Thanks guys! It was a hell of an experience for sure!
Most of the reason I haven't been around here is sort of the same reason I decided to apply for the show. In 2011 I got a new job. The work was good (for a while), but all consuming. I was spending 60-80 hours a week with an hour and a half drive each way to boot. This obviously left just about no time to be in the shop. I spent just about 4 years without lighting my forge. When I left my last job and started working from home most of the time, I had a bit of time to get back into the shop, but was still catching up on other "stuff" as well. When I saw the casting call for season 2 of Forged In Fire, I decided that I'd give it a shot and kind of force myself back into the shop to get ready in case I was selected. So, about a month before the taping I went back into the shop for the first time in 4 years, re-arranged everything (which I couldn't have done without my wife!) and started to make a few practice blades.
That's pretty much it. Forged In Fire was my personal return to the craft that I love after being away for far too long. I decided that I needed to see if an out of practice, hobby bladesmith could compete in the new world order of bladesmithing that has evolved over the past 5 years. I may not have come home $10k richer, but I feel that I came home a winner in a much more important way. For me, being selected was a win, puling myself together to get back into the shop was a win, and every round I made it through was a win. Heck, the simple realization that I could still make a decent knife was a win for me!
It was tough competition against some awesome guys, and I'm proud of the work I produced in the time allotted and how far I got. I said during the taping that on any given day, the competition could be anybody's game, and in the end I think I was spot on with that. I made one decision in construction while making my Tabar that probably meant the difference between a win and a loss, but I stand behind it, and I regret nothing.
I'll be doing my level best to maintain a better balance between shop, family, and work time. My 4 year break is definitely something I don't want to repeat!
