Calling forgers/Bladesmiths for a new TV show

Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith said:
... Anyway, you would be miserable down where the average temp is 70°F ( that is 21°C to you Canucks).
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My rider would include a decent sized chest freezer for myself and the dog team to sleep in at night.

I hear you guys get 12+ of daylight, too. That ain't right. How do you expect folks to get even the minimum recommended 16hrs of shut eye?
 
Rick Marchand said:
My rider would include a decent sized chest freezer for myself and the dog team to sleep in at night.

I hear you guys get 12+ of daylight, too. That ain't right. How do you expect folks to get even the minimum recommended 16hrs of shut eye?
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We have these amazing things called curtains. ;)
 
Rick Marchand said:
My rider would include a decent sized chest freezer for myself and the dog team to sleep in at night.

I hear you guys get 12+ of daylight, too. That ain't right. How do you expect folks to get even the minimum recommended 16hrs of shut eye?
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I would *literally* barf if we got less sun in California.

Yes. Barf.
 
Application sent! Wish me luck!(?)

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Good luck guys, I cannot wait to see the show.

I sent in an application also but they do not want the kind of Forger I am!!

Anyone in need of $20 bills just shoot me an E-mail........................:D
 
I know, right? I keep telling people I make forges for a living and they look at me and say "I didn't know you could paint!"

Someone forward this to Sam Salvati, he's got to be on the show(while wearing his fez).
 
The quandry may end up being that the type of people that they are looking for are probably not inclined to participate in the type of foolishness that we have come to expect from "realty" TV. ;)
 
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I'd be all for it except for that "filming in your home forge" thing. My little slice of heaven is most definitely not worth being put on national television!

I wonder how much they're paying the participants? It's all well and good to promise a big payday for the winner, but I'm not getting out of bed for the promise of a potential pay out. Now, if they said all participants are getting $15k just for appearing on the show, and a limo service to get them back and forth between the set and the hotel, and a really nice hotel room for the duration (with complimentary room service)... well, I might be motivated to spruce up my home forge so it's a little more presentable.
 
wolfmann601 said:
Good luck guys, I cannot wait to see the show.

I sent in an application also but they do not want the kind of Forger I am!!

Anyone in need of $20 bills just shoot me an E-mail........................:D
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Don't be too sure about that, Wolfmann, you might get recruited! I talked to the producer and the show's format isn't like a dumb reality show at all, it's actually a great format that isn't a tremendous bother for a blade-maker with things to do. It sounds like it's four different people every episode, making a finale blade in their own shop; one episode is all you would be in, like a mini documentary about you making the blade that will be scored against the other three in that episode. Winner gets a prize! They're interested in presenting all the different and crazy ways people make cutlery.

I thought it would be like a bunch of clashing personalities stuck in a bunk house doing preposterous "challenges" and getting "eliminated." Not so! Everyone, all types and skill-levels of blade-maker are sought.
 
At some point you will be in a studio in New York, then in your shop, whole process takes a couple of weeks. It does sound like they are taking it seriously and respecting the craft
 
One of my thoughts was that they may not understand the process enough.

Yes, a good forger can forge a knife and grind it to some degree of finish in an hour or two, but it won't be "finished" in any sense of the word, heck, it probably won't have any sort of real handle,...and it certainly won't be heat treated.

Filming at your shop for a couple days while you make a "masterpiece" from start to finish is wishful thinking. Many masterpiece blades take hundreds of hour in work to make start to finish, done over months to a year. Much of this type of thing is taken care of by the "magic of modern TV", where days/weeks of work can be condensed into what appears to be an hour.
 
Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith said:
Filming at your shop for a couple days while you make a "masterpiece" from start to finish is wishful thinking. Many masterpiece blades take hundreds of hour in work to make start to finish, done over months to a year. Much of this type of thing is taken care of by the "magic of modern TV", where days/weeks of work can be condensed into what appears to be an hour.
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Since it's been compared to Chopped it may be, just as in the case of Chopped, that the time limit plays a major factor. Say you have a ten hour time limit and that would force some level of strategy in that you have to make the best knife you can in under ten hours. It won't look like the masterpieces we've seen but it will be a question of who can make the best knife in the given time period. Lot's of unknowns but it sounds like a good concept and I'll certainly be checking it out and rooting for any BF members that are on!

For you canucks there is always the chance of a Canadian version like they did with Chopped!
 
Don't have all the details, but a board of pro(mastersmiths) full time makers are the judges and give task they know are possible to do in a time period. After elimination rounds you go to your shop and make a higher end piece to present
 
Not ten hours...two hours.

".....The first two challenges take place at our home forge (location tbd) you will have a couple of hours to forge more basic blades. And in the final challenge we will go back to your home forge and see you make an intricate weapon with a few days to work on your piece.
...."

To make a forged blade in two hours will require many compromises. The first will be a good HT. The second will be a good finish. However, the Brut de Forge chaps will really shine in two hours.

The home forge problem could be easily handled by having about six identical blades in various stages of completion for the camera. That is how it is normally done. The only two that are in real time are the beginning forging from a bar of steel, and the final finished knife/sword. Every other stage will be cimemagic.
 
Well.... if any of the U.S. makers wants to borrow my magic wand, it can be arranged. Mind you, it is metric. So if you start calling out standard numbers during your incantations, it'll probably turn out to be a miniature.:D
 
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