooling 781 00:27:10,958 --> 00:27:13,083 your billet as much for each push. 782 00:27:13,083 --> 00:27:15,833 And second, you're not squeezing as much in each push 783 00:27:15,875 --> 00:27:18,500 and risking delamination. 784 00:27:18,583 --> 00:27:20,083 - Gotta get those welds set. 785 00:27:20,167 --> 00:27:21,833 It's now time to start drawing these billets out. 786 00:27:21,875 --> 00:27:24,292 ♪ 787 00:27:24,375 --> 00:27:25,500 - Jesse right behind him 788 00:27:25,667 --> 00:27:27,958 with a much larger piece of Damascus, 789 00:27:28,042 --> 00:27:30,000 setting his weld for the first time. 790 00:27:30,000 --> 00:27:32,750 - I make sure my temperatures are screaming hot. 791 00:27:32,833 --> 00:27:35,833 And I do fairly light presses. 792 00:27:35,833 --> 00:27:37,750 And I think it set together pretty well. 793 00:27:37,750 --> 00:27:39,208 So I start drawing it out. 794 00:27:39,292 --> 00:27:40,792 ♪ 795 00:27:40,792 --> 00:27:42,500 - Now, we've seen Jesse compete before. 796 00:27:42,583 --> 00:27:44,792 He's quick. But he hasn't seen Eric, 797 00:27:44,875 --> 00:27:47,500 and Eric's moves at just as fast a pace. 798 00:27:47,500 --> 00:27:48,667 - Perfect. 799 00:27:48,750 --> 00:27:50,500 - Champs, one hour has elapsed. 800 00:27:50,542 --> 00:27:53,250 You've got seven hours remaining. 801 00:27:53,250 --> 00:27:55,250 - So now that my 12-layer billets are drawn out, 802 00:27:55,250 --> 00:27:56,583 I'm gonna take them over to the chop saw, 803 00:27:56,667 --> 00:27:59,208 cut them in half, 804 00:27:59,208 --> 00:28:00,958 giving me four pieces of 12 layers 805 00:28:00,958 --> 00:28:02,958 that I'm gonna clean up, restack, 806 00:28:03,042 --> 00:28:05,292 and forge weld into a 48-layer billet. 807 00:28:05,375 --> 00:28:07,208 This is gonna become my core piece of steel 808 00:28:07,208 --> 00:28:09,000 for my Damascus San Mai. 809 00:28:09,083 --> 00:28:11,375 ♪ 810 00:28:11,500 --> 00:28:13,583 - Eric is taking that second billet onto the press now. 811 00:28:13,667 --> 00:28:14,833 It's forge welded together. 812 00:28:14,958 --> 00:28:18,167 Again, going with those really small, easy taps. 813 00:28:18,292 --> 00:28:19,708 - Everything looks good so I think 814 00:28:19,708 --> 00:28:20,875 I'm gonna get this blade done. 815 00:28:20,958 --> 00:28:24,000 ♪ 816 00:28:24,042 --> 00:28:26,750 - I get my billet drawn out to around an inch by an inch. 817 00:28:26,750 --> 00:28:29,583 And then I immediately go straight to my twist. 818 00:28:29,583 --> 00:28:31,750 One of the reasons I chose twist Damascus 819 00:28:31,750 --> 00:28:32,875 was because I did it in the past, 820 00:28:32,958 --> 00:28:34,333 but I did it very poorly. 821 00:28:34,375 --> 00:28:36,333 ♪ 822 00:28:36,458 --> 00:28:37,458 Oh, wow. 823 00:28:37,542 --> 00:28:39,208 Okay. 824 00:28:39,292 --> 00:28:41,375 I want to prove to myself and the world 825 00:28:41,375 --> 00:28:42,375 that I can do it better. 826 00:28:42,500 --> 00:28:43,375 And it'll look cool. 827 00:28:43,375 --> 00:28:45,000 [grunts] 828 00:28:45,042 --> 00:28:47,083 - Jesse's decided to go with twisted Damascus. 829 00:28:47,083 --> 00:28:49,833 He took that billet and did about ten full rotations. 830 00:28:49,917 --> 00:28:51,208 - Jesse is going above and beyond. 831 00:28:51,333 --> 00:28:52,542 - Perfect. 832 00:28:52,542 --> 00:28:53,667 It's golden. 833 00:28:53,750 --> 00:28:55,208 Like, I feel good about it. 834 00:28:55,208 --> 00:28:56,333 - What's going on over there, buddy? 