1 00:00:05,623 --> 00:00:08,708 [dramatic music] 2 00:00:08,793 --> 00:00:11,219 ♪ ♪ 3 00:00:11,304 --> 00:00:14,222 [rock music] 4 00:00:14,381 --> 00:00:17,300 ♪ ♪ 5 00:00:17,393 --> 00:00:20,479 - My name is Christy Whitaker. I'm from East Tennessee, 6 00:00:20,638 --> 00:00:23,640 and I've been a part-time bladesmith for about two years. 7 00:00:23,724 --> 00:00:25,225 I'm a mom to four girls. 8 00:00:25,309 --> 00:00:27,069 They're my inspiration. 9 00:00:27,228 --> 00:00:30,489 I want to win "Forged in Fire" to make my kids proud. 10 00:00:30,573 --> 00:00:33,408 - How are you feeling? - Fine. 11 00:00:33,493 --> 00:00:36,411 - My name is Nathan Anderson from West Valley, Utah. 12 00:00:36,570 --> 00:00:39,572 I'm a maintenance worker at the Utah's Hogle Zoo. 13 00:00:39,657 --> 00:00:42,408 I love animals, and there's not too many places 14 00:00:42,502 --> 00:00:44,494 where I can be welding and look up 15 00:00:44,587 --> 00:00:45,587 and see a giraffe right there. 16 00:00:45,746 --> 00:00:48,748 ♪ ♪ 17 00:00:48,833 --> 00:00:50,166 - My name is Don Clary. 18 00:00:50,259 --> 00:00:52,344 I live in Salinas, California. 19 00:00:52,503 --> 00:00:54,096 I'm a part-time bladesmith. 20 00:00:54,255 --> 00:00:57,006 I make kitchen knives. I make hunting knives. 21 00:00:57,100 --> 00:01:00,677 I generally don't try to make my knives pretty. 22 00:01:00,761 --> 00:01:02,771 I want those knives to be used. 23 00:01:02,930 --> 00:01:05,357 ♪ ♪ 24 00:01:05,516 --> 00:01:06,858 - My name is Gunnar Wilbanks. 25 00:01:06,943 --> 00:01:08,944 I'm a high school football coach 26 00:01:09,103 --> 00:01:12,114 and teacher and a part-time bladesmith. 27 00:01:12,198 --> 00:01:13,940 My wife loves it every time I make a knife, 28 00:01:14,024 --> 00:01:15,617 I bring it in to her. 29 00:01:15,776 --> 00:01:18,111 Both of my daughters and my son they all have to hold it, 30 00:01:18,204 --> 00:01:20,956 and it turns out we all love blades. 31 00:01:21,115 --> 00:01:22,374 ♪ ♪ 32 00:01:22,533 --> 00:01:24,793 - Bladesmiths, welcome to The Forge. 33 00:01:24,952 --> 00:01:27,546 The four of you have been chosen for a very intense 34 00:01:27,705 --> 00:01:30,039 three rounds of forging competition. 35 00:01:30,133 --> 00:01:31,883 At the end of each one, you're gonna present your work 36 00:01:31,968 --> 00:01:33,710 to our panel of expert judges. 37 00:01:33,794 --> 00:01:35,220 These guys behind me are the ones 38 00:01:35,304 --> 00:01:36,972 who hold your fate in their hands, 39 00:01:37,131 --> 00:01:39,558 because they will be deciding which one of you 40 00:01:39,642 --> 00:01:41,059 is ultimately gonna be leaving here 41 00:01:41,144 --> 00:01:42,552 with the title of "Forged by Fire" champion 42 00:01:42,645 --> 00:01:45,564 and a check for $10,000. 43 00:01:45,648 --> 00:01:47,056 Today's competition we are gonna be taking a look 44 00:01:47,150 --> 00:01:49,309 at the darker side of history. 45 00:01:49,393 --> 00:01:51,069 That's why we decided to have you guys 46 00:01:51,154 --> 00:01:52,896 make your blades out of this. 47 00:01:52,980 --> 00:01:56,575 ♪ ♪ 48 00:01:56,734 --> 00:02:00,904 This here is the guillotine. 49 00:02:00,997 --> 00:02:03,665 Bladesmiths, this is a replica of a deadly device 50 00:02:03,824 --> 00:02:05,241 that was used during the reign of terror 51 00:02:05,326 --> 00:02:07,669 that was The French Revolution. 52 00:02:07,828 --> 00:02:09,838 And your first task in today's competition is to come up, 53 00:02:09,922 --> 00:02:12,174 work together, and source your high-carbon steel 54 00:02:12,258 --> 00:02:13,917 from the guillotine blade. 55 00:02:14,001 --> 00:02:16,169 But that's not all. We also want you to come up 56 00:02:16,253 --> 00:02:18,671 and grab mild steel from these braces here. 57 00:02:18,756 --> 00:02:22,017 You guys are gonna be putting together San Mai billets 58 00:02:22,176 --> 00:02:24,269 and making blades in your signature style 59 00:02:24,428 --> 00:02:26,930 between 13 and 15 inches. 60 00:02:27,014 --> 00:02:29,432 - That's my thing, is dark stuff. 61 00:02:29,525 --> 00:02:33,278 So I'm thinking, "This is right down my alley." 62 00:02:33,362 --> 00:02:35,605 - Moving onto the second round of the competition, 63 00:02:35,689 --> 00:02:37,032 you will be adding handles to your blades 64 00:02:37,191 --> 00:02:38,867 turning them into fully functioning weapons 65 00:02:39,026 --> 00:02:40,526 at which point you're gonna turn them back 66 00:02:40,611 --> 00:02:42,195 over to the judges, and they're gonna check 67 00:02:42,279 --> 00:02:44,530 for strength and durability in a pillory chop 68 00:02:44,624 --> 00:02:46,458 and then check your head retention 69 00:02:46,617 --> 00:02:48,952 in a ballistics tube slice. 70 00:02:49,045 --> 00:02:51,296 All right, bladesmiths, we have three hours on the clock 71 00:02:51,380 --> 00:02:53,539 for the first round. Your time starts now. 72 00:02:53,624 --> 00:02:55,050 ♪ ♪ 73 00:02:55,209 --> 00:02:56,709 - Who can run a torch? I'll bring it to you. 74 00:02:56,794 --> 00:02:59,796 ♪ ♪ 75 00:02:59,889 --> 00:03:03,642 - They've gotta come up and take the guillotine apart. 76 00:03:03,726 --> 00:03:05,635 - You may have to cut it right here. 77 00:03:05,728 --> 00:03:07,229 - Yeah, as a football coach 78 00:03:07,313 --> 00:03:09,564 it's my role to make sure that everybody has a job 79 00:03:09,723 --> 00:03:12,725 and everybody works toward the greater good of the group. 80 00:03:12,810 --> 00:03:16,238 We're gonna set two smith's cutting up the mild steel... 81 00:03:16,397 --> 00:03:17,981 - Watch out. 82 00:03:18,074 --> 00:03:19,482 - And then we'll have two guys going ahead 83 00:03:19,566 --> 00:03:21,159 and cutting up the high-carbon steel 84 00:03:21,244 --> 00:03:22,827 and distribute it to all smiths. 85 00:03:22,912 --> 00:03:24,904 - Come on, baby. 86 00:03:24,989 --> 00:03:27,499 - Fun guillotine fact: you know the last time that was used 87 00:03:27,658 --> 00:03:29,501 by the French to kill somebody? 88 00:03:29,660 --> 00:03:31,836 September 10, 1977. 89 00:03:31,996 --> 00:03:33,004 - As an executioner's blade? 90 00:03:33,089 --> 00:03:36,508 - Yep. - It's taking too long. 91 00:03:36,667 --> 00:03:38,009 - It just wasn't cutting it, 92 00:03:38,094 --> 00:03:39,585 'cause that's some super-hard steel. 93 00:03:39,670 --> 00:03:42,764 So let then we just start to cut it with grinders. 94 00:03:42,848 --> 00:03:44,507 - They've gotten the entire guillotine blade out. 95 00:03:44,600 --> 00:03:46,342 It's free. 96 00:03:46,427 --> 00:03:49,104 Now they need to cut it up into smaller sections. 97 00:03:49,188 --> 00:03:51,022 - Once all those pieces are taken apart, 98 00:03:51,107 --> 00:03:52,849 I start measuring and cutting the legs 99 00:03:52,933 --> 00:03:54,859 for everybody on the team. 100 00:03:54,944 --> 00:03:57,612 We are all cutting pieces of the metal for each other. 101 00:03:57,771 --> 00:04:00,106 - There's one piece. 102 00:04:00,199 --> 00:04:01,107 That's what's always inspirational 103 00:04:01,191 --> 00:04:02,701 about this competition. 104 00:04:02,785 --> 00:04:05,278 Everyone's working at the same pace in the beginning 105 00:04:05,371 --> 00:04:08,281 to make things fair, and that's cool. 106 00:04:08,374 --> 00:04:12,043 - That's enough, right? - That's four. 107 00:04:12,202 --> 00:04:13,786 - Everybody has all their material. 108 00:04:13,879 --> 00:04:15,630 This is where the race really begins. 109 00:04:15,789 --> 00:04:17,465 ♪ ♪ 110 00:04:17,624 --> 00:04:20,293 - I want to try to set a smaller board weld. 111 00:04:20,377 --> 00:04:23,471 So I'm gonna take an 8-inch piece of steel 112 00:04:23,630 --> 00:04:26,466 and try to reduce the surface area of the weld 113 00:04:26,550 --> 00:04:28,134 and hope I can go ahead 114 00:04:28,218 --> 00:04:31,137 and stretch that thing out to the 13 to 15 inches. 115 00:04:31,230 --> 00:04:32,972 - So, guys, for a setup for San Mai, 116 00:04:33,057 --> 00:04:36,234 what's the most important step that they cannot bypass? 117 00:04:36,393 --> 00:04:37,402 - Cleanliness. - Cleanliness. 118 00:04:37,561 --> 00:04:40,155 - Yeah, cleaning that material. 119 00:04:40,314 --> 00:04:41,406 ♪ ♪ 120 00:04:41,490 --> 00:04:43,483 - Whoo, baby. 121 00:04:43,567 --> 00:04:45,327 I worked with San Mai a couple of times 122 00:04:45,411 --> 00:04:47,570 and haven't had great success with it, 123 00:04:47,663 --> 00:04:51,657 but still, I know the theory and how it should be done. 124 00:04:51,751 --> 00:04:55,411 About to make sparks, sparks, sparks. 