Forged In Fire - General Discussion

[Maelstrom]

So this show is back again, apparently, though History channel can’t quite seem to tell the difference between Tuesdays and Wednesdays. (“All new Forged in Fires are back on Tuesday nights! Which is why this aired on Wednesday!”) Anyway, it was a fun challenge, the contestants were all pretty talented and the sword (which I’m not going to attempt to try spelling on an iPad) was very cool. It’s always interesting to see all of the different styles of swords they use for the final round. They must have filmed this when they did the last batch, since Doug still has his arm in a sling. Get well soon, Doug! I miss watching you behead ballistics dummies!

[qtpye]

54 minutes ago, Maelstrom said:

So this show is back again, apparently, though History channel can’t quite seem to tell the difference between Tuesdays and Wednesdays. (“All new Forged in Fires are back on Tuesday nights! Which is why this aired on Wednesday!”) Anyway, it was a fun challenge, the contestants were all pretty talented and the sword (which I’m not going to attempt to try spelling on an iPad) was very cool. It’s always interesting to see all of the different styles of swords they use for the final round. They must have filmed this when they did the last batch, since Doug still has his arm in a sling. Get well soon, Doug! I miss watching you behead ballistics dummies!

I absolutely loved seeing all those different patterns of Damascus.  I also have never seen a wild boar cut in two like that.

[johntfs]

We still have Ben Abbott instead of J. Neilson, too.

[whydoiwatchtv]

I think the one with the boar was listed for me as last season. I’m also pretty sure the new season starts this Tuesday, March 13 at 8:00 central. Didn’t catch the judges in the commercial I saw. Can’t wait! 

[johntfs]

5 hours ago, whydoiwatchtv said:

I think the one with the boar was listed for me as last season. I’m also pretty sure the new season starts this Tuesday, March 13 at 8:00 central. Didn’t catch the judges in the commercial I saw. Can’t wait! 

That's what I thought, too.  Last season, though, Ben Abbott did three episodes.  The Champion of Champions, the Templar Sword and the Viking Axes.  This episode (which reran Sunday and which I've recorded) was new.

[Omeletsmom]

My TiVo listed both the one that showed last Wednesday and the one that was on last night as new.  I think the fifth season officially started last night?

It's nice to see Doug out of the sling, but he still can't wield weapons.  :-(

I do not remember what the name of that weapon from Wednesday's show was, but, man, did they cut through the boars like butta!  So cool!

I was not terribly impressed with the skills of the rookies they had on last night; I hope the talent pool for the rest of the season is better.

[KHenry14]

I liked last night's ep  from the stand point of the contestants all being people who took up forging after seeing the show. I'm sure they represent a LOT of people who started doing this after watching the show

[johntfs]

On 3/14/2018 at 12:29 PM, Omeletsmom said:

I was not terribly impressed with the skills of the rookies they had on last night; I hope the talent pool for the rest of the season is better.

Well, they were rookies.  The guy who won clearly showed skill throughout the competition.  His runner-up had skill but bad luck.  The young guy had skill but lacked the maturity to fully harness it (Oh, and I hope his boss wasn't watching this).  The bit with looking like he was working instead of actually working probably sent him home early.  If he'd shaped that handle more, he might've been able to continue.  Santa/Wrestler dude just seemed to start out kind of fucked and never got much better.  As for the fifth guy, his knife that he forged at home with his tools and all the time he wanted still broke.  Maybe he should rethink his hobbies.

Edited March 19, 2018 by johntfs

[johntfs]

I didn't mind Jeff winning even if I was rooting for Brad in the final challenge.  Jesus, that first bit with the salvaged steel and coal forges was just a stone bastard for everyone.

[Maelstrom]

Yeah, I really wish they would choose contestants specifically for the coal forge. It seems to be such a specific subset of forging that watching those unfamiliar with it have to do it is just not fun to watch. I’d rather watch smiths with the knowhow do cool things with it rather than see coal forge novices struggle with it.

That being said, it was a better episode than I thought it would be at the start, and I was pleased with the winner (even though I’ve forgotten his name).

[Gothish520]

41 minutes ago, johntfs said:

I didn't mind Jeff winning even if I was rooting for Brad in the final challenge.  Jesus, that first bit with the salvaged steel and coal forges was just a stone bastard for everyone.

I was rooting for Brad as he's from my home state (Go Huskies!), but Jeff was cool too.

[halopub]

On 3/11/2018 at 8:42 PM, johntfs said:

We still have Ben Abbott instead of J. Neilson, too.

I think he said last summer that he'd be doing at least 8 tapings to let J. Neilson get some forging time in.