835 00:28:56,417 --> 00:28:57,250 - You're way ahead. 836 00:28:57,375 --> 00:28:59,125 - Me? 837 00:28:59,125 --> 00:29:01,333 I see you're getting twisty over there. 838 00:29:01,375 --> 00:29:03,667 ♪ 839 00:29:03,708 --> 00:29:05,667 So I make sure to draw out my 48-layer billet 840 00:29:05,708 --> 00:29:07,917 as wide as the 80CrV2. 841 00:29:08,000 --> 00:29:09,708 That way, all I have to do is clean up my Damascus, 842 00:29:09,708 --> 00:29:12,167 and I can clad the 80CrV2 on the outside. 843 00:29:12,250 --> 00:29:14,125 ♪ 844 00:29:14,208 --> 00:29:15,833 - Not a fan. 845 00:29:15,958 --> 00:29:19,000 With the hardcore stuff that we throw these swords against, 846 00:29:19,000 --> 00:29:21,542 I would have that 80CrV2 as a core no matter what. 847 00:29:21,625 --> 00:29:22,583 - 100%. - No question. 848 00:29:22,708 --> 00:29:24,542 - It's always gonna be a tougher steel. 849 00:29:24,625 --> 00:29:26,000 - Of all the forge welds I've done, 850 00:29:26,083 --> 00:29:27,542 this is the most important one 851 00:29:27,625 --> 00:29:29,417 because this is what makes it San Mai. 852 00:29:29,500 --> 00:29:32,375 And if it fails, I don't have Damascus San Mai. 853 00:29:32,375 --> 00:29:34,375 ♪ 854 00:29:34,375 --> 00:29:36,500 I have a solid billet, and now I'm ready to start 855 00:29:36,583 --> 00:29:39,083 drawing this out into my Kachin dao. 856 00:29:39,167 --> 00:29:40,458 All right. 857 00:29:40,542 --> 00:29:41,667 - Guys, we're halfway through. 858 00:29:41,667 --> 00:29:43,000 You got four hours left. 859 00:29:43,042 --> 00:29:44,458 ♪ 860 00:29:44,542 --> 00:29:46,500 - Now that my Damascus San Mai, it's all fit together, 861 00:29:46,583 --> 00:29:49,083 I can start working on the shape. 862 00:29:49,083 --> 00:29:51,667 The example blade has a much more gradual curve. 863 00:29:51,708 --> 00:29:54,042 So I take it to the anvil, and I begin 864 00:29:54,125 --> 00:29:56,333 drawing out the material on the spine 865 00:29:56,333 --> 00:29:59,583 and beveling it a little bit to give it that nice curve. 866 00:29:59,667 --> 00:30:01,625 - So based on Jesse's swings right now, 867 00:30:01,708 --> 00:30:03,333 I think he's getting ready to quench. 868 00:30:03,375 --> 00:30:04,500 - Once I get the blade to shape, 869 00:30:04,583 --> 00:30:06,417 it's time for the heat treat. 870 00:30:06,417 --> 00:30:10,333 ♪ 871 00:30:10,333 --> 00:30:11,750 - Whoa! 872 00:30:11,833 --> 00:30:14,167 Jesse's got his blade quenched. 873 00:30:14,167 --> 00:30:15,875 - Oh, [bleep]. 874 00:30:15,875 --> 00:30:17,667 Perfect, a warp. 875 00:30:17,667 --> 00:30:18,750 I notice the warp. 876 00:30:18,833 --> 00:30:20,542 And it's actually pretty bad. 877 00:30:20,625 --> 00:30:21,833 - Uh-oh. 878 00:30:21,958 --> 00:30:23,042 - It's kicking to the right quite a bit. 879 00:30:23,125 --> 00:30:24,292 - Jesse, right now, has a couple of seconds 880 00:30:24,625 --> 00:30:26,500 to try to get a little bit of that warp out of the blade. 881 00:30:26,583 --> 00:30:27,667 And that's exactly what he's doing. 882 00:30:27,750 --> 00:30:29,375 ♪ 883 00:30:29,458 --> 00:30:31,333 We've seen plenty of smiths break their blades 884 00:30:31,417 --> 00:30:32,500 in jigs like this. 885 00:30:32,583 --> 00:30:33,500 - Better be careful. 886 00:30:33,500 --> 00:30:34,708 ♪ 887 00:30:34,792 --> 00:30:36,792 - Oh! - Oh! 888 00:30:36,875 --> 00:30:38,667 Somebody snapped a tang! 889 00:30:38,750 --> 00:30:40,292 ♪ 890 00:30:40,375 --> 00:30:41,417 Oh! 891 00:30:41,500 --> 00:30:43,083 Robert just snapped his blade. 