125 00:04:55,504 --> 00:04:59,090 - The nice part is that the guillotine blade is 1095, 126 00:04:59,175 --> 00:05:01,084 which doesn't have any nickel or chromium 127 00:05:01,168 --> 00:05:03,419 or any of the stuff that can really kind confound a weld. 128 00:05:03,512 --> 00:05:06,089 - If I win "Forged in Fire," the $10,000 is gonna go 129 00:05:06,182 --> 00:05:09,517 to taking my wife on a trip to go looking for Bigfoot. 130 00:05:09,676 --> 00:05:11,102 We love the cryptids, and she loves Bigfoot. 131 00:05:11,187 --> 00:05:13,188 [laughs] 132 00:05:13,347 --> 00:05:14,439 ♪ ♪ 133 00:05:14,523 --> 00:05:16,432 - I take my San Mai pieces, 134 00:05:16,525 --> 00:05:18,851 and I immediately start cleaning it up on the grinder. 135 00:05:18,944 --> 00:05:21,104 I know it's a huge, important step, 136 00:05:21,197 --> 00:05:23,031 because if you don't keep your metal clean on San Mai 137 00:05:23,190 --> 00:05:24,857 you will get delams. 138 00:05:24,950 --> 00:05:27,035 - If you spend an extra three minutes cleaning 139 00:05:27,194 --> 00:05:29,371 it saves you 45 minutes starting over. 140 00:05:29,530 --> 00:05:30,696 - Yeah. 141 00:05:30,790 --> 00:05:32,698 - Dang it. 142 00:05:32,792 --> 00:05:34,542 - Uh-oh, Chris has got a cut. 143 00:05:34,627 --> 00:05:36,202 - Oh, man. 144 00:05:36,286 --> 00:05:38,546 - I look down and notice that there's blood 145 00:05:38,705 --> 00:05:40,382 coming down my arm. 146 00:05:40,541 --> 00:05:42,625 So I have to stop where I'm at and call the medic over 147 00:05:42,718 --> 00:05:45,128 so they could take a look and help get me cleaned up. 148 00:05:45,221 --> 00:05:48,047 I don't know how I cut myself, but it's a pretty big gash. 149 00:05:48,132 --> 00:05:49,132 - All right, we're gonna go out this way. 150 00:05:49,225 --> 00:05:50,225 I just gotta wrap you up real quick, okay? 151 00:05:50,384 --> 00:05:51,893 - Okay. 152 00:05:52,052 --> 00:05:53,553 - Hey, guys, Christy's heading off the floor. 153 00:05:53,646 --> 00:05:55,638 - And I hope it's not a deep cut. 154 00:05:55,722 --> 00:05:57,473 - All I can think about is the minutes 155 00:05:57,558 --> 00:05:58,808 that are ticking by on the clock 156 00:05:58,901 --> 00:06:00,402 and how much I'm missing out. 157 00:06:00,486 --> 00:06:01,820 And I'm worried I'm not gonna be able to get 158 00:06:01,979 --> 00:06:03,488 my blade finished in time. 159 00:06:03,572 --> 00:06:06,732 ♪ ♪ 160 00:06:06,826 --> 00:06:08,410 - Don't going beyond with cleaning. 161 00:06:08,569 --> 00:06:10,245 He's using the acetone to wipe everything down. 162 00:06:10,329 --> 00:06:12,989 - Welding. 163 00:06:13,082 --> 00:06:15,158 - This billet is bigger than what I normally work with. 164 00:06:15,242 --> 00:06:18,077 So getting the weld set might be 165 00:06:18,170 --> 00:06:19,745 the most difficult part about the knife. 166 00:06:19,830 --> 00:06:22,006 ♪ ♪ 167 00:06:22,166 --> 00:06:26,252 - Bladesmiths, you have two hours left on the clock. 168 00:06:26,336 --> 00:06:28,004 - Coming through. 169 00:06:28,088 --> 00:06:29,347 And I'm gonna go ahead and see 170 00:06:29,506 --> 00:06:30,765 if we can get those forge welds going. 171 00:06:30,924 --> 00:06:32,434 ♪ ♪ 172 00:06:32,593 --> 00:06:34,677 - Gunnar's being very gentle with the press 173 00:06:34,770 --> 00:06:37,096 slowly drawing it out. 174 00:06:37,189 --> 00:06:39,182 - I use zero power tools in my shop. 175 00:06:39,275 --> 00:06:41,267 It's all done by hand. 176 00:06:41,351 --> 00:06:43,019 Wow. 177 00:06:43,103 --> 00:06:45,363 But I'm loving using the press. 178 00:06:45,522 --> 00:06:47,615 It welds together pretty well, 179 00:06:47,774 --> 00:06:49,951 and it's saving me all kinds of elbow grease. 180 00:06:51,612 --> 00:06:52,871 ♪ ♪ 181 00:06:53,030 --> 00:06:54,205 - My billet is up to temperature, 182 00:06:54,364 --> 00:06:56,541 so I try and set those welds. 183 00:06:56,625 --> 00:06:58,376 I'm just surrounded by all these cool, 184 00:06:58,535 --> 00:06:59,952 powerful pieces of equipment. 185 00:07:00,045 --> 00:07:02,288 I felt just kind of like an orangutan surrounded 186 00:07:02,372 --> 00:07:04,207 in a room full of celery. 187 00:07:04,300 --> 00:07:07,469 That may sound a bit weird, but I mean, hear me out. 188 00:07:07,553 --> 00:07:10,305 I was watching the orangutan the other day, 189 00:07:10,389 --> 00:07:12,131 and the keepers had just put all sorts of food 190 00:07:12,224 --> 00:07:13,716 in his enclosure, and he was making sure 191 00:07:13,800 --> 00:07:15,310 he went to every corner 192 00:07:15,469 --> 00:07:16,978 grabbing all that celery and stuck it in his mouth. 193 00:07:17,062 --> 00:07:19,722 And I felt kind of like that, so I'm super happy, 194 00:07:19,815 --> 00:07:22,817 like an orangutan with celery. 195 00:07:22,976 --> 00:07:26,145 Heat, beat, repeat. Heat, beat, repeat. Whoo! 196 00:07:26,230 --> 00:07:27,572 ♪ ♪ 197 00:07:27,656 --> 00:07:29,157 - Christy's back on the floor. Great work. 198 00:07:29,316 --> 00:07:30,575 - All right. 199 00:07:30,734 --> 00:07:32,068 - I'm bandaged up. I'm ready to go. 200 00:07:32,161 --> 00:07:34,078 I have no time to waste. 201 00:07:34,238 --> 00:07:36,239 I need to start forge welding 202 00:07:36,323 --> 00:07:39,242 and get back into this competition. 203 00:07:39,326 --> 00:07:41,410 I really want to make my kids proud, 204 00:07:41,504 --> 00:07:43,671 show them that you can do anything that you want to do. 205 00:07:43,756 --> 00:07:45,840 Step out of your comfort zone and do those things. 206 00:07:45,999 --> 00:07:47,759 That's your passion. 207 00:07:47,918 --> 00:07:50,670 - Christy set her weld on her billet. 208 00:07:50,754 --> 00:07:52,180 It's about time; we're an hour into the competition. 209 00:07:52,339 --> 00:07:53,256 ♪ ♪ 210 00:07:53,349 --> 00:07:56,684 - Yay, all right. 211 00:07:56,843 --> 00:07:58,520 ♪ ♪ 212 00:07:58,604 --> 00:08:01,356 - The entire billet is at welding temperature, 213 00:08:01,515 --> 00:08:04,100 so I tap the billet up and down with the hammer 214 00:08:04,184 --> 00:08:05,935 just to set the welds 215 00:08:06,028 --> 00:08:09,864 before I start to actually try to draw it out. 216 00:08:10,023 --> 00:08:12,275 - You guys think Don is gonna be able to get a good weld 217 00:08:12,368 --> 00:08:14,369 by just tapping on like this? 218 00:08:14,528 --> 00:08:15,695 - Can it set a weld? 219 00:08:15,788 --> 00:08:18,114 Yes. Will it set a weld well? 220 00:08:18,198 --> 00:08:19,207 - Maybe. - Not really. 221 00:08:19,366 --> 00:08:21,367 ♪ ♪ 222 00:08:21,460 --> 00:08:23,294 - [bleep]. 223 00:08:23,379 --> 00:08:24,712 - What happened? 224 00:08:24,871 --> 00:08:26,130 - I've got a delam in the middle. 225 00:08:26,290 --> 00:08:28,541 I don't think I'm gonna get it welded. 226 00:08:28,625 --> 00:08:30,301 - That's a bad place for a delamination, 227 00:08:30,460 --> 00:08:32,053 is right in the middle of the billet. 228 00:08:32,137 --> 00:08:34,046 - Starting over. 229 00:08:34,131 --> 00:08:35,974 - That's actually a good way forward. 230 00:08:36,058 --> 00:08:38,467 I mean, there's really not much of a way to get back 231 00:08:38,552 --> 00:08:40,720 from that huge delamination on his first billet. 232 00:08:40,813 --> 00:08:42,397 It's just a smart move to starting over. 233 00:08:42,481 --> 00:08:45,400 - Welding. 234 00:08:45,559 --> 00:08:46,892 ♪ ♪ 235 00:08:46,986 --> 00:08:50,405 - Bladesmiths, you have 90 minutes left. 236 00:08:50,564 --> 00:08:51,814 - Well, I'm from Arkansas, so I'm gonna make 237 00:08:51,907 --> 00:08:53,241 an Arkansas Pig Sticker. 238 00:08:53,400 --> 00:08:54,993 ♪ ♪ 239 00:08:55,077 --> 00:08:57,320 Arkansas Pig Sticker would be the knife 240 00:08:57,413 --> 00:08:59,655 that the guys are going down in the bottom hunting 241 00:08:59,748 --> 00:09:02,074 razorback hogs. 242 00:09:02,167 --> 00:09:03,993 - I'm a little concerned that Gunnar 243 00:09:04,086 --> 00:09:06,087 doesn't have enough material. It's looking fairly thin, 244 00:09:06,246 --> 00:09:09,591 and it's not getting the length that he needs. 245 00:09:09,750 --> 00:09:13,761 - Damn, 8 1/2 inches may not have been enough. 246 00:09:13,920 --> 00:09:15,763 We're still sitting a little bit short. 247 00:09:15,848 --> 00:09:17,840 What I'm gonna end up having to do to extend this thing 248 00:09:17,933 --> 00:09:22,678 is press in a hidden tang instead of a full-tang knife. 249 00:09:22,763 --> 00:09:24,689 And I'm looking to hit 14-inch mark. 250 00:09:24,773 --> 00:09:26,432 That's gonna leave me an inch to play with 251 00:09:26,525 --> 00:09:29,769 on the grind so I can get parameters. 