[Maelstrom]

Damn, those sica swords were impressive! I was really rooting for Frank to win, though. Tony is obviously talented but seemed a bit too cocky, and was grating on me before the first commercial break.

[clytierising]

Frank was exceedingly gracious, but I felt he had the win taken away from him.  His sword was clearly the sharper of the two on the sugarcane, and his dummy was no less dead than Tony's.  I wasn't entirely sold on Brad's win over Jeff last week, but this one felt like more of a fix.  The judges need to stand by the results of the tests.

[Gothish520]

On 3/27/2018 at 11:30 PM, Maelstrom said:

Damn, those sica swords were impressive! I was really rooting for Frank to win, though. Tony is obviously talented but seemed a bit too cocky, and was grating on me before the first commercial break.

On 3/28/2018 at 7:46 AM, clytierising said:

Frank was exceedingly gracious, but I felt he had the win taken away from him.  His sword was clearly the sharper of the two on the sugarcane, and his dummy was no less dead than Tony's.  I wasn't entirely sold on Brad's win over Jeff last week, but this one felt like more of a fix.  The judges need to stand by the results of the tests.

I agree with you both. By the end, I thought Frank had it. Hope this isn't a trend, as up until now the judging has been pretty spot-on.

[Destiny74]

I agree that coal forging seems to be a specific sub-skill set but, by now, if you apply to this show and can't use a coal forge (or create Damascus) you shouldn't apply.

It's like Survivor.  If you can't start a fire or build a rough shelter, you haven't done your homework and you're taking someone else's place.

Also, about Ben as a judge.  I'm biased.  He's a nice guy and all but I don't think being a two time winner is basis for being a judge.  I started watching with Jason as the blade making expert.  Then I watched J. On Demand.  They are both master bladesmiths which gives them cred in my mind.  If Ben is a master bladesmith, they don't introduce him that way.

I miss Doug going to town on dummies.  I hope he heals completely soon.

[Gothish520]

13 hours ago, Destiny74 said:

I agree that coal forging seems to be a specific sub-skill set but, by now, if you apply to this show and can't use a coal forge (or create Damascus) you shouldn't apply.

It's like Survivor.  If you can't start a fire or build a rough shelter, you haven't done your homework and you're taking someone else's place.

Also, about Ben as a judge.  I'm biased.  He's a nice guy and all but I don't think being a two time winner is basis for being a judge.  I started watching with Jason as the blade making expert.  Then I watched J. On Demand.  They are both master bladesmiths which gives them cred in my mind.  If Ben is a master bladesmith, they don't introduce him that way.

I miss Doug going to town on dummies.  I hope he heals completely soon.

Agree 100% with everything you said.

[johntfs]

1 hour ago, Gothish520 said:

Agree 100% with everything you said.

I agree with maybe 85% of what Destiny74 said.  I do prefer Jason Knight or J. Neilson in part because of their forging insights, but Ben has kind of grown on me.  He brings his own forging expertise, but he also brings insights into what it's like to be a contestant on the show.

[TexasTiffany]

When Ben is whacking away at something he puts his left hand on his chest. Reminds me of Napoleon. 

I like the new ads for the show. Especially the compilation of funny sound bites.

"I didn't know I couldn't see until I came on this show."

"He needs to put all his weight into it... oh, he just did."

I agree with the Survivor analogy. If you don't know there are twists and turns, don't apply for the show. You rarely get ideal metal to work with and ideal conditions. Expect the unexpected. 

When they get large cuts of meat to test the knives, what do they do with the meat afterward? I keep thinking how expensive that meat is and if it goes to waste. 

[Destiny74]

7 hours ago, TexasTiffany said:

 

When they get large cuts of meat to test the knives, what do they do with the meat afterward? I keep thinking how expensive that meat is and if it goes to waste. 

I always think they have one hell of a cast and crew barbeque!

[Quilt Fairy]

I am getting tired of episodes with people who have hugely disparate levels of experience.   After the all-rookies episode I thought they were trying to level the playing field, but this last show had, IIRC,  a range of 18 months to 30 years!  Not that someone with less experience can't be the most talented of a group, but the curveballs they throw at the smiths in this show favor those with more experience.

I like Ben well enough (always a sucker for the accent!), but he just doesn't talk as much as J or Jason.  Maybe it's just a matter of jelling with the other judges over time.  I had thought they mentioned one time that he was a master blade smith, but you're right that they don't introduce him as such, so perhaps I misheard it.  

Edited April 2, 2018 by Quilt Fairy

[johntfs]

1 hour ago, Quilt Fairy said:

I had thought they mentioned one time that he was a master blade smith, but you're right that they don't introduce him as such, so perhaps I misheard it.  