892 00:30:45,167 --> 00:30:48,000 If this thing were to fall apart now, 893 00:30:48,083 --> 00:30:50,458 that might as well be me handing in my unbeaten title. 894 00:30:50,542 --> 00:30:51,292 ♪ 895 00:30:55,375 --> 00:30:57,042 - So we're halfway through our Beat the Unbeaten competition. 896 00:30:57,167 --> 00:30:59,042 We've got our two smiths, Eric going up against 897 00:30:59,042 --> 00:31:01,875 our unbeaten champ, Gladiator Jesse Hu. 898 00:31:01,875 --> 00:31:03,917 Jesse over here has got a warp to the right. 899 00:31:05,375 --> 00:31:08,375 If this thing were to fall apart now, 900 00:31:08,375 --> 00:31:10,667 that might as well be me handing in my unbeaten title. 901 00:31:10,750 --> 00:31:12,583 ♪ 902 00:31:12,583 --> 00:31:15,083 No matter how much each turn of the vise scares me, 903 00:31:15,083 --> 00:31:16,333 I have to get this warp out. 904 00:31:16,375 --> 00:31:17,667 ♪ 905 00:31:17,792 --> 00:31:19,708 It's workable now. 906 00:31:19,792 --> 00:31:21,167 I get it most of the way out, 907 00:31:21,292 --> 00:31:22,625 but it's still not perfectly straight. 908 00:31:22,708 --> 00:31:23,875 But I have enough meat on my blade 909 00:31:24,000 --> 00:31:25,042 to where I can grind it straight. 910 00:31:25,125 --> 00:31:26,333 I'm fine with it. 911 00:31:26,417 --> 00:31:29,542 ♪ 912 00:31:29,625 --> 00:31:31,500 - Now that I've got my blade roughly forged out, 913 00:31:31,625 --> 00:31:33,292 it's time to get over to the grinder and start grinding it. 914 00:31:33,375 --> 00:31:36,083 ♪ 915 00:31:36,083 --> 00:31:39,542 [bleep]. I got a little surface delam up there. 916 00:31:39,667 --> 00:31:41,583 - Seems like Eric does have a little bit of a delam 917 00:31:41,667 --> 00:31:43,208 toward the tip of his blade. 918 00:31:43,292 --> 00:31:44,750 - He's gotta be very careful with that. 919 00:31:44,750 --> 00:31:46,917 - I'm gonna weld it just in case. 920 00:31:47,000 --> 00:31:48,833 I don't know how deep this delam runs, 921 00:31:48,917 --> 00:31:50,208 so I'm gonna take it over to the welder 922 00:31:50,333 --> 00:31:52,333 and weld over it just to secure it 923 00:31:52,417 --> 00:31:53,833 and make sure it doesn't become an issue. 924 00:31:53,917 --> 00:31:55,708 The last thing I need is that delamination 925 00:31:55,792 --> 00:31:56,708 opening up any more. 926 00:31:56,792 --> 00:31:58,167 Let's go. Let's go. 927 00:31:58,250 --> 00:32:00,750 ♪ 928 00:32:00,833 --> 00:32:02,375 - Jesse's going for an integral bolster. 929 00:32:02,375 --> 00:32:04,583 - That's cool, some extra embellishment, 930 00:32:04,667 --> 00:32:07,042 a little harder process. - Yeah. 931 00:32:07,125 --> 00:32:08,958 - The example blade doesn't have an integral bolster. 932 00:32:09,042 --> 00:32:11,208 But they're cool and hard to execute. 933 00:32:11,333 --> 00:32:12,833 I think it would add a lot to the piece. 934 00:32:12,958 --> 00:32:14,875 ♪ 935 00:32:14,958 --> 00:32:16,542 - So this is the part right now, 936 00:32:16,625 --> 00:32:19,042 it's difficult to do in this kind of competition, 937 00:32:19,042 --> 00:32:21,458 is make that nice, flat transition 938 00:32:21,542 --> 00:32:23,792 from handle to bolster. 939 00:32:23,792 --> 00:32:25,250 - I'm gonna put a brass spacer there 940 00:32:25,375 --> 00:32:26,458 because I think it'll look cool. 941 00:32:26,458 --> 00:32:28,042 And I managed to get 942 00:32:28,042 --> 00:32:29,583 the back of the bolster fit up to that brass 943 00:32:29,583 --> 00:32:30,833 pretty much perfectly. 