252 00:09:29,853 --> 00:09:31,270 ♪ ♪ 253 00:09:31,355 --> 00:09:33,606 - I'm gonna be making a super sexy seax. 254 00:09:33,690 --> 00:09:35,274 ♪ ♪ 255 00:09:35,359 --> 00:09:36,701 There's a little bit of a curve in there, 256 00:09:36,785 --> 00:09:38,778 so it's super sexy. 257 00:09:38,862 --> 00:09:41,205 I'm feeling really good about where I am right now. 258 00:09:41,365 --> 00:09:42,698 - Looking good. 259 00:09:42,791 --> 00:09:44,367 - Thank you. - Making a seax? 260 00:09:44,460 --> 00:09:46,961 - Yeah, super sexy seax. 261 00:09:47,120 --> 00:09:48,963 ♪ ♪ 262 00:09:49,048 --> 00:09:51,549 - I have to hurry up and try to get my blade shaped, 263 00:09:51,708 --> 00:09:53,301 and I need to do it quickly. 264 00:09:53,385 --> 00:09:55,961 I'm gonna do the traditional camp-style knife 265 00:09:56,046 --> 00:09:57,713 that I'm used to doing. 266 00:09:57,806 --> 00:10:00,132 It's one of the first ones that I learned to do. 267 00:10:00,225 --> 00:10:01,559 And it's just something I feel comfortable with, 268 00:10:01,718 --> 00:10:03,969 so I've kind of stuck to it. 269 00:10:04,063 --> 00:10:06,639 What the hell is happening to my blade? 270 00:10:06,723 --> 00:10:08,641 What is going on? 271 00:10:08,734 --> 00:10:10,393 As I'm hammering on be Big Blu, 272 00:10:10,477 --> 00:10:12,904 my blade starts to curve. 273 00:10:12,988 --> 00:10:14,897 Dang it. 274 00:10:14,990 --> 00:10:17,566 - When Christy was on Big Blu she was smashing one section 275 00:10:17,660 --> 00:10:19,994 preferentially to the other, and that just grew in length. 276 00:10:23,916 --> 00:10:26,492 -- How did I end upme for with a rainbow? ife, 277 00:10:26,576 --> 00:10:28,252 The judges asked me for my signature knife, 278 00:10:28,412 --> 00:10:30,838 not my signature rainbow. 279 00:10:30,923 --> 00:10:34,417 I think this right here is what's gonna send me home, 280 00:10:34,510 --> 00:10:36,836 and then I'll look over at the picture of my kids, 281 00:10:36,920 --> 00:10:39,514 and I realize they're the reason that I'm here, 282 00:10:39,673 --> 00:10:43,008 and I can't give up. I have to keep going, 283 00:10:43,093 --> 00:10:45,353 and I start trying to hammer it down on the anvil 284 00:10:45,512 --> 00:10:48,106 to straighten it out as best as I can. 285 00:10:48,265 --> 00:10:51,693 There we go. Come on now. 286 00:10:51,777 --> 00:10:53,936 I finally feel like I'm at his fault 287 00:10:54,029 --> 00:10:57,022 where I can do the rest of it on the grinder. 288 00:10:57,107 --> 00:11:00,192 Starting to feel good about it. 289 00:11:00,277 --> 00:11:01,777 ♪ ♪ 290 00:11:01,862 --> 00:11:03,612 - Bladesmiths, you've got one hour remaining. 291 00:11:03,697 --> 00:11:05,957 ♪ ♪ 292 00:11:06,116 --> 00:11:09,535 - As I'm drawing this out, I don't see any delaminations. 293 00:11:09,628 --> 00:11:11,295 It looks like it's going well. 294 00:11:11,455 --> 00:11:13,381 - Oh, looks good, brother. 295 00:11:13,465 --> 00:11:14,457 - Hey, you made quick work out of that. 296 00:11:14,541 --> 00:11:16,217 - Yeah. 297 00:11:16,301 --> 00:11:18,886 - So my plan for this knife is 298 00:11:18,971 --> 00:11:21,973 a camp knife with a little bit of a belly on it. 299 00:11:22,057 --> 00:11:25,810 That'll do really good in a chop, 300 00:11:25,894 --> 00:11:28,229 and a belly will help it in a slice. 301 00:11:28,388 --> 00:11:30,356 So I'm comfortable that I'll be able to finish. 302 00:11:32,642 --> 00:11:34,143 ♪ ♪ 303 00:11:34,227 --> 00:11:37,146 - Quenching. 304 00:11:37,230 --> 00:11:38,981 - Gunnar's first in the oil. 305 00:11:39,074 --> 00:11:41,075 - That was pretty hot, man. - That looked pretty hot. 306 00:11:41,160 --> 00:11:43,244 - Yeah, it looked pretty hot to me. 307 00:11:43,328 --> 00:11:45,413 - Ah, [bleep]. 308 00:11:45,572 --> 00:11:47,573 My blades banana-ing on me a little bit. 309 00:11:47,657 --> 00:11:50,242 I know this is probably gonna send me home. 310 00:11:50,327 --> 00:11:52,495 So at this point in time I look at the clock. 311 00:11:52,588 --> 00:11:55,923 I've still got enough time to go quench again. 312 00:11:56,008 --> 00:11:58,751 I know I can go ahead and pick up a crack, 313 00:11:58,835 --> 00:12:01,170 but I need a straight blade. 314 00:12:01,254 --> 00:12:03,765 - Oh, my goodness. That was warm. 315 00:12:03,924 --> 00:12:05,925 - A crack could shoot up the middle of that. 316 00:12:06,009 --> 00:12:07,852 - Yeah. 317 00:12:07,936 --> 00:12:09,937 - I looked down the blade, and I see a straight blade. 318 00:12:10,022 --> 00:12:12,515 All right. 319 00:12:12,599 --> 00:12:14,850 - Quenching. 320 00:12:14,935 --> 00:12:16,611 - Nathan is in the oil. 321 00:12:16,770 --> 00:12:18,362 - That tip for that blade still looked like 322 00:12:18,522 --> 00:12:20,606 it was pretty, pretty red. 323 00:12:20,690 --> 00:12:22,191 - Whoo! 324 00:12:22,275 --> 00:12:23,943 Seams hard. I'm very pleased. 325 00:12:24,036 --> 00:12:26,529 And I started getting it cleaned up. 326 00:12:26,613 --> 00:12:28,447 Oh, come on. 327 00:12:28,532 --> 00:12:32,126 All of a sudden, I see a crack. 328 00:12:32,211 --> 00:12:35,129 Flip the blade over, and the crack is over there too. 329 00:12:35,214 --> 00:12:37,632 It's alive, and it's not going away. 330 00:12:37,716 --> 00:12:39,634 It's just growing. 331 00:12:39,718 --> 00:12:41,803 - What sometimes happens is, the San Mai blade, 332 00:12:41,962 --> 00:12:43,638 where you've got mild steel on the outside 333 00:12:43,797 --> 00:12:45,139 and a hardenable steel in the center 334 00:12:45,298 --> 00:12:47,299 and you overheat that hardenable steel. 335 00:12:47,392 --> 00:12:50,812 For the quench, it splits in the middle. 336 00:12:50,896 --> 00:12:51,979 - So at this point, I'm just, like, really defeated, 337 00:12:52,064 --> 00:12:54,056 but I'm like, "I'm not stopping." 338 00:12:54,140 --> 00:12:57,059 Maybe one of the other competitors has a worse blade 339 00:12:57,143 --> 00:12:59,061 or it doesn't meet parameters or something like that. 340 00:12:59,145 --> 00:13:03,324 So I'm just gonna keep going with it. 341 00:13:03,408 --> 00:13:06,569 - Bladesmiths, you have 15 minutes. 342 00:13:06,653 --> 00:13:08,246 ♪ ♪ 343 00:13:08,405 --> 00:13:09,914 Christy's quenched, guys. 344 00:13:09,998 --> 00:13:12,741 - Hot is the color of the day. 345 00:13:12,835 --> 00:13:14,243 - Fireball. 346 00:13:14,327 --> 00:13:16,829 I knew right then that my blade was too hot. 347 00:13:16,922 --> 00:13:18,923 I probably just cracked my blade. 348 00:13:19,007 --> 00:13:21,676 Oh, God. 349 00:13:21,760 --> 00:13:23,502 I'm crushed. 350 00:13:23,587 --> 00:13:25,847 It looks like it's starting to split in two 351 00:13:25,931 --> 00:13:30,009 from the cracks, and I hope it doesn't get worse. 352 00:13:30,093 --> 00:13:31,010 ♪ ♪ 353 00:13:31,094 --> 00:13:34,179 - Quenching. 354 00:13:34,264 --> 00:13:36,023 - All right, Don's in the oil. 355 00:13:39,269 --> 00:13:40,769 The blade is still hot. 356 00:13:40,863 --> 00:13:44,448 So maybe I can get the blade to bend just a little bit 357 00:13:44,533 --> 00:13:46,617 to take that warp out. 358 00:13:46,702 --> 00:13:47,952 - Ugh. - Oh, no. 359 00:13:48,036 --> 00:13:49,612 - Oh, what was that? What was that? 360 00:13:49,696 --> 00:13:53,198 - That was the tip of--that was the tip of Don's blade. 361 00:13:53,283 --> 00:13:55,209 - I'm thinking, "I'm done." 362 00:13:55,294 --> 00:13:57,369 - Get to the welder, go, go, go. 363 00:13:57,454 --> 00:13:58,871 - Oh, man. 364 00:13:58,955 --> 00:13:59,955 - That's all he can do, right? - Yep. 365 00:14:00,048 --> 00:14:02,291 - Stupid move. 366 00:14:02,375 --> 00:14:03,718 I get the tip welded on. 367 00:14:03,802 --> 00:14:06,053 It looks ugly as sin, 368 00:14:06,212 --> 00:14:08,964 but I can at least turn in a knife. 369 00:14:09,057 --> 00:14:11,300 - This has turned into an absolute nail-biter. 370 00:14:11,393 --> 00:14:13,052 ♪ ♪ 371 00:14:13,136 --> 00:14:17,982 Five, four, three, two, one. 372 00:14:18,066 --> 00:14:20,142 The first route of this competition is over. 373 00:14:20,226 --> 00:14:21,652 ♪ ♪ 374 00:14:21,737 --> 00:14:23,395 - I want to move on so bad, 375 00:14:23,480 --> 00:14:26,065 but still can't get around the cracks 376 00:14:26,149 --> 00:14:28,400 on the top of the bottom. 377 00:14:28,485 --> 00:14:30,152 - I'm looking at my competitor's blades. 378 00:14:30,236 --> 00:14:32,905 I've got this welded tip on. 379 00:14:32,989 --> 00:14:34,823 I'm thinking, "I'm going home." 380 00:14:34,908 --> 00:14:37,585 ♪ ♪ 381 00:14:37,744 --> 00:14:38,911 - All right, bladesmiths, in the first 382 00:14:39,004 --> 00:14:40,171 three hours of this competition 383 00:14:40,255 --> 00:14:42,590 you guys dismantled our guillotine 384 00:14:42,674 --> 00:14:44,091 and made San Mai blades. 385 00:14:44,176 --> 00:14:46,677 The time has come for your first critique. 386 00:14:46,762 --> 00:14:47,762 Gunnar, you're up first. Are you ready? 