They introduced Jason Knight and J. Neilson as ABS (American Bladesmith Society) Master smiths.  Perhaps Ben simply hasn't been accredited as a "master smith" by the ABS but is still a master smith somewhere else (like Great Britain).

[Destiny74]

1 hour ago, johntfs said:

They introduced Jason Knight and J. Neilson as ABS (American Bladesmith Society) Master smiths.  Perhaps Ben simply hasn't been accredited as a "master smith" by the ABS but is still a master smith somewhere else (like Great Britain).

If he is accredited by some other organization, they should mention it in the intros.  It would make me not pine for someone with real cred to take the first seat.

Like I said, I actually like Ben.  I just wish he was something more accredited that "Two time winner".  He very well may be.  If so, production needs to mention it, it's a fail on their part.

Personally, I like two time winner Theo better. I like his cheesy jokes.  I'm just afraid he.may be a Brooklyn hipster.

[johntfs]

45 minutes ago, Destiny74 said:

If he is accredited by some other organization, they should mention it in the intros.  It would make me not pine for someone with real cred to take the first seat.

Like I said, I actually like Ben.  I just wish he was something more accredited that "Two time winner".  He very well may be.  If so, production needs to mention it, it's a fail on their part.

Personally, I like two time winner Theo better. I like his cheesy jokes.  I'm just afraid he.may be a Brooklyn hipster.

Maybe the show thinks that there's more cred in being a two-time winner of the show.

Theo was okay but of the three, I actually liked Travis the best.  That said, of the three, Ben strikes me as the one who really knows his shit, forging-wise.

[Maelstrom]

Glad to see J back! I enjoyed Ben but these three judges just have such an easy camaraderie that’s fun to watch. I had to laugh at Will belatedly getting the “bear leg” joke.

Wow, so Jacob basically won through sheer luck. Not his own good luck, but rather through everyone else’s bad luck. It’s too bad, I would’ve loved to have seen what Greg could come up with, and Fuad’s Yari was beautiful. Hopefully either or both of them can come back in the future.

So they must have filmed the first half of the ep before Doug’s injury, I guess? I can’t figure out the timeline on this show.

[TexasTiffany]

I felt like that guy was cheating when he used a rake handle. I thought he was more of an artisan than that. Forging your own blade, especially in competition, why not make your own handle? And, he didn't test it. 

I expected him to win easily with his years of experience over Jacob. His over confidence added to his downfall.

Edited April 4, 2018 by TexasTiffany

[Omeletsmom]

That really sucked.  It appeared to me that Fuad had the better blade; his handle just let him down.  I hope he gets the chance to come back and compete again.

[Gothish520]

On 4/4/2018 at 12:24 AM, TexasTiffany said:

I felt like that guy was cheating when he used a rake handle. I thought he was more of an artisan than that. Forging your own blade, especially in competition, why not make your own handle? And, he didn't test it. 

I expected him to win easily with his years of experience over Jacob. His over confidence added to his downfall.

Yeah using that rake handle was dumb . How do you not test your weapon? I hope this show isn't manufacturing drama, because this kind of seemed fake.

On 4/3/2018 at 11:33 PM, Maelstrom said:

So they must have filmed the first half of the ep before Doug’s injury, I guess? I can’t figure out the timeline on this show.

I don't get what's going on either. I thought Doug had finally recovered at the beginning of this episode but apparently not.

[johntfs]

7 hours ago, Gothish520 said:

I don't get what's going on either. I thought Doug had finally recovered at the beginning of this episode but apparently not.

The ham slice was a pretty simple maneuver that allowed him to use the knife in one hand.  Presumably larger weapons and more complex action require both hands so he lets other people do those until he's fully healed.

[Quilt Fairy]

On ‎4‎/‎2‎/‎2018 at 6:37 PM, Destiny74 said:

If he is accredited by some other organization, they should mention it in the intros.  It would make me not pine for someone with real cred to take the first seat.

Like I said, I actually like Ben.  I just wish he was something more accredited that "Two time winner".  He very well may be.  If so, production needs to mention it, it's a fail on their part.

Personally, I like two time winner Theo better. I like his cheesy jokes.  I'm just afraid he.may be a Brooklyn hipster.

I did a little research on Ben.  (Everything except checking out his Facebook page, because I always knew Facebook was evil, and I was right!)  He's not an ABS master smith like J or Jason.  That certification sounds like kind of a lengthy, involved process which requires several years of apprenticeship.  But the more important thing is that he's not a full-time professional bladesmith.  He's got a day job; he's an electrical engineer at Caltech.  I don't know if that means he teaches there or he's a specialized maintenance man.  He's interested in metallurgy and blacksmithing, he makes jewelry and complex wrought iron pieces as well as knives.  Even though he sells his knives, it's more of a serious hobby, something he's been passionate about since he was a teen.  Also, although he was born in England, his family moved to the US when he was a kid.