944 00:32:30,875 --> 00:32:32,208 And now that that's all fit together, 945 00:32:32,292 --> 00:32:33,750 I can start working on the wood and the pommel. 946 00:32:33,875 --> 00:32:37,542 ♪ 947 00:32:37,542 --> 00:32:39,792 - It's time to get my blade into the quench. 948 00:32:39,792 --> 00:32:41,167 - Look at that. Look at that middle. 949 00:32:41,250 --> 00:32:42,167 - Wow, that is hot. - Look at that middle. 950 00:32:42,292 --> 00:32:43,417 ♪ 951 00:32:43,500 --> 00:32:46,042 - Oh, my God. 952 00:32:46,042 --> 00:32:47,542 - That was all over the place. 953 00:32:47,625 --> 00:32:51,292 - I did not expect a quench color like that from Eric. 954 00:32:51,375 --> 00:32:52,833 - Pretty good. 955 00:32:52,958 --> 00:32:55,458 It's straight, and I am so relieved. 956 00:32:55,542 --> 00:32:57,583 - Eric's really happy with how his blade came out, 957 00:32:57,708 --> 00:33:00,333 but he's not questioning that quench at all. 958 00:33:00,458 --> 00:33:02,667 That kind of heat, the chance of the blade being brittle, 959 00:33:02,750 --> 00:33:04,208 maybe taking some serious damage 960 00:33:04,208 --> 00:33:06,458 during the strength test, are probably pretty high. 961 00:33:06,542 --> 00:33:09,250 ♪ 962 00:33:09,375 --> 00:33:10,875 - At this point, I'm at a crossroads. 963 00:33:10,875 --> 00:33:12,250 It's the time where I have to determine 964 00:33:12,375 --> 00:33:14,000 what my final mechanical connection 965 00:33:14,083 --> 00:33:15,875 is gonna be for my handle. 966 00:33:16,000 --> 00:33:18,417 The choices are either peen it or weld it. 967 00:33:18,417 --> 00:33:20,333 And I feel like by peening it, it would take long enough 968 00:33:20,375 --> 00:33:22,000 to where the heat can travel through the tang. 969 00:33:22,125 --> 00:33:24,292 But if I were to weld it, I would make a smaller 970 00:33:24,292 --> 00:33:26,292 pool of heat, and I can just immediately cool it 971 00:33:26,292 --> 00:33:27,750 because that weld bead is all mild steel. 972 00:33:27,833 --> 00:33:29,167 Welding! 973 00:33:29,292 --> 00:33:31,542 - Is Jesse gonna weld his butt cap on? 974 00:33:31,542 --> 00:33:32,542 - Yep. 975 00:33:32,667 --> 00:33:34,208 - I'd do it. 976 00:33:34,208 --> 00:33:36,208 I don't think it's a terrible idea. 977 00:33:36,208 --> 00:33:38,500 - There's a very applicable Bruce Lee quote here. 978 00:33:38,500 --> 00:33:39,667 "Be like water. 979 00:33:39,750 --> 00:33:42,000 If there's a cup, the water becomes the cup." 980 00:33:42,000 --> 00:33:42,958 If you pour water into anything, 981 00:33:43,042 --> 00:33:43,958 it becomes that thing. 982 00:33:44,042 --> 00:33:46,083 So you have to adapt. 983 00:33:46,167 --> 00:33:47,458 That will work. 984 00:33:47,542 --> 00:33:49,875 - Jesse's blade is pretty much formed. 985 00:33:49,875 --> 00:33:52,417 He just needs to start etching that and sharpening the blade. 986 00:33:52,542 --> 00:33:55,125 ♪ 987 00:33:55,208 --> 00:33:57,292 - Gentlemen, you got 60 minutes left. 988 00:33:57,375 --> 00:33:58,625 ♪ 989 00:33:58,708 --> 00:34:00,583 - It's go time, and I gotta get this blade done. 990 00:34:00,583 --> 00:34:03,208 ♪ 991 00:34:03,208 --> 00:34:04,167 One of the requirements for this blade 992 00:34:04,292 --> 00:34:05,417 is to have a mechanical connection. 