387 00:14:47,921 --> 00:14:49,004 - Yes, sir. 388 00:14:49,089 --> 00:14:51,757 ♪ ♪ 389 00:14:51,850 --> 00:14:53,092 - All right, Gunnar, first off, 390 00:14:53,176 --> 00:14:54,510 this a cool-looking design. 391 00:14:54,603 --> 00:14:56,428 I like the recurve. The biggest thing, though, 392 00:14:56,513 --> 00:15:00,599 is that there is a crack along the spine of this blade, 393 00:15:00,684 --> 00:15:02,601 and then it's visible almost all the way 394 00:15:02,686 --> 00:15:04,603 back to the tang here. If you move forward from here, 395 00:15:04,696 --> 00:15:07,272 that's gonna have to be addressed. 396 00:15:07,366 --> 00:15:08,357 - All right, Don, you're up next. 397 00:15:08,441 --> 00:15:10,359 You ready? - Ready as I'm gonna get. 398 00:15:10,443 --> 00:15:12,536 ♪ ♪ 399 00:15:12,696 --> 00:15:15,456 - All right, Don. Let's talk about this crack you have here. 400 00:15:15,540 --> 00:15:17,708 You did weld it on, but it's not a complete weld. 401 00:15:17,793 --> 00:15:21,036 It's just tacked on in there. So should you move forward, 402 00:15:21,129 --> 00:15:23,464 I would think about rewelding this and finding a way 403 00:15:23,548 --> 00:15:25,624 to really make this a solid piece. 404 00:15:25,717 --> 00:15:27,042 Good job for sticking in there, though. 405 00:15:27,127 --> 00:15:28,877 - Thank you. 406 00:15:28,962 --> 00:15:30,546 - All right, Nathan, please present your work. 407 00:15:30,630 --> 00:15:33,632 ♪ ♪ 408 00:15:33,717 --> 00:15:35,142 - All right, well, Nathan, right off the bat, 409 00:15:35,301 --> 00:15:37,219 that's a really cool shape for a chopper, 410 00:15:37,303 --> 00:15:39,563 but there's a bit of an issue. 411 00:15:39,648 --> 00:15:40,982 You got the--the Grand Canyon 412 00:15:41,066 --> 00:15:42,558 running along the spine of this blade. 413 00:15:42,642 --> 00:15:45,144 ♪ ♪ 414 00:15:45,228 --> 00:15:47,479 I can't see through that, which is a good thing. 415 00:15:47,572 --> 00:15:49,064 - Right. - But if you move forward 416 00:15:49,149 --> 00:15:50,992 into the second round there's enough mass here 417 00:15:51,076 --> 00:15:53,661 to work with that you can make this 418 00:15:53,820 --> 00:15:55,413 a functioning blade if you move forward, 419 00:15:55,497 --> 00:15:57,406 but you are gonna have to get creative. 420 00:15:57,499 --> 00:15:59,324 - I can do that. 421 00:15:59,418 --> 00:16:00,743 - Christy, how are we doing? You ready? 422 00:16:00,827 --> 00:16:01,827 - Yes, sir. 423 00:16:01,911 --> 00:16:03,170 ♪ ♪ 424 00:16:03,255 --> 00:16:04,588 - Well, Christy, all of these blades 425 00:16:04,673 --> 00:16:07,591 have had a crack in the spine. 426 00:16:07,676 --> 00:16:11,512 But this is a completely different animal altogether. 427 00:16:11,596 --> 00:16:15,257 Unfortunately, after it left your anvil and in the temper, 428 00:16:15,350 --> 00:16:17,009 it blew apart. 429 00:16:17,093 --> 00:16:18,761 And there's really not much coming back 430 00:16:18,845 --> 00:16:21,188 from something like this. I'm looking at what 431 00:16:21,273 --> 00:16:22,931 I would consider a catastrophic failure. 432 00:16:23,016 --> 00:16:26,444 ♪ ♪ 433 00:16:26,528 --> 00:16:28,779 - All right, Christie, you fought hard, 434 00:16:28,864 --> 00:16:30,856 but as Ben said, what happened to your blade 435 00:16:30,949 --> 00:16:32,858 is considered a catastrophic failure. 436 00:16:32,942 --> 00:16:35,360 Unfortunately, for that reason I have to ask you, 437 00:16:35,454 --> 00:16:37,121 please step off The Forge floor. 438 00:16:37,205 --> 00:16:39,531 - Yes, sir. Thank you. 439 00:16:39,616 --> 00:16:41,876 When I saw that my blade split in half, 440 00:16:41,960 --> 00:16:43,869 my heart just completely dropped. 441 00:16:43,953 --> 00:16:46,630 I knew right then and there I was finished. 442 00:16:46,715 --> 00:16:47,965 So I'm excited to get back home, 443 00:16:48,050 --> 00:16:49,958 and the girls will see me one day on TV. 444 00:16:50,043 --> 00:16:50,959 So that'll be cool. 445 00:16:51,044 --> 00:16:54,055 ♪ ♪ 446 00:16:54,214 --> 00:16:55,547 - All right, bladesmiths, congratulations. 447 00:16:55,632 --> 00:16:57,224 You all are moving into the second round 448 00:16:57,309 --> 00:16:59,727 of this competition, but don't celebrate too long, 449 00:16:59,811 --> 00:17:02,563 because all three of you have a ton of work to do, 450 00:17:02,722 --> 00:17:04,482 and to make matters worse, in this round, 451 00:17:04,641 --> 00:17:07,142 the pantry is off-limits. 452 00:17:07,227 --> 00:17:09,153 ♪ ♪ 453 00:17:09,312 --> 00:17:10,646 You're probably wondering, 454 00:17:10,739 --> 00:17:12,406 "What are we going to use to make those handles? 455 00:17:12,491 --> 00:17:14,149 You're gonna be using the remnants of the guillotine. 456 00:17:14,234 --> 00:17:16,485 ♪ ♪ 457 00:17:16,569 --> 00:17:18,496 Now, at the end of this round, 458 00:17:18,580 --> 00:17:20,072 you're gonna hand over your finished blades to our judges, 459 00:17:20,156 --> 00:17:21,499 who are gonna check for strength and durability 460 00:17:21,583 --> 00:17:23,334 in a pillory chop, 461 00:17:23,418 --> 00:17:26,078 then check your edge retention in a ballistics tube slice. 462 00:17:26,162 --> 00:17:28,247 You guys have two hours to complete these blades. 463 00:17:28,340 --> 00:17:30,165 Good luck; that time starts now. 464 00:17:30,250 --> 00:17:33,001 ♪ ♪ 465 00:17:33,095 --> 00:17:36,421 - Four blades from round one, all had cracks. 466 00:17:36,506 --> 00:17:39,433 That's the first, and bad cracks too. 467 00:17:39,518 --> 00:17:41,260 - Round two starts. 468 00:17:41,344 --> 00:17:42,344 I want to grab my handle material as fast as I can. 469 00:17:42,428 --> 00:17:43,771 So I'm looking at the guillotine, 470 00:17:43,930 --> 00:17:45,022 and I see the part where, you know, 471 00:17:45,107 --> 00:17:46,598 you stick your head in, and I figure 472 00:17:46,691 --> 00:17:48,600 that's the easiest and the fastest way 473 00:17:48,693 --> 00:17:49,768 of getting my handle material. 474 00:17:49,853 --> 00:17:52,196 ♪ ♪ 475 00:17:52,280 --> 00:17:54,106 - [laughs] - That'll work. 476 00:17:54,199 --> 00:17:55,783 - Okay. - Nathan has to crack 477 00:17:55,867 --> 00:17:58,360 on his spine but also on that edge, 478 00:17:58,444 --> 00:18:00,704 and that was a thin edge. 479 00:18:00,864 --> 00:18:02,531 - At this point I can't think of any other possible way 480 00:18:02,615 --> 00:18:04,032 to fix this blade. 481 00:18:04,117 --> 00:18:05,626 So I'm just going to have to weld it in place 482 00:18:05,710 --> 00:18:07,119 and make sure I don't overheat it 483 00:18:07,203 --> 00:18:09,880 so I can get the welds secured up on the spine 484 00:18:09,965 --> 00:18:12,207 and on the cutting edge. 485 00:18:12,300 --> 00:18:15,052 In round one, I set out to make a super sexy seax, 486 00:18:15,137 --> 00:18:17,129 and with the cracks and all the welding on there, 487 00:18:17,213 --> 00:18:19,140 she's not such a super sexy seas anymore. 488 00:18:19,299 --> 00:18:21,884 She's kind of a plain-old super seax. 489 00:18:21,968 --> 00:18:24,895 The sexiness has kind of left the building. 490 00:18:24,980 --> 00:18:27,731 - That'll work. 491 00:18:27,891 --> 00:18:30,726 - If I was home and I had to crack down my blade like this, 492 00:18:30,810 --> 00:18:33,312 the way I fix it is throw it in the garbage. 493 00:18:33,396 --> 00:18:34,905 I wanted to try to put a weld all the way 494 00:18:34,990 --> 00:18:36,490 pretty deep into the blade, 495 00:18:36,575 --> 00:18:38,233 and I wanted to build it up a little bit, 496 00:18:38,318 --> 00:18:41,153 but as you can see, I'm not a great welder. 497 00:18:41,246 --> 00:18:43,497 - Guys, are you seeing Gunnar's spine? 498 00:18:43,582 --> 00:18:45,166 It's like popcorn. 499 00:18:45,250 --> 00:18:46,658 - Well, that's not good then, because that's in 500 00:18:46,743 --> 00:18:50,004 the surface weld. That's not going deep inside. 501 00:18:50,088 --> 00:18:53,174 - I go ahead and even everything up down the spine 502 00:18:53,258 --> 00:18:55,834 to make it look more like a knife. 503 00:18:55,919 --> 00:18:59,513 I'm just hoping it's going to hold up for the pillory chop. 504 00:18:59,598 --> 00:19:03,008 - I know I need to address the tip. 505 00:19:03,092 --> 00:19:05,260 One side is not welded at all. 506 00:19:05,345 --> 00:19:07,262 So I get over to the welder... 507 00:19:07,347 --> 00:19:08,689 ♪ ♪ 508 00:19:08,848 --> 00:19:09,932 Oh, [bleep]. 