[johntfs]

I've seen master smiths fail to win against less experienced smiths.  Figure the show wouldn't have Ben on it as a judge if it didn't think he could do the job.

I was glad the man/woman team won tonight, though I was really rooting for the two women farriers.

Edited April 20, 2018 by johntfs

[Maelstrom]

I was really impressed by Mark and Jessica’s teamwork and skill, and am so happy they won. Though I have to say both dao swords were beautiful theirs was just a cut above. No pun intended. I was rooting for them from the start. I wanted to root for Raleigh and Kelly until Raleigh opened her mouth. The trench knife was quite a challenge as far as planning and construction.

[Kaiju Ballet]

I liked how the judges pointed out that Mark/Jessica a good example of the master/apprentice relationship at work. It gave good insight into how some bladesmiths are formed. That added to the joy of watching them figure out how to handle things like the cracks. I held my breath for them in the strength tests! In a few years, it would be cool to see Jessica compete on her own.

So much for “Iron Man.” That was creative doing the “M”s but the time constraints on this show favor the most direct approach or using techniques that are ingrained in muscle memory.

Raleigh/Kelly sure were fun to watch. I felt for the medic when Kelly was yelling “I don’t have time for this! I don’t have time!” and fighting his efforts to cover up her bleeding injury. I hope they bring Raleigh back in a regular episode, just to watch her hammer away at some metal. They were memorable contestants, that’s for sure.

How did Doug get injured?

[Quilt Fairy]

Did anyone watch the "Knife or Death" spin-off?  It TOTALLY sucked.

[Finagler]

I just watched the knife of death.  Was NOT impressed.  I'll give it two more chances and then I'm done.  I don't know if it was the 'judges' or what.... it was very boring and stupid.

[Eliza422]

The over the top commentary on knife or death got tiresome really fast.

[Gothish520]

16 hours ago, Finagler said:

I just watched the knife of death.  Was NOT impressed.  I'll give it two more chances and then I'm done.  I don't know if it was the 'judges' or what.... it was very boring and stupid.

2 hours ago, Eliza422 said:

The over the top commentary on knife or death got tiresome really fast.

Will keep watching just because I enjoy seeing what the contestants and their blades can do. Hopefully the commentary won't get any worse. It sucked that no one could get past the fish slice. I sure wasn't impressed with this first round of knives. 

Goldberg is no Will Willis, that's for sure.  ;)

[Miracle Maxie]

3 hours ago, Gothish520 said:

Goldberg is no Will Willis, that's for sure.  ;)

I'll keep watching - for now - but I think I'm going to have to do so with the sound off. Goldberg works my last nerve. There's something off about the pacing of the show, too. Maybe it'll gel in the next couple of episodes? I want to like it, but so far I'm unimpressed.

[qtpye]

On 4/18/2018 at 12:11 AM, Maelstrom said:

I was really impressed by Mark and Jessica’s teamwork and skill, and am so happy they won. Though I have to say both dao swords were beautiful theirs was just a cut above. No pun intended. I was rooting for them from the start. I wanted to root for Raleigh and Kelly until Raleigh opened her mouth. The trench knife was quite a challenge as far as planning and construction.

 

On 4/18/2018 at 11:23 AM, Kaiju Ballet said:

I liked how the judges pointed out that Mark/Jessica a good example of the master/apprentice relationship at work. It gave good insight into how some bladesmiths are formed. That added to the joy of watching them figure out how to handle things like the cracks. I held my breath for them in the strength tests! In a few years, it would be cool to see Jessica compete on her own.

So much for “Iron Man.” That was creative doing the “M”s but the time constraints on this show favor the most direct approach or using techniques that are ingrained in muscle memory.

Raleigh/Kelly sure were fun to watch. I felt for the medic when Kelly was yelling “I don’t have time for this! I don’t have time!” and fighting his efforts to cover up her bleeding injury. I hope they bring Raleigh back in a regular episode, just to watch her hammer away at some metal. They were memorable contestants, that’s for sure.

How did Doug get injured?

They were a fantastic team with great camaraderie. This was a really fun episode.

Also, on a shallow note, Mark was very good looking. The guy looked like a bladesmith from a cover of some sort of Harlequin romance.