993 00:34:05,500 --> 00:34:06,875 And the way I constructed my handle 994 00:34:07,042 --> 00:34:09,167 is a through tang, so my tang goes through 995 00:34:09,167 --> 00:34:10,500 every piece of handle material. 996 00:34:10,542 --> 00:34:12,583 It comes out the end, where I'm gonna peen it over 997 00:34:12,667 --> 00:34:14,375 and secure it all together. 998 00:34:14,375 --> 00:34:15,417 There we go. 999 00:34:15,500 --> 00:34:16,708 - Eric's about to peen it over. 1000 00:34:16,708 --> 00:34:18,083 - We should see the flames 1001 00:34:18,167 --> 00:34:19,250 from the epoxy in just a second here. 1002 00:34:19,375 --> 00:34:21,083 - There. - Yeah, there it is. 1003 00:34:21,083 --> 00:34:22,417 - And now he's just heating that butt cap 1004 00:34:22,542 --> 00:34:24,667 and burning away material in the connection point. 1005 00:34:24,750 --> 00:34:25,792 That's not good. 1006 00:34:25,875 --> 00:34:27,875 ♪ 1007 00:34:27,875 --> 00:34:30,875 - One of the downsides of using the torch to heat the tang 1008 00:34:30,875 --> 00:34:33,417 is it heats up all the metal and melts my epoxy. 1009 00:34:33,500 --> 00:34:35,667 So to make sure I have an extra strong connection, 1010 00:34:35,667 --> 00:34:37,042 I'm gonna drill a hole through my handle 1011 00:34:37,125 --> 00:34:38,833 and throw a pin in as well. 1012 00:34:38,833 --> 00:34:40,250 - Smart move. 1013 00:34:40,333 --> 00:34:41,667 - All that's left to do is sharpen. 1014 00:34:41,792 --> 00:34:43,292 I'm not gonna worry about what he's doing over there. 1015 00:34:43,375 --> 00:34:44,417 I think he should be worried about what I'm doing. 1016 00:34:44,500 --> 00:34:45,500 [laughs] 1017 00:34:45,583 --> 00:34:47,417 ♪ 1018 00:34:47,542 --> 00:34:49,500 - I don't know what tests they're gonna do with this, 1019 00:34:49,583 --> 00:34:52,625 so I choose an appleseed edge as my edge geometry, 1020 00:34:52,708 --> 00:34:54,667 because it's strong enough to survive anything, 1021 00:34:54,792 --> 00:34:57,292 and I can make it sharp enough to cut through anything. 1022 00:34:57,375 --> 00:34:58,500 ♪ 1023 00:34:58,542 --> 00:35:00,542 Now that my blade's all finished, all oiled, 1024 00:35:00,708 --> 00:35:02,875 all looking pretty, I feel quite confident in it. 1025 00:35:02,875 --> 00:35:05,875 ♪ 1026 00:35:05,875 --> 00:35:07,042 Ooh. - Oh! 1027 00:35:07,042 --> 00:35:08,958 - Oh, no. - Jesse just cut himself. 1028 00:35:08,958 --> 00:35:11,167 - At least it's sharp. 1029 00:35:11,292 --> 00:35:13,750 This blade has drawn blood before any of the tests. 1030 00:35:13,750 --> 00:35:15,667 So now it's enchanted. 1031 00:35:15,750 --> 00:35:17,667 I'll take it. 1032 00:35:17,750 --> 00:35:22,542 - 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. 1033 00:35:22,542 --> 00:35:23,792 Gentlemen, turn off your machines. 1034 00:35:23,875 --> 00:35:25,000 Put down your tools. 1035 00:35:25,000 --> 00:35:26,167 This round is over. 1036 00:35:26,208 --> 00:35:27,458 - Good job, man. That was a tough one. 1037 00:35:27,542 --> 00:35:28,458 - Yeah. 1038 00:35:28,542 --> 00:35:29,375 ♪ 1039 00:35:29,500 --> 00:35:30,333 - I'm looking at my sword, 1040 00:35:30,458 --> 00:35:31,667 and there's a couple things 1041 00:35:31,708 --> 00:35:33,542 I might go back, if I could, and change. 1042 00:35:33,542 --> 00:35:35,833 But you know, time's up, I made this weapon, 1043 00:35:35,958 --> 00:35:37,333 and I'm proud of what I'm presenting. 