509 00:19:10,025 --> 00:19:11,942 Now I burned through it. 510 00:19:12,027 --> 00:19:15,863 I've got about a pencil-sized hole that I put in the edge. 511 00:19:15,947 --> 00:19:19,283 - You know, that edge on the tip, that was pretty thin. 512 00:19:19,367 --> 00:19:21,285 - He bent it at MIG weld for that one spot 513 00:19:21,369 --> 00:19:23,111 about three times now? 514 00:19:23,196 --> 00:19:25,873 And how many times can you keep on trying to reweld 515 00:19:26,032 --> 00:19:28,533 one spot before you've actually just taken 516 00:19:28,618 --> 00:19:30,461 all the temper or just made it very brittle? 517 00:19:30,545 --> 00:19:34,373 - I'm trying to grind out the divot that I made in it. 518 00:19:34,457 --> 00:19:36,300 It's not fixed as well as I would like, 519 00:19:36,384 --> 00:19:40,379 but I've got to move on and address 520 00:19:40,463 --> 00:19:43,057 the rest of the things I have to do. 521 00:19:43,216 --> 00:19:45,217 - All right, guys, you have one hour left. 522 00:19:45,310 --> 00:19:47,394 - But I have to leave enough time 523 00:19:47,479 --> 00:19:49,137 to be able to put the handle on there and make a decent. 524 00:19:49,231 --> 00:19:51,565 Eh, all right. 525 00:19:51,724 --> 00:19:53,225 The trick to doing handles that I learned 526 00:19:53,318 --> 00:19:55,569 from an old knife-making buddy is, 527 00:19:55,654 --> 00:19:58,730 cut it in half, and then instead of making a sandwich 528 00:19:58,815 --> 00:19:59,907 where I put that blade in the middle 529 00:20:00,066 --> 00:20:01,825 and try and find the holes and drill it, 530 00:20:01,910 --> 00:20:03,652 I'm using the two scales 531 00:20:03,745 --> 00:20:05,153 and setting the knife blade on top of it. 532 00:20:05,238 --> 00:20:07,572 So when I drill the holes, it's already lined up, 533 00:20:07,657 --> 00:20:09,250 and they can't go anywhere. 534 00:20:09,409 --> 00:20:11,076 And the holes will line up perfectly. 535 00:20:11,160 --> 00:20:13,412 Okay, now... 536 00:20:13,505 --> 00:20:14,672 - Gunnar's setting up the drill press 537 00:20:14,831 --> 00:20:15,914 with his handle material, 538 00:20:16,007 --> 00:20:18,583 'cause he's got that hidden tang. 539 00:20:18,668 --> 00:20:20,585 - After I've drilled a hole for my tang, 540 00:20:20,670 --> 00:20:23,013 I found out that I don't have a bit long enough 541 00:20:23,098 --> 00:20:25,590 to get it as deep as I want to. 542 00:20:25,675 --> 00:20:29,094 I'm gonna have to figure out a way to get it deeper. 543 00:20:29,187 --> 00:20:31,013 I do have a small block of wood, 544 00:20:31,097 --> 00:20:33,598 so I'm just gonna go ahead and drill it all the way out, 545 00:20:33,683 --> 00:20:35,276 slap it on, and that adds me 546 00:20:35,360 --> 00:20:38,437 an extra inch on my handle right there. 547 00:20:38,521 --> 00:20:40,605 - That will work to stabilize the back of the handle 548 00:20:40,690 --> 00:20:42,449 a little bit, but having 549 00:20:42,534 --> 00:20:45,786 a small piece of softwood with a hole drilled in it, 550 00:20:45,870 --> 00:20:49,039 you might just be creating another place to break things. 551 00:20:49,124 --> 00:20:52,617 - All right, let's hope she'll do. 552 00:20:52,702 --> 00:20:54,870 - Now that I've got the tip reattached, 553 00:20:54,954 --> 00:20:57,464 I've blown the temper and blown the hardening. 554 00:20:57,623 --> 00:21:01,460 So I know I need to get the edge re-quenched. 555 00:21:01,544 --> 00:21:03,795 - Now we got Don with a torch. 556 00:21:03,888 --> 00:21:06,473 - He's heating up the entire edge. 557 00:21:06,632 --> 00:21:08,717 - I decided I'm gonna do an edge quench. 558 00:21:08,801 --> 00:21:13,055 That'll leave the spine soft, but I have to get a hard edge. 559 00:21:13,139 --> 00:21:15,307 - I'm already seeing parts of that glowing... 560 00:21:15,400 --> 00:21:16,892 - Oh, yeah. - A bright orange. 561 00:21:16,985 --> 00:21:18,643 - Now would be the time to get in that quench. 562 00:21:18,728 --> 00:21:19,320 - Exactly. 563 00:21:23,149 --> 00:21:24,241 - The knife's cooled off. 564 00:21:24,326 --> 00:21:25,901 I had already shut off the torch. 565 00:21:25,985 --> 00:21:29,404 It--it's just a dull orange. I have no time. 566 00:21:29,489 --> 00:21:31,239 I need to quench. 567 00:21:31,324 --> 00:21:34,076 - That's not hot enough to get a blade hard. 568 00:21:34,169 --> 00:21:37,245 - I will not be surprised if it's in two pieces. 569 00:21:37,339 --> 00:21:40,174 - I didn't like the color when I quenched again, 570 00:21:40,333 --> 00:21:42,593 but I've got to move on and hopefully 571 00:21:42,752 --> 00:21:44,252 the blade will be fine. 572 00:21:44,337 --> 00:21:46,088 ♪ ♪ 573 00:21:46,181 --> 00:21:49,257 - Bladesmiths, you're down to the last 30 minutes. 574 00:21:49,342 --> 00:21:51,259 - So at this point I'm grinding in my bevels 575 00:21:51,344 --> 00:21:53,345 wanting to make sure they're good and straight 576 00:21:53,429 --> 00:21:55,189 and got a good cutting edge on there. 577 00:21:55,273 --> 00:21:57,691 And I can't make it super beautiful, 578 00:21:57,850 --> 00:22:00,102 'cause I still need those welds to hold. 579 00:22:00,186 --> 00:22:01,937 So I'm just kinda rounding edges making sure 580 00:22:02,030 --> 00:22:03,697 that nothing is gonna expose something that's broken 581 00:22:03,856 --> 00:22:08,952 and that be a catastrophic failure. 582 00:22:09,112 --> 00:22:11,196 - Now that I've got my handle together, I'm gonna go ahead 583 00:22:11,280 --> 00:22:13,207 and work on my edge geometry. 584 00:22:13,366 --> 00:22:15,042 It's gonna call for a pretty fine edge. 585 00:22:15,201 --> 00:22:16,785 I'm just hoping my edge is gonna hold up 586 00:22:16,869 --> 00:22:18,545 for the pillory chop. 587 00:22:18,630 --> 00:22:20,964 All my kids and my wife told me, they said, 588 00:22:21,049 --> 00:22:22,633 "If Doug gets to test your blade, 589 00:22:22,717 --> 00:22:24,134 he better say, 'It will cut.'" 590 00:22:24,293 --> 00:22:28,055 So I'm gonna make sure. 591 00:22:28,214 --> 00:22:30,132 - Gunnar is over here testing his blade, 592 00:22:30,216 --> 00:22:31,967 his edge on the guillotine. 593 00:22:32,051 --> 00:22:33,143 - Yeah, man. 594 00:22:33,302 --> 00:22:35,137 - All right, there we go. 595 00:22:35,221 --> 00:22:37,314 ♪ ♪ 596 00:22:37,473 --> 00:22:41,235 I like to have a handle that's more or less flat on the back 597 00:22:41,319 --> 00:22:43,737 so that it fits against the palm 598 00:22:43,896 --> 00:22:46,314 and a little finger swell in the middle 599 00:22:46,399 --> 00:22:50,160 and have some hourglass shape to the profile 600 00:22:50,319 --> 00:22:53,497 so that when you wrap your hand around it your index finger 601 00:22:53,581 --> 00:22:57,242 and your pinky finger kind of lock you onto the handle. 602 00:22:57,326 --> 00:22:59,586 I really want to make the handle comfortable, 603 00:22:59,671 --> 00:23:02,339 but I don't want it to be so round 604 00:23:02,498 --> 00:23:05,000 that it'll twist in the judge's hands when they're testing it. 605 00:23:05,084 --> 00:23:06,510 ♪ ♪ 606 00:23:06,594 --> 00:23:11,590 - Five, four, three, two, one. 607 00:23:11,674 --> 00:23:15,677 Bladesmiths, shut it down. This round is over. 608 00:23:15,761 --> 00:23:18,522 - Looking at my blade, I like the shape. 609 00:23:18,606 --> 00:23:21,266 The one concern I have is the tip. 610 00:23:21,350 --> 00:23:24,278 I can only wait at this point. 611 00:23:24,437 --> 00:23:25,937 ♪ ♪ 612 00:23:26,022 --> 00:23:27,606 - Bladesmiths, welcome to the strength test, 613 00:23:27,690 --> 00:23:30,033 the pillory chop. 614 00:23:30,118 --> 00:23:32,870 I'll be chopping into the wooden part of this pillory 615 00:23:32,954 --> 00:23:34,621 and maybe other parts of the pillory. 616 00:23:34,706 --> 00:23:36,957 We'll see. 617 00:23:37,116 --> 00:23:38,125 Gunnar, you're up first. You ready for this? 618 00:23:38,209 --> 00:23:40,035 - Get after it, brother. 619 00:23:40,119 --> 00:23:41,879 ♪ ♪ 620 00:23:41,963 --> 00:23:43,881 My biggest concern coming in for testing would be 621 00:23:43,965 --> 00:23:46,958 that the welds in the back of my blade blow apart. 622 00:23:47,051 --> 00:23:48,210 My heart's beating out of my chest. 623 00:23:48,294 --> 00:23:55,142 ♪ ♪ 624 00:24:13,152 --> 00:24:16,404 - [laughs] Jeez. 625 00:24:16,489 --> 00:24:20,751 ♪ ♪ 626 00:24:20,835 --> 00:24:21,576 - All right, Gunnar, I mean, you're knife's 627 00:24:21,661 --> 00:24:22,661 still in one piece, 628 00:24:22,754 --> 00:24:25,088 always good after a strength test. 629 00:24:25,173 --> 00:24:28,008 You did lose a chip right here from the--hitting the chain, 630 00:24:28,167 --> 00:24:30,835 but the fix that you did on your crack 631 00:24:30,920 --> 00:24:32,262 seems to have held up great. 632 00:24:32,347 --> 00:24:33,755 So in all, I think you did a good job. 633 00:24:33,848 --> 00:24:36,007 - Thank you, sir. 634 00:24:36,092 --> 00:24:37,768 - All right, Don. You ready? 635 00:24:37,852 --> 00:24:39,603 - Ready as I'm gonna get, sir and if it survives you, 636 00:24:39,762 --> 00:24:41,021 it'll survive anything. 