[johntfs]

This episode kind of frustrated me a little bit.  The kid who went home first made me kind of angry, because he started out smart (spark testing the steel, which none of the other ones did).  I didn't yell at the screen but I was think-screaming JUST FORGE-WELD A SMALL PIECE OF THE SPROCKETT ONTO YOUR TANG TO MEET THE PARAMETERS!!!  Meanwhile, the "Forge-gods" are apparently real, because they took a huge, steaming shit onto the life of the runner-up.  That poor bastard would have been way better off going home early.

Edited April 25, 2018 by johntfs

[Quilt Fairy]

For some reason, when they slice up a pig carcass, it doesn't bother me, but last week the boar carcass with all the hair freaked me out.

[DEL901]

9 hours ago, johntfs said:

This episode kind of frustrated me a little bit.  The kid who went home first made me kind of angry, because he started out smart (spark testing the steel, which none of the other ones did).  I didn't yell at the screen but I was think-screaming JUST FORGE-WELD A SMALL PIECE OF THE SPROCKETT ONTO YOUR TANG TO MEET THE PARAMETERS!!!  Meanwhile, the "Forge-gods" are apparently real, because they took a huge, steaming shit onto the life of the runner-up.  That poor bastard would have been way better off going home early.

Yeah... I didn't get the kid's reasoning:  maybe they'll let me add the sprokett in the 2nd round??????

And there's another winner who didn't exactly beat everyone... they just all dropped out one by one from their own errors.  He still gets the money and title, but it has to be kind of frustrating.

[johntfs]

2 hours ago, DEL901 said:

Yeah... I didn't get the kid's reasoning:  maybe they'll let me add the sprokett in the 2nd round??????

He had 40 minutes when he realized he goof.  Just go over and ask them about the second round.  If they say "No" then do the tiny forge-weld.

[illini1959]

I'm immediately rooting for the loss of anyone whose intro is "I can forge circles around these guys", especially coming from a teenager.

Arrogance will get you (almost) every time. 

[staphdude]

1 hour ago, illini1959 said:

I'm immediately rooting for the loss of anyone whose intro is "I can forge circles around these guys", especially coming from a teenager.

Arrogance will get you (almost) every time. 

Thing is for the most part he clearly could do what he claimed. I believe he was trying to integrate the soft steel more fully and brain froze. The others were hardly competent. At some point they need to have a qualifier to even get on the show or you will be left with this type of clown show.

 

the fact that they even allowed the vet to continue when they explicitly said on a number of occasions that you can’t make a hard blade with the sprocket is crazy. They should have disqualified him. 

[illini1959]

1 minute ago, staphdude said:

Thing is for the most part he clearly could do what he claimed. I believe he was trying to integrate the soft steel more fully and brain froze. The others were hardly competent. At some point they need to have a qualifier to even get on the show or you will be left with this type of clown show.

 

the fact that they even allowed the vet to continue when they explicitly said on a number of occasions that you can’t make a hard blade with the sprocket is crazy. They should have disqualified him. 

I agree, he was smart.

I just don't like the "I'm better than the rest of you" mentality.

I've seen it with other, older, bladesmiths, too, but his just got me last night is all.

[johntfs]

7 hours ago, staphdude said:

the fact that they even allowed the vet to continue when they explicitly said on a number of occasions that you can’t make a hard blade with the sprocket is crazy. They should have disqualified him. 

A hard blade will hold a true edge and be much more likely to survive the tests.  As long as two other smiths suck worse than you, you can win with a mild steel blade.  Figure if the kid had incorporated the mild steel per the parameters, mild steel guy would have been shit-canned first, then the other guy would have gone when his blade came apart like a crappy zip-lock bag.

[TexasTiffany]

15 hours ago, johntfs said:

A hard blade will hold a true edge and be much more likely to survive the tests.  As long as two other smiths suck worse than you, you can win with a mild steel blade.  Figure if the kid had incorporated the mild steel per the parameters, mild steel guy would have been shit-canned first, then the other guy would have gone when his blade came apart like a crappy zip-lock bag.

 I've never seen that before and have wondered what would happen. I thought the blade would fly apart rather than bend. 

What does the show do with the blades after the show ends? 

[johntfs]

7 minutes ago, TexasTiffany said:

 I've never seen that before and have wondered what would happen. I thought the blade would fly apart rather than bend. 

What does the show do with the blades after the show ends? 

The $10,000 winning blade actually goes up on the wall.  Figure most of the losing blades end up in a garbage can, though I recall one episode where the contestants were given losers' knives and told to reforge blades out of them.

[DEL901]

I read an article that they aren't allowed to give the blades back to the contestants to take home as souvenirs as most of the blades wouldn't be legal outside of the show.

 

Also, Ben Abbott posted on his Facebook that he was asked to do 8 shows this year.