1044 00:35:37,375 --> 00:35:41,333 ♪ 1045 00:35:41,417 --> 00:35:44,667 - Champions, welcome to the dynamic KEAL test. 1046 00:35:44,750 --> 00:35:46,208 ♪ 1047 00:35:46,208 --> 00:35:48,125 I'm gonna find out what kind of lethal damage 1048 00:35:48,125 --> 00:35:50,000 your weapons can do, how sharp they are, 1049 00:35:50,125 --> 00:35:52,417 and how they wield in my hands-- 1050 00:35:52,500 --> 00:35:55,167 not a Kachin dao, a Kachin now. 1051 00:35:55,208 --> 00:35:56,875 Eric, are you ready? - Let's do it. 1052 00:35:56,875 --> 00:35:58,667 ♪ 1053 00:35:58,667 --> 00:36:00,833 This KEAL test, it's a little scary. 1054 00:36:00,917 --> 00:36:02,417 You know, that's a big pig. 1055 00:36:02,500 --> 00:36:05,875 It's a massive target to try to go through. 1056 00:36:05,958 --> 00:36:07,333 There's a lot of bones in there. 1057 00:36:07,417 --> 00:36:08,667 You know, it's a hard challenge. 1058 00:36:08,750 --> 00:36:10,083 I'm just hoping that it survives it. 1059 00:36:10,208 --> 00:36:12,667 ♪ 1060 00:36:16,958 --> 00:36:18,542 - You know, this KEAL test, it's a little scary. 1061 00:36:18,625 --> 00:36:20,250 You know, that's a big pig. 1062 00:36:20,333 --> 00:36:22,417 And it's-- it's a massive target 1063 00:36:22,417 --> 00:36:23,958 to try to go through. 1064 00:36:23,958 --> 00:36:25,125 There's a lot of bones in there. 1065 00:36:25,125 --> 00:36:26,542 I'm just hoping that it survives it. 1066 00:36:26,542 --> 00:36:30,167 ♪ 1067 00:36:30,250 --> 00:36:33,375 [rock music] 1068 00:36:33,458 --> 00:36:40,250 ♪ 1069 00:36:55,708 --> 00:36:57,208 - Ugh. 1070 00:36:57,292 --> 00:37:00,458 - [laughs] 1071 00:37:00,542 --> 00:37:03,000 All right, Eric, let's talk about your Kachin dao. 1072 00:37:03,083 --> 00:37:05,417 Your edge is sharp. 1073 00:37:05,417 --> 00:37:07,875 Even though it didn't cut on some of these vines 1074 00:37:07,875 --> 00:37:09,917 that may have just collapsed when I'm cutting through it, 1075 00:37:10,000 --> 00:37:13,958 look how deep the chops are on this pig carcass. 1076 00:37:13,958 --> 00:37:16,833 So in all fronts, I think it's a very sharp blade. 1077 00:37:16,917 --> 00:37:19,500 The wieldability and comfort in my hands works. 1078 00:37:19,500 --> 00:37:21,833 And overall, it will KEAL. 1079 00:37:21,833 --> 00:37:23,375 - Good to hear. 1080 00:37:23,458 --> 00:37:25,958 - All right, Jesse, your turn, so are you ready? 1081 00:37:26,042 --> 00:37:27,750 - Sure. - All right. 1082 00:37:27,833 --> 00:37:30,250 [dramatic music] 1083 00:37:30,333 --> 00:37:31,667 - Going into the final test, 1084 00:37:31,708 --> 00:37:33,250 there's a couple things I'm scared of. 1085 00:37:33,250 --> 00:37:34,667 It might not have the sharpness 1086 00:37:34,667 --> 00:37:36,333 necessary to get through those vines 1087 00:37:36,417 --> 00:37:38,250 because I don't know what they're made of. 1088 00:37:38,333 --> 00:37:39,667 There's a chance that it doesn't get through those 1089 00:37:39,708 --> 00:37:41,042 and he can't even swing into the pig. 1090 00:37:41,042 --> 00:37:43,250 ♪ 1091 00:37:43,333 --> 00:37:46,458 [rock music] 1092 00:37:46,542 --> 00:37:53,333 ♪ 1093 00:38:14,125 --> 00:38:15,917 - Damn, dude. That was sick, dude. 1094 00:38:16,042 --> 00:38:17,208 - That last vine though. - I know. 1095 00:38:17,208 --> 00:38:18,208 [laughs] 1096 00:38:18,292 --> 00:38:20,542 [dramatic music] 1097 00:38:20,542 --> 00:38:22,375 - All right, Jesse, let's talk about your Kachin dao here. 1098 00:38:22,458 --> 00:38:24,792 Looking at your Damascus pattern, 1099 00:38:24,792 --> 00:38:29,333 I can really appreciate the layers of your twist Damascus. 