637 00:24:41,105 --> 00:24:42,597 - All right, cool. 638 00:24:42,682 --> 00:24:44,349 ♪ ♪ 639 00:24:44,433 --> 00:24:46,184 - I'm concerned about the tip, 640 00:24:46,269 --> 00:24:48,695 but I think I've done a good job on the edge, 641 00:24:48,854 --> 00:24:50,605 and I want to see that edge hold up. 642 00:24:50,690 --> 00:24:57,538 ♪ ♪ 643 00:25:14,797 --> 00:25:17,224 - All right, Don. You see what happened, man. 644 00:25:17,308 --> 00:25:20,635 Up until then your edge is-- So far is holding up great, 645 00:25:20,720 --> 00:25:22,312 which is surprising to me 646 00:25:22,471 --> 00:25:25,056 at the low temperature that you quenched that blade at. 647 00:25:25,141 --> 00:25:29,060 But this repair that you did just didn't have 648 00:25:29,145 --> 00:25:31,730 the weld penetration that I would have liked to see. 649 00:25:31,814 --> 00:25:33,574 There's a tiny little gray spot there. 650 00:25:33,658 --> 00:25:35,317 That's all that was really holding 651 00:25:35,401 --> 00:25:37,244 the whole thing together. But unfortunately, 652 00:25:37,403 --> 00:25:39,321 we do consider this a catastrophic failure. 653 00:25:39,414 --> 00:25:40,822 - I understand. 654 00:25:40,906 --> 00:25:45,160 ♪ ♪ 655 00:25:45,253 --> 00:25:47,495 - All right, Don, your blade is now in two pieces, 656 00:25:47,580 --> 00:25:48,922 so we cannot continue testing. 657 00:25:49,007 --> 00:25:51,008 But you're not out of the fight yet. 658 00:25:51,167 --> 00:25:52,843 Now, Gunnar, you're safe. 659 00:25:52,927 --> 00:25:55,003 You've survived the entire test so congratulations. 660 00:25:55,087 --> 00:25:56,763 - Thank you. 661 00:25:56,848 --> 00:25:58,515 - But, Don, your blade broke on the eighth strike. 662 00:25:58,674 --> 00:26:01,768 So, Nathan, that means you need to survive all eight strikes 663 00:26:01,927 --> 00:26:03,020 in order to move forward in the competition. 664 00:26:03,104 --> 00:26:04,104 Are you ready? - Yes, sir. 665 00:26:04,188 --> 00:26:06,181 - Let's do it. 666 00:26:06,265 --> 00:26:07,766 ♪ ♪ 667 00:26:07,850 --> 00:26:09,359 - I am super concerned about my edge, 668 00:26:09,444 --> 00:26:11,695 just because of all the cracking and the welding. 669 00:26:11,779 --> 00:26:14,114 And I'm just hoping and praying that it doesn't explode. 670 00:26:19,445 --> 00:26:23,290 ♪ ♪ 671 00:26:38,547 --> 00:26:40,307 - Whew. - Good job, Nathan. 672 00:26:40,391 --> 00:26:42,476 - Thanks, man. 673 00:26:42,635 --> 00:26:45,145 ♪ ♪ 674 00:26:45,304 --> 00:26:46,971 - Well, Nathan, it looks like your blade is in one piece 675 00:26:47,056 --> 00:26:48,482 after all eight strikes on the pillory. 676 00:26:48,641 --> 00:26:50,567 So congratulations. 677 00:26:50,652 --> 00:26:52,310 Now, Don, unfortunately for you, 678 00:26:52,403 --> 00:26:53,737 because your blade is in two pieces, 679 00:26:53,821 --> 00:26:55,656 we cannot continue testing fairly. 680 00:26:55,815 --> 00:26:58,983 And I have to ask you to please step off The Forge floor. 681 00:26:59,068 --> 00:27:01,403 - Thank you. Appreciate the opportunity. 682 00:27:01,487 --> 00:27:02,987 Good job, guys. - Thank you, bud. 683 00:27:03,072 --> 00:27:04,906 - Nathan. - Good job. 684 00:27:04,999 --> 00:27:08,993 - Well, I'm disappointed, but I'm not surprised either. 685 00:27:09,087 --> 00:27:11,171 If it wasn't for the tip flying off, 686 00:27:11,330 --> 00:27:13,331 the results could have been very different. 687 00:27:13,416 --> 00:27:16,677 When I get home, I'm gonna go back to my family 688 00:27:16,836 --> 00:27:21,515 and keep on living. 689 00:27:21,599 --> 00:27:23,433 - Well, Nathan, Gunnar, congratulations, guys. 690 00:27:23,518 --> 00:27:25,176 You're moving forward in the third and final round 691 00:27:25,269 --> 00:27:27,354 of this competition. You made your first blades 692 00:27:27,513 --> 00:27:29,180 out of guillotines, and we're gonna continue on 693 00:27:29,273 --> 00:27:31,191 with the darker side of history theme 694 00:27:31,350 --> 00:27:34,695 by asking you to build this blade in four days... 695 00:27:34,854 --> 00:27:38,940 ♪ ♪ 696 00:27:39,033 --> 00:27:40,701 The executioner sword. 697 00:27:40,860 --> 00:27:43,528 ♪ ♪ 698 00:27:43,612 --> 00:27:45,780 - The executioner sword performed it's bloody work 699 00:27:45,865 --> 00:27:47,866 in 16th-century central Europe. 700 00:27:47,950 --> 00:27:50,794 Unlike combat swords, this lethal blade features 701 00:27:50,953 --> 00:27:54,122 a straight double-edged cutting blade with a blunt tip 702 00:27:54,206 --> 00:27:56,958 perfect for swiftly chopping off the heads of criminals. 703 00:27:57,042 --> 00:27:59,878 This deadly weapon was used on many aristocratic felons 704 00:27:59,962 --> 00:28:02,046 rather than the acts since it allowed the victim 705 00:28:02,131 --> 00:28:04,632 to meet his end in a dignified kneeling position 706 00:28:04,717 --> 00:28:06,893 rather than laying facedown with this head on the block. 707 00:28:06,978 --> 00:28:09,146 While the executioner sword fell out of use 708 00:28:09,230 --> 00:28:11,565 in the early 18th century, this gruesome sword 709 00:28:11,649 --> 00:28:15,810 is still wielded in the 2019 video game "Mordhau." 710 00:28:15,903 --> 00:28:17,228 - And when you're building them, you need to make sure 711 00:28:17,321 --> 00:28:18,897 they fall within the following parameters. 712 00:28:18,981 --> 00:28:20,315 This double-edged blade here needs to be 713 00:28:20,399 --> 00:28:22,901 between 32 and 34 inches. 714 00:28:22,985 --> 00:28:25,069 You guys need to have a 9-inch cruciform guard 715 00:28:25,154 --> 00:28:26,747 that has finials. 716 00:28:26,831 --> 00:28:29,416 You need to have a handle, including a pommel. 717 00:28:29,500 --> 00:28:31,084 - Love the name. Love the theme. 718 00:28:31,169 --> 00:28:33,578 I am so excited to get building on this thing. 719 00:28:33,662 --> 00:28:36,006 I am one round away from taking my wife 720 00:28:36,165 --> 00:28:37,832 and having her shake Bigfoot's hand. 721 00:28:37,917 --> 00:28:40,761 - But, bladesmiths, good luck. We will see you in four days. 722 00:28:40,920 --> 00:28:46,516 ♪ ♪ 723 00:28:46,601 --> 00:28:48,852 - We're here working on the executioner sword. 724 00:28:48,936 --> 00:28:50,854 I'm super stoked about that. 725 00:28:50,938 --> 00:28:52,180 All right, let's see if we can make something 726 00:28:52,273 --> 00:28:53,940 awesome and sharp. 727 00:28:54,099 --> 00:28:56,193 My game plan for today is getting that blade 728 00:28:56,277 --> 00:28:59,112 forged out to shape, heat-treated and quenched. 729 00:28:59,271 --> 00:29:02,023 I decided to go with the high-carbon mono steel. 730 00:29:02,116 --> 00:29:03,950 I didn't want to do some weird Damascus or something 731 00:29:04,035 --> 00:29:06,611 and have all sorts of unexpected things happen. 732 00:29:06,704 --> 00:29:08,205 So I just went with the mono steel. 733 00:29:08,289 --> 00:29:10,457 Heat treat coming up. Just don't want to rush it. 734 00:29:10,616 --> 00:29:13,960 And I don't want to break it, because that would be bad. 735 00:29:14,045 --> 00:29:16,630 All right. 736 00:29:16,789 --> 00:29:18,298 ♪ ♪ 737 00:29:18,457 --> 00:29:20,291 I don't think that anything went wrong. 738 00:29:20,384 --> 00:29:22,043 I felt pretty good about the quench. 739 00:29:22,127 --> 00:29:23,386 Should be able to clean everything up 740 00:29:23,546 --> 00:29:25,713 and move on forward from here. 741 00:29:25,807 --> 00:29:27,974 Sounds good. Whoo! 742 00:29:28,133 --> 00:29:31,469 ♪ ♪ 743 00:29:31,562 --> 00:29:32,729 - Today we're gonna start working 744 00:29:32,888 --> 00:29:34,472 on an executioner's blade, 745 00:29:34,565 --> 00:29:37,058 the largest blade by far that I've ever made. 746 00:29:37,151 --> 00:29:38,810 It gonna take a while. 747 00:29:38,903 --> 00:29:40,904 I have a thick piece of ADC RB2 748 00:29:41,063 --> 00:29:42,739 that I'm gonna try to use. 749 00:29:42,824 --> 00:29:45,817 I know that Nathan is gonna turn in a beautiful blade. 750 00:29:45,910 --> 00:29:48,403 He's an artist. I'm a football coach, 751 00:29:48,487 --> 00:29:50,330 but hopefully, it'll get the job done. 752 00:29:50,489 --> 00:29:54,409 Few hours in, and I'm almost halfway there. 753 00:29:54,502 --> 00:29:56,586 Kind of forgot what it was like in a little man's world 754 00:29:56,671 --> 00:29:58,162 just working with a hammer, 755 00:29:58,256 --> 00:29:59,664 'cause I don't have the power tools. 756 00:29:59,748 --> 00:30:01,583 So far so good. 757 00:30:01,676 --> 00:30:03,585 It's been a long day already. 