Forged In Fire joke

^^ That's a really good point. I rarely watch TV as it's aired because of the time I spend in the shop. So when I come in and sit down to watch a bit and the wife has the remote and she says, "Greys Anatomy or Forged In Fire?" there's really no deliberation in my mind, if she enjoys watching a show with hammers and fire and blades, I'm going to take that brief respite from the agonizingly mind numbing drivel that is Greys :D

lol, then a small voice says "you'll watch this shit on TV but you won't spend 5 minutes in the shop holding some tongs so I can upset that billet with a maul *grumble*"
 
Ok, I waited until my episode aired and then shot a video with my buddy Tobin Nieto, fellow FiF champion, talking about our experiences with the show and addressing common questions, misconceptions, and complaints about the show, some of which can be found in this thread. It's as long as an episode of FiF, but I feel like it's entertaining and worth watching, just like the show. :D

 
Thanks James for the video. That is awesome both you and Tobin were champs.
Your video is Very informative and cuts through a lot of the B.S. here some love to put out.
 
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James, thank you and Toby both for taking the time to produce the video. Good job.

Ken H>
 
I love the show. It always amazes me that even the best smiths I know on there don't win hands down. The car parts and golf clubs level the playing fields as the unfamiliar power tools and forges also. I know several of the MasterSmiths that simply don't win because they are out of their comfort zone. If they are lucky enough to make it to the last round at their own shops they still only have 5 days to turn out an unfamiliar weapon. Its all very challenging and entertaining. At knife shows its so much fun to talk to the contestants. They are heroes to us all just because they had the balls to go on there. The show has brought millions of people to the fact that knife and sword makers exist. Its all good for us.
 
A bit flawed? Yes. But considering the GARBAGE on TV. Seriously???? I enjoy it for the fact it's about something I love to do.
 
Salem Straub said:
Oh, and the second episode I was on, for the second round they sprung a surprise on us... we had to use two different materials in our handle as well as etch a design on the blade. Not a huge deal, but changed my design choice from probably a block of micarta to a wood block with micarta up front!
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I just started watching this show recently; usually at the same time I'm doing PT exercises for my surgically repaired shoulder. I've really enjoyed watching the few episodes I've seen to date- very entertaining! :thumbsup::thumbsup:

About a week or so ago, I stumbled upon FIF, just as it was beginning the final round of the testing between the 2 finalists. Something clicked regarding one of the contestants, name Salem, along with his appearance. It took awhile, before I was finally able to make the connection between Salem the FIF contestant, and Salem the highly respected maker on this forum. :confused: I think that it was his Frank Zappa triangular style "Soul Patch" below his bottom lip that made me realize: holy ---- this IS the same guy!!! :D

Congratulations, Salem, on winning 10 Grand!!! :thumbsup::thumbsup:

Bruce Bump said:
I love the show. It always amazes me that even the best smiths I know on there don't win hands down. The car parts and golf clubs level the playing fields as the unfamiliar power tools and forges also. I know several of the MasterSmiths that simply don't win because they are out of their comfort zone. If they are lucky enough to make it to the last round at their own shops they still only have 5 days to turn out an unfamiliar weapon. Its all very challenging and entertaining. At knife shows its so much fun to talk to the contestants. They are heroes to us all just because they had the balls to go on there. The show has brought millions of people to the fact that knife and sword makers exist. Its all good for us.
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^ I couldn't even begin to imagine what it must be like going on a show competing against 4 other people in my trade (carpentry), and improvise building something under such strict time constraints; along with the fact that there's a camera crew, producer/production staff & 4 elite professionals, scrutinizing my every move... :eek:

It definitely takes a very big pair to even consider auditioning for this show.
 
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Hahaha! Yeah I get likened to FZ pretty frequently. OK by me, he's one of my musical heroes...
Jeez guys, I'm like the farthest thing from "all Hollywood now"... just another broke bladesmith. The ten grand was good though, bought a good family car and an 18" Hendey metal lathe. I wanted to spend it on a big hammer but had to wait until this year to do it...
The show is a bit stressful, but I found it mostly to be a very interesting adventure and quite fun. Plus people recognize me in WalMart now, which is just incredibly validating. o_O
Cheers, fellas!
 
Salem Straub said:
Plus people recognize me in WalMart now, which is just incredibly validating. o_O
Cheers, fellas!
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lol. The local tech college had me on a billboard in town after I did an interview or whatever about being a returning adult. That was fun. People staring at me everywhere in town because they knew they'd seen me, they just weren't sure where.
 
I have heard Wil mention once on the show that the blades were tempered.
I like the show mostly, it does show that some of the competitors can make some pretty nice cutlery in a very limited time.
Some of the weapons they have the competitors make are just silly. Some of the weapons look like they weren't very effective in real life, hence the reason most of us haven't heard of them.
 
v8r said:
I have heard Wil mention once on the show that the blades were tempered.
I like the show mostly, it does show that some of the competitors can make some pretty nice cutlery in a very limited time.
Some of the weapons they have the competitors make are just silly. Some of the weapons look like they weren't very effective in real life, hence the reason most of us haven't heard of them.
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Still cool to see them made, but for the talk Wil does on how deadly they are, sometimes I just want to say "OK, if they were all that and a bag of chips, how come the Assyrians aren't in charge now, huh?"
 
The design of a weapon can't be measured in a vacuum. you have to take into account the military tactics that were at play, the fighting discipline, skill level of the intended user, manufacturing capability, etc. The Roman gladius looks like a pretty crude weapon by today's standards, but it was the weapon that worked within the military doctrine of the Romans. The Roman empire had a pretty good run. I always think of this topic when I see the popularity of karambits: a tool, once a farm implement used in the harvesting of rice in a few South East Asian countries, then imployed in a martial art I would gather .0001% of people buying these things practice. To me, it would be a very impractical choice as a weapon. To a Silat practitioner, I would gather it would be much more effective.
 
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