1100 00:38:29,417 --> 00:38:32,042 Now your edge-- your edge is sharp. 1101 00:38:32,042 --> 00:38:36,208 It cuts the pig carcass, and it cut most of the vines. 1102 00:38:36,208 --> 00:38:37,500 It is wieldable. 1103 00:38:37,583 --> 00:38:39,833 And overall, it will KEAL. 1104 00:38:39,875 --> 00:38:41,167 - Thank you. 1105 00:38:41,250 --> 00:38:43,583 ♪ 1106 00:38:43,667 --> 00:38:45,833 - Bladesmiths, welcome to the dynamic strength test. 1107 00:38:45,833 --> 00:38:47,500 ♪ 1108 00:38:47,542 --> 00:38:50,583 I'll be chopping into multiple targets in this arena, 1109 00:38:50,583 --> 00:38:53,250 testing the edge, the strength, and the overall construction 1110 00:38:53,333 --> 00:38:54,542 of your Kachin daos. 1111 00:38:54,625 --> 00:38:55,667 Eric, you're up first. You ready? 1112 00:38:55,708 --> 00:38:56,875 - Let's do it. 1113 00:38:56,875 --> 00:38:58,167 - All right. 1114 00:38:58,250 --> 00:39:01,042 [rock music] 1115 00:39:01,125 --> 00:39:03,292 ♪ 1116 00:39:03,375 --> 00:39:04,667 - [buzzes lips] 1117 00:39:04,708 --> 00:39:07,708 ♪ 1118 00:39:08,875 --> 00:39:15,708 ♪ 1119 00:39:25,167 --> 00:39:27,833 - Oh! - [groans] 1120 00:39:27,917 --> 00:39:30,042 - [bleep]. 1121 00:39:30,125 --> 00:39:31,792 - [whistles] 1122 00:39:31,792 --> 00:39:33,083 [tense music] 1123 00:39:33,208 --> 00:39:34,958 - Wow. 1124 00:39:35,042 --> 00:39:36,500 - Well, Eric-- 1125 00:39:36,500 --> 00:39:37,833 - Little bit of an issue. 1126 00:39:37,958 --> 00:39:40,625 - Yeah, I mean it was a catastrophic failure... 1127 00:39:40,708 --> 00:39:42,500 - Yeah. - Unfortunately. 1128 00:39:42,500 --> 00:39:44,917 The grain size in here is not terrible, 1129 00:39:45,000 --> 00:39:46,417 but it's not the best I've ever seen. 1130 00:39:46,417 --> 00:39:48,083 It's still-- it's still looking like 1131 00:39:48,167 --> 00:39:51,583 400-grit sandpaper instead of, like, velvet, you know? 1132 00:39:51,583 --> 00:39:53,042 I don't see any weld flaws or anything like that. 1133 00:39:53,125 --> 00:39:54,750 It just--just came apart. 1134 00:39:54,833 --> 00:39:56,542 - Yep, it happens. 1135 00:39:56,625 --> 00:40:01,500 ♪ 1136 00:40:01,542 --> 00:40:03,458 - Oh, I hate this. 1137 00:40:03,542 --> 00:40:04,667 - [chuckles] You're telling me. 1138 00:40:04,750 --> 00:40:07,458 [laughter] 1139 00:40:07,458 --> 00:40:10,542 - Well, Eric, your blade blasted through the pig. 1140 00:40:10,625 --> 00:40:12,750 But unfortunately, the moose antler got 1141 00:40:12,875 --> 00:40:14,917 the best of your blade, and it broke in two pieces. 1142 00:40:15,000 --> 00:40:16,708 This is considered a catastrophic failure. 1143 00:40:16,708 --> 00:40:18,667 We cannot continue testing it safely. 1144 00:40:18,750 --> 00:40:20,125 But you're not out of the fight yet. 1145 00:40:20,208 --> 00:40:23,500 Now, Jesse, you will have to survive five strikes 1146 00:40:23,625 --> 00:40:25,208 in this dynamic strength test. 1147 00:40:25,208 --> 00:40:26,792 Are you ready? 1148 00:40:26,792 --> 00:40:28,000 - Let's do it. 1149 00:40:28,000 --> 00:40:28,875 - All right, let's do it. 1150 00:40:28,958 --> 00:40:31,875 ♪ 1151 00:40:31,958 --> 00:40:34,417 - I'm excited, but also, like, a teeny bit nervous. 1152 00:40:34,542 --> 00:40:36,000 I want to win super bad. 1153 00:40:36,000 --> 00:40:38,375 If I lose, I lose the title of unbeaten. 1154 00:40:38,458 --> 00:40:39,500 Forget about money at this point. 