758 00:30:03,678 --> 00:30:06,513 Can't imagine what the next three days are gonna hold. 759 00:30:06,672 --> 00:30:08,181 ♪ ♪ 760 00:30:08,340 --> 00:30:10,341 - Day three, got the shape where I want it. 761 00:30:10,426 --> 00:30:11,685 Got the edge where I want it. 762 00:30:11,769 --> 00:30:13,428 It's supposed to be a beefy blade. 763 00:30:13,512 --> 00:30:15,346 So I'm just trying to stick with that 764 00:30:15,439 --> 00:30:17,015 and kept it a little bit thicker. 765 00:30:17,099 --> 00:30:18,859 I'm feeling pretty good. 766 00:30:18,943 --> 00:30:20,602 So now it's time to start working on the guard. 767 00:30:20,695 --> 00:30:22,353 It's a cruciform guard 768 00:30:22,446 --> 00:30:25,857 so it's not wavy or fancy or anything like that. 769 00:30:25,941 --> 00:30:28,034 It's basically just a straight piece, 770 00:30:28,193 --> 00:30:29,861 and it's supposed to symbolize the cross, 771 00:30:29,954 --> 00:30:31,529 and it's got some finials on the end, 772 00:30:31,622 --> 00:30:34,624 which I've got my finials right there. 773 00:30:34,709 --> 00:30:36,960 Hopefully, those won't add too much weight 774 00:30:37,119 --> 00:30:39,045 for what I want to go for, 775 00:30:39,130 --> 00:30:41,789 but I think I'm sitting pretty good for right now. 776 00:30:41,883 --> 00:30:44,542 I didn't quite get the guard done or the handle done. 777 00:30:44,635 --> 00:30:46,210 So I'm just gonna have to really kick it 778 00:30:46,304 --> 00:30:47,462 into gear tomorrow and get those done. 779 00:30:47,555 --> 00:30:49,464 All right. 780 00:30:49,557 --> 00:30:53,384 - Come on in on day three and wish me the best. 781 00:30:53,477 --> 00:30:54,978 We're gonna get to the quench today. 782 00:30:55,062 --> 00:30:56,980 [bleep]. 783 00:30:57,064 --> 00:30:59,816 I'm having trouble getting it heated evenly. 784 00:30:59,975 --> 00:31:01,643 Because my forge is short. 785 00:31:01,736 --> 00:31:04,312 Every time I slide my blade through, it's so long. 786 00:31:04,405 --> 00:31:06,573 It wants to droop on one end. 787 00:31:06,732 --> 00:31:08,316 Well, every time that I'm getting down here, 788 00:31:08,400 --> 00:31:10,327 and getting the back end of it hot, 789 00:31:10,411 --> 00:31:12,329 the front end of it's cooling off. 790 00:31:12,413 --> 00:31:14,748 We gotta get the timing right right here. 791 00:31:14,832 --> 00:31:18,501 I get it in the quench tank. I don't feel any tings. 792 00:31:18,586 --> 00:31:20,078 I don't feel any cracks, anything like that. 793 00:31:20,171 --> 00:31:22,246 [scraping] 794 00:31:22,340 --> 00:31:24,049 That's not a sound you want to hear. 795 00:31:28,087 --> 00:31:30,263 It's soft on both ends. That's not gonna work. 796 00:31:30,422 --> 00:31:32,507 My plan B is to go in for a second quench, 797 00:31:32,591 --> 00:31:34,351 and instead of laying the blade flat, 798 00:31:34,435 --> 00:31:36,094 I'll lay it upright. 799 00:31:36,178 --> 00:31:37,354 Maybe I'll be able to hold the heat 800 00:31:37,513 --> 00:31:38,930 a little bit better that way. 801 00:31:39,014 --> 00:31:41,683 And the blade is not gonna sag on me. 802 00:31:41,767 --> 00:31:43,351 If the quench doesn't go well, 803 00:31:43,444 --> 00:31:47,948 if I go all the way back and start at ground zero. 804 00:31:48,032 --> 00:31:49,857 [scraping] 805 00:31:49,951 --> 00:31:52,860 Thank you, Jesus. 806 00:31:52,954 --> 00:31:54,362 Thank you. 807 00:31:54,455 --> 00:31:56,197 I'm elated that 808 00:31:56,281 --> 00:31:58,541 I'm actually gonna be able to use this blade. 809 00:31:58,626 --> 00:32:00,377 We have a hard blade. 810 00:32:00,461 --> 00:32:03,871 We've got to not screw it up and keep it that way now. 811 00:32:03,956 --> 00:32:05,715 ♪ ♪ 812 00:32:05,800 --> 00:32:08,626 - Day four. So today I've got to get the guard on, 813 00:32:08,711 --> 00:32:11,554 do the handle in the pommel, and do some fancy engravings. 814 00:32:11,714 --> 00:32:14,382 There we go. I've got the guard fitting where I want it to. 815 00:32:14,466 --> 00:32:16,551 I need the handle comfortable 816 00:32:16,644 --> 00:32:18,311 so that there's not a reason to be sent home. 817 00:32:18,470 --> 00:32:21,889 Good as it's gonna get. And then we'll peen it. 818 00:32:21,974 --> 00:32:25,485 So I started engraving skulls and some flames 819 00:32:25,569 --> 00:32:27,737 and things like that to kind of make it my own. 820 00:32:27,822 --> 00:32:29,230 I'm really kind of under the gun here, 821 00:32:29,314 --> 00:32:32,242 but what really helps me is my snake, Toaster. 822 00:32:32,326 --> 00:32:33,818 He always helps me with engravings 823 00:32:33,902 --> 00:32:36,654 and helps calm me down and gives me pointers. 824 00:32:36,747 --> 00:32:39,741 Pretty close. Give it a test. 825 00:32:39,825 --> 00:32:44,078 So Toaster really wanted to see this thing perform. 826 00:32:44,163 --> 00:32:47,582 This blade is so good, I can smell Bigfoot now. 827 00:32:47,666 --> 00:32:49,250 ♪ ♪ 828 00:32:49,334 --> 00:32:50,844 - It's day four. It is the fourth quarter. 829 00:32:50,928 --> 00:32:53,087 Today should be fit and finish day. 830 00:32:53,172 --> 00:32:54,756 Langet love. 831 00:32:54,840 --> 00:32:56,758 Now that I have everything fit together, 832 00:32:56,851 --> 00:32:59,436 I can go ahead and straight down the guard 833 00:32:59,520 --> 00:33:00,603 with the handle. 834 00:33:00,688 --> 00:33:03,514 This thing's been going great. 835 00:33:03,599 --> 00:33:06,100 All right, so far so good. 836 00:33:06,193 --> 00:33:09,270 And hopefully, God willing, and the creek don't rise, 837 00:33:09,363 --> 00:33:12,273 they might say you're the "Forged in Fire" champion. 838 00:33:12,366 --> 00:33:13,608 It will KEAL. 839 00:33:13,692 --> 00:33:16,944 ♪ ♪ 840 00:33:17,038 --> 00:33:19,614 - Well, Nathan, Gunnar, welcome back to The Forge. 841 00:33:19,698 --> 00:33:21,532 We gave you four days in your home forges 842 00:33:21,617 --> 00:33:23,785 to build your best executioner swords, 843 00:33:23,869 --> 00:33:25,545 but only one of you guys is gonna be leaving here 844 00:33:25,704 --> 00:33:26,713 with a title of "Forged in Fire" champion 845 00:33:26,797 --> 00:33:28,790 and a check for $10,000. 846 00:33:28,874 --> 00:33:29,791 So, Nathan, how did the build go for you? 847 00:33:29,875 --> 00:33:32,293 ♪ ♪ 848 00:33:32,377 --> 00:33:33,961 - It went pretty good. 849 00:33:34,055 --> 00:33:37,131 The steel is 51-60, cross guard's mild steel. 850 00:33:37,224 --> 00:33:41,644 The handle is ebony, and the pommel is 01. 851 00:33:41,729 --> 00:33:43,805 - It looks good. Gunnar, how about you? 852 00:33:43,889 --> 00:33:45,973 ♪ ♪ 853 00:33:46,058 --> 00:33:49,903 - My blade is 80CrV2. I've got a TN80 guard, 854 00:33:50,062 --> 00:33:53,406 an oak handle and weight bar pommel. 855 00:33:53,491 --> 00:33:56,484 - Right on, guys. All right, so we got a strength test. 856 00:33:56,568 --> 00:33:58,069 We've got a sharpness test. 857 00:33:58,153 --> 00:33:59,913 And being that this is the executioner sword, 858 00:34:00,072 --> 00:34:01,989 we're gonna start it off with the KEAL. Doug? 859 00:34:02,074 --> 00:34:04,667 ♪ ♪ 860 00:34:04,752 --> 00:34:07,995 - Bladesmiths, welcome to the KEAL test. 861 00:34:08,080 --> 00:34:09,672 ♪ ♪ 862 00:34:09,757 --> 00:34:11,833 The executioner sword. 863 00:34:11,917 --> 00:34:15,428 That word alone just gives you visions of decapitated heads. 864 00:34:15,587 --> 00:34:17,171 So to find out what kind of lethal damage 865 00:34:17,256 --> 00:34:19,841 your executioner sword can do, 866 00:34:19,925 --> 00:34:25,012 I'll deliver some--well, lethal blows on this ballistics dummy. 867 00:34:25,097 --> 00:34:26,606 Nathan, is it time? 868 00:34:26,765 --> 00:34:29,016 - It's time. Have fun. - Let's execute. 869 00:34:29,101 --> 00:34:31,018 - I wanna make it through the next test. 870 00:34:31,103 --> 00:34:32,445 So this ballistic dummy is standing in the way. 871 00:34:32,530 --> 00:34:34,605 So he's gotta be executed. 872 00:34:34,690 --> 00:34:36,440 So I want to see Doug just cut this thing right in half and, 873 00:34:36,534 --> 00:34:37,867 you know, bone and blood and guts 874 00:34:37,952 --> 00:34:39,193 and everything going everywhere. 875 00:34:39,278 --> 00:34:45,959 ♪ ♪ 876 00:34:51,373 --> 00:34:54,292 - Holy crap. 877 00:34:54,385 --> 00:34:55,635 - Just a little off the top. 878 00:34:55,719 --> 00:34:57,879 [laughter] 879 00:34:57,963 --> 00:34:59,556 ♪ ♪ 880 00:34:59,640 --> 00:35:03,134 All right, Nathan. First up, this is a heavy beast. 881 00:35:03,218 --> 00:35:07,147 It is so forward-heavy that you need two hands to control that. 882 00:35:07,306 --> 00:35:09,473 Now, your handle construction is smooth. 883 00:35:09,558 --> 00:35:11,976 I'll give you that, but it also feels 884 00:35:12,069 --> 00:35:13,736 a little bit rounded over here 885 00:35:13,821 --> 00:35:17,157 where it actually gives me much more control sideways 886 00:35:17,241 --> 00:35:18,983 than it does this way. 887 00:35:19,067 --> 00:35:22,737 But overall, your weapon, sir, it will KEAL. 888 00:35:22,830 --> 00:35:24,497 - Awesome. 889 00:35:24,582 --> 00:35:26,407 - All right, Gunnar, your turn, so you ready? 890 00:35:26,491 --> 00:35:29,502 - Absolutely. - Let's do this. 891 00:35:29,661 --> 00:35:31,329 - I'm not going to say I'm not nervous, 892 00:35:31,413 --> 00:35:32,839 because I am a little bit, 893 00:35:32,998 --> 00:35:35,508 but at this point in time, the hay's in the barn, 894 00:35:35,667 --> 00:35:36,751 and whatever's gonna happen is gonna happen. 895 00:35:36,835 --> 00:35:43,516 ♪ ♪ 896 00:35:51,099 --> 00:35:54,444 - Good job. 897 00:35:54,528 --> 00:35:56,604 - All right, Gunnar, let's talk about your executioner 898 00:35:56,697 --> 00:35:58,364 sword over here. 899 00:35:58,523 --> 00:36:02,285 Your blade right here has a finer grind. 900 00:36:02,369 --> 00:36:04,120 So it makes it a little bit lighter. 901 00:36:04,279 --> 00:36:07,207 And the edge that you have here when he came to that skull, 902 00:36:07,291 --> 00:36:10,543 it just glided into that. Overall, sir, 903 00:36:10,628 --> 00:36:13,371 your executioner sword, it will KEAL. 904 00:36:13,455 --> 00:36:15,623 - Thank you. 905 00:36:15,707 --> 00:36:18,125 ♪ ♪ 906 00:36:18,210 --> 00:36:19,969 - All right, gentlemen, it's time for the strength test, 907 00:36:20,054 --> 00:36:22,138 the skull and bone chop. 908 00:36:22,223 --> 00:36:24,557 And to test the overall construction of your blades 909 00:36:24,642 --> 00:36:26,217 as well as how they feel while they're being used, 910 00:36:26,310 --> 00:36:28,302 I'll be chopping into these skulls 911 00:36:28,387 --> 00:36:30,721 and that nasty giraffe bone. 912 00:36:30,814 --> 00:36:31,814 Nathan, you're up. Are you ready? 913 00:36:31,899 --> 00:36:33,066 - Yes, sir. Have fun. 914 00:36:37,238 --> 00:36:39,230 - The strength test is definitely a make-or-break. 915 00:36:39,314 --> 00:36:40,648 And Dave is not gonna go easy on these things, 916 00:36:40,732 --> 00:36:43,067 and so he's just gonna beat the crap out of it. 917 00:36:43,151 --> 00:36:45,069 So I'm pretty darn nervous. 918 00:36:45,153 --> 00:36:51,918 ♪ ♪ 919 00:37:04,098 --> 00:37:05,172 Holy giraffe. 920 00:37:05,266 --> 00:37:07,517 - [laughs] 921 00:37:07,676 --> 00:37:10,603 - All right, Nathan, so right off, man, this thing is heavy. 922 00:37:10,762 --> 00:37:12,096 But once you get it moving, it's going, 923 00:37:12,180 --> 00:37:14,098 but controlling it's tough. 924 00:37:14,182 --> 00:37:17,110 Having said that your edge held up beautifully. 925 00:37:17,269 --> 00:37:19,520 It's still just as sharp as when I started, 926 00:37:19,604 --> 00:37:22,365 which is pretty darn sharp. So good job on that. 927 00:37:22,449 --> 00:37:24,358 - Thanks. I like sharp things. 928 00:37:24,451 --> 00:37:26,193 - Gunnar, ready? 929 00:37:26,278 --> 00:37:28,195 - What if I said no? 930 00:37:28,289 --> 00:37:30,790 - I'd say, "You don't watch the show much, do you?" 931 00:37:30,874 --> 00:37:31,866 - Exactly, exactly. 932 00:37:31,950 --> 00:37:38,798 ♪ ♪ 933 00:38:00,070 --> 00:38:02,238 - All right, so, Gunnar, right off, lighter blade, 934 00:38:02,323 --> 00:38:03,814 easier to control. A lot of that has to do 935 00:38:03,899 --> 00:38:06,067 with the fact that you've got more handle here. 936 00:38:06,160 --> 00:38:09,737 Now, your blade, it's got some compacting on the edges, 937 00:38:09,821 --> 00:38:11,914 but I wouldn't run my finger down this edge. 938 00:38:11,999 --> 00:38:14,408 It's still plenty sharp. Nicely done. 939 00:38:14,501 --> 00:38:15,826 - Thank you, sir. 940 00:38:15,911 --> 00:38:19,747 ♪ ♪ 941 00:38:19,840 --> 00:38:22,175 - All right, bladesmiths, this is the sharpness test, 942 00:38:22,259 --> 00:38:25,169 the jack fruit and water can slice. 943 00:38:25,262 --> 00:38:26,262 Nathan, you up for it? You ready? 944 00:38:26,347 --> 00:38:27,338 - Yes, sir. Have fun. 945 00:38:27,422 --> 00:38:28,339 - All right, let's do this. 946 00:38:28,423 --> 00:38:35,188 ♪ ♪ 947 00:38:42,187 --> 00:38:43,270 - It's still sharp. 948 00:38:43,355 --> 00:38:45,773 - Yeah. 949 00:38:45,857 --> 00:38:48,951 - All right, Nathan, as far as the downward chop, 950 00:38:49,036 --> 00:38:53,197 it's a very clean cut, easy, no resistance whatsoever. 951 00:38:53,281 --> 00:38:55,792 Now, when I was cutting, as soon as I met 952 00:38:55,876 --> 00:39:00,204 the resistance of the water, it kind of rolled on my hand. 953 00:39:00,297 --> 00:39:03,290 But anything that it did have contact with 954 00:39:03,375 --> 00:39:04,801 it was able to cut. 955 00:39:04,885 --> 00:39:07,294 Overall, sir, your weapon, it will cut. 956 00:39:07,379 --> 00:39:08,888 - Thank you. 957 00:39:08,972 --> 00:39:10,464 - All right, Gunnar, your turn. So you ready? 958 00:39:10,557 --> 00:39:11,557 - Yes, sir. I am. 959 00:39:11,642 --> 00:39:13,050 - Let's do this. 960 00:39:13,135 --> 00:39:19,899 ♪ ♪ 961 00:39:30,485 --> 00:39:32,078 - All right, Gunnar, the handle construction 962 00:39:32,162 --> 00:39:35,164 you have here is wide and ovoid enough to where 963 00:39:35,249 --> 00:39:37,417 when I hold onto it I can really tell where the edge is, 964 00:39:37,501 --> 00:39:41,078 and it's much easier to control a blade like this. 965 00:39:41,163 --> 00:39:43,914 In the slice, you can see that it cuts nicely. 966 00:39:44,007 --> 00:39:46,759 Overall, sir, your weapon, it will cut. 967 00:39:46,918 --> 00:39:48,419 - Thank you. 968 00:39:48,503 --> 00:39:50,596 ♪ ♪ 969 00:39:50,681 --> 00:39:52,598 - Well, bladesmiths, only one of you can leave here 970 00:39:52,757 --> 00:39:54,258 with the title of "Forged in Fire" champion 971 00:39:54,342 --> 00:39:56,352 and get that check for $10,000. 972 00:39:56,437 --> 00:39:58,262 Now, the judges discussed your blades, 973 00:39:58,346 --> 00:40:00,606 and they made a final decision. 974 00:40:00,765 --> 00:40:02,516 Today's "Forged in Fire" champion is... 975 00:40:02,601 --> 00:40:06,270 ♪ ♪ 976 00:40:06,354 --> 00:40:07,947 Gunnar. Congratulations. 977 00:40:08,031 --> 00:40:09,523 Now, Nathan, you fought hard, man, 978 00:40:09,616 --> 00:40:11,192 but unfortunately, your blade didn't make the cut, 979 00:40:11,276 --> 00:40:13,194 and Doug's gonna tell you why. 980 00:40:13,278 --> 00:40:14,945 - Nathan, without a doubt, you've got the skills, 981 00:40:15,038 --> 00:40:17,039 because that's a beautiful sword. 982 00:40:17,124 --> 00:40:18,958 But the weight you have on your blade 983 00:40:19,117 --> 00:40:20,960 and the choice of that handle construction 984 00:40:21,044 --> 00:40:22,953 made it a little bit more difficult to control, 985 00:40:23,038 --> 00:40:24,788 and those are the reasons why you didn't win today. 986 00:40:24,873 --> 00:40:26,299 - Understandable. 987 00:40:26,458 --> 00:40:28,050 - Well, Nathan, you have what it takes, 988 00:40:28,135 --> 00:40:29,552 but unfortunately, your time in this competition has ended. 989 00:40:29,711 --> 00:40:30,878 I'm gonna have to ask you 990 00:40:30,962 --> 00:40:32,129 to please step off The Forge floor. 991 00:40:32,214 --> 00:40:33,973 - Thank you very much. Congratulations. 992 00:40:34,057 --> 00:40:37,218 - Thanks, bud. 993 00:40:37,311 --> 00:40:39,720 - This has been a once-in-a-lifetime experience. 994 00:40:39,804 --> 00:40:41,397 I mean, I've loved coming out here, 995 00:40:41,482 --> 00:40:44,233 loved being with the other smiths. 996 00:40:44,392 --> 00:40:45,893 Well, I'm gonna have to find a different way to take my wife 997 00:40:45,977 --> 00:40:47,978 to go see Bigfoot, but we're still gonna go. 998 00:40:48,063 --> 00:40:51,240 ♪ ♪ 999 00:40:51,399 --> 00:40:53,409 - Well, Gunnar, that makes you the "Forged in Fire" champion. 1000 00:40:53,568 --> 00:40:57,154 You just got yourself a check for $10,000. Congratulations. 1001 00:40:57,247 --> 00:41:00,824 - Thank you. Appreciate it, guys. 1002 00:41:00,909 --> 00:41:03,410 I just won "Forged in Fire." - Feeling good? 1003 00:41:03,495 --> 00:41:06,005 - I mean, I've never thought I would make it 1004 00:41:06,089 --> 00:41:07,831 this far from day one. 1005 00:41:07,916 --> 00:41:10,259 I don't necessarily think that I'm a better smith 1006 00:41:10,418 --> 00:41:11,594 than any of these other guys. 1007 00:41:11,678 --> 00:41:14,004 It just worked out in my favor today. 1008 00:41:14,089 --> 00:41:16,933 As far as the money, after football season ends, 1009 00:41:17,017 --> 00:41:19,593 my wife and I will probably take a long weekend somewhere. 1010 00:41:19,678 --> 00:41:26,192 ♪ ♪