1155 00:40:39,542 --> 00:40:40,958 It's my honor on the line, 1156 00:40:41,042 --> 00:40:42,875 and my title. 1157 00:40:42,875 --> 00:40:45,833 [rock music] 1158 00:40:45,833 --> 00:40:52,667 ♪ 1159 00:41:09,708 --> 00:41:11,333 My heart. - [laughs] 1160 00:41:11,417 --> 00:41:12,208 - [exhales deeply] 1161 00:41:15,208 --> 00:41:16,542 ♪ 1162 00:41:16,625 --> 00:41:17,833 - Well, Jesse, you can breathe now, man. 1163 00:41:17,917 --> 00:41:19,292 You made it through all five strikes 1164 00:41:19,292 --> 00:41:20,542 on that grueling test. 1165 00:41:20,542 --> 00:41:21,833 Congratulations. 1166 00:41:21,917 --> 00:41:23,750 Now, unfortunately for you, Eric, 1167 00:41:23,833 --> 00:41:26,583 that means your time here in this competition has ended. 1168 00:41:26,667 --> 00:41:28,750 You fought hard. You gave us two great blades. 1169 00:41:28,833 --> 00:41:30,375 But before you step off The Forge floor, 1170 00:41:30,375 --> 00:41:31,833 I think we'd all like to shake your hand. 1171 00:41:31,917 --> 00:41:33,458 - I appreciate it. - Thanks, buddy. 1172 00:41:33,542 --> 00:41:34,542 - This was a good time, seriously. 1173 00:41:34,625 --> 00:41:35,708 - Good to see you. 1174 00:41:35,792 --> 00:41:37,792 - Obviously, the blade broke. 1175 00:41:37,792 --> 00:41:40,167 I still made the best blade I could. 1176 00:41:40,250 --> 00:41:41,625 It would have been pretty cool to take him down. 1177 00:41:41,708 --> 00:41:43,333 But you know, you gotta be happy for him. 1178 00:41:43,417 --> 00:41:45,000 I think this came down to just 1179 00:41:45,083 --> 00:41:46,417 a little error within the steel. 1180 00:41:46,500 --> 00:41:47,917 So maybe next time I'll be 1181 00:41:48,000 --> 00:41:49,542 a little more careful with my heat treat. 1182 00:41:49,625 --> 00:41:51,875 Jesse, glad to be your friend, 1183 00:41:51,875 --> 00:41:54,125 and I'm glad to be able to continue watching you succeed. 1184 00:41:54,125 --> 00:41:56,333 You know, unfortunately, I had to be one of those people 1185 00:41:56,333 --> 00:41:57,833 that, you know, rose you up even higher. 1186 00:41:57,875 --> 00:41:59,250 But you know, it's kind of cool to say that. 1187 00:41:59,250 --> 00:42:01,667 ♪ 1188 00:42:01,750 --> 00:42:03,333 - Well, Jesse, you put your streak on the line. 1189 00:42:03,458 --> 00:42:04,792 But you brought your talent. 1190 00:42:04,875 --> 00:42:06,250 You gave us a blade that made it through the test. 1191 00:42:06,333 --> 00:42:07,792 Congratulations. 1192 00:42:07,875 --> 00:42:09,333 You, again, are a "Forged in Fire" champion 1193 00:42:09,375 --> 00:42:10,583 with an unbeaten record. 1194 00:42:10,667 --> 00:42:12,333 That makes number nine. Congratulations. 1195 00:42:12,375 --> 00:42:14,625 [applause] Get over here, man. 1196 00:42:14,708 --> 00:42:16,375 - Winning again feels great 1197 00:42:16,458 --> 00:42:17,875 because it validates everything 1198 00:42:18,000 --> 00:42:19,750 that I've been thinking about since I last competed. 1199 00:42:19,750 --> 00:42:21,667 Because I won again, I've really proven to myself 1200 00:42:21,792 --> 00:42:23,625 that those eight times weren't a fluke. 1201 00:42:23,625 --> 00:42:25,542 I'm still unbeaten, 1202 00:42:25,625 --> 00:42:27,208 I'm ready to come back and defend my title, 1203 00:42:27,292 --> 00:42:28,583 and I could not be happier. 1204 00:42:28,667 --> 00:42:30,667 Ben, I'm 9 and 0, 1205 00:42:30,708 --> 00:42:32,833 so I'm coming for you. 1206 00:42:32,917 --> 00:42:38,000 ♪ 1207 00:42:38,083 --> 00:42:39,917 [metal clangs]