Forged In Fire joke

BlackHands said:
EVERYBODY ON THIS THREAD!! If you haven't heard of "Man at Arms: Reforged" you don't know what a blacksmithing tv show is! They make LEGIT badass blades and weapons and they do it RIGHT and make some amazing stuff, they show every part of the crafting and they are really artists, not novelty replica manufacturers. I love it, watch it every night, it's on YouTube, I don't know if it was on any cable stations but its an online series I think. Seriously, I can't imagine anybody here not liking this show.
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I watch their youtube channel often.

I am curious if you're insinuating that the people who have competed on FiF are "novelty replica manufacturers." Because if you are, you couldn't be more wrong. If you're not, my bad, I read your comment wrong.
 
Hi all, I caught the "forging bug" watching FIF. I love that the show introduces people to BladeSmithing in an entertaining format. I have since watched and researched some of the wealth of really good (and bad) information that is on the net to help me start forging and making knives. I have completed 3 knives and a couple of other smithing projects. I love it! Each knife I make is a learning experience and tons of fun. I really appreciate all the amazing craftsmen that are on this forum. I can see why you would find FIF a bit of a joke, but it may help people gain an interest in custom knives and build up the customer base for many here.
 
ranartisan, that's a great first post, and welcome to the forum! This is a big part of the actual effect I see the show having. People getting into making blades, people getting into buying them. I've had several customers directly mention that they'd never ordered a knife before, and were because of FiF.

I agree, Man at Arms is a good show. Those smiths are more free to call their own shots, and it shows.
 
Heck I've been making knives for a few years now and have been pretty content with stock removal. I've always thought of forging as a someday kind of thing. After watching FIF more (even the re-runs) the bug is biting and I'm actively seeking an anvil and looking to build my forge soon.
 
A perfect example of what the non-knifemaker watching doesn't understand is seen in how the show plays out. In the recent redemption episode, JD Smith was on again. JD is a guild member and a Master Smith. He makes knives that are fantastic works of art. His damascus is stunning, as his finished knives also are .... when he has weeks or months to make them. In the time restraints of the show, a fairly inexperienced maker may beat him easily with an ugly knife ... because that knife filled the required parameters. In his first episode, he didn't listen to the requirements, and used the wrong number ingredients to make his very nice canister damascus blade. He was kicked off in the first round because the blade was not what it was supposed to be, not because it was a bad blade ( it was by far the best). In his redemption challenge, he spent all his time making stunning 500+ layer damascus, not making the blade they wanted. He used up all his time making a pretty damascus blade, and when a minor handle problem occurred he had to turn in a blade with no handle ... again disqualified because he didn't spend his time on the requirements. The blades that beat him only a few layers ( one was 5 layers), but fulfilled the requirements.

The point I am making is that the pressure and time restraints require the ability to plan a blade in 10 minutes and build it in three hours ... all from materials and procedures you didn't know until the challenge started. This is far from how we actually make knives for use and sale.

As seen repeatedly, the prettiest blade often does not win, but the sturdiest does, even when it is ugly. The person on the street watching FIF does not care a bit about all that. He wants to see the blades fall on the floor and immediately burst into flames ( anyone ever have that happen at home???), the huge flash of fire when the blade is quenched (anyone ever have that happen at home???), and the drama of "I don't think I can go on!!! (anyone ever have that happen at home???). They also love the judges covering their eyes and yelling, "No, not the water!!!", and David's stupid hand motions and, "Eat Wheel Keeeeel."

It is a TV show that is made for public entertainment. It is successful because of all the silly drama. It is a bonus to us that it has encouraged interest in handmade knives and fostered new knifemakers ( but the producers couldn't care less about that).
 
I was just discussing that with my wife last night as we watched. I don't know of JD outside the show, but could tell he was a master craftsman who likely makes stunning blades. He just can't do it in 6 hours. Few people can. Especially people very set in their own ways regardless of their skill level.

If you go in there with the idea that you're going to operate the way you would at home, its just not going to work out well.

That's why I like it though. That's why I liked junkyard wars. Now I wonder if engineers sat around arguing about the lack of slide rules and slump tests on that show 😂
 
Follow instructions
Make a blade that is viable
Make a blade that is within the required specs
Make the best one, in that episode, within all those parameters

Win $10,000 dollars.

Everything else in the show is there to keep you from being bored and changing the channel.

It is good to see so many here who moaned and groaned about the show initially are faithful viewers now. LOL

P.S. You guys do understand it is the smiths causing the flame ups to get camera time, you know that right?
 
Good points Adam. After watching a dozen shows, it seems to me the best way to get through the first round is meet the specs and make a knife that will not fail out. Seems someone on almost every show fails due to cracks or some other integral issue, or just didn't meet the simple specs.
 
Yes, I am not interested in being a participant anymore due to the hand problem, but if I do someday, I would make a sturdy chopper - as simple as possible. Forget about Bowies, kukris, Arkansas toothpicks, etc. Any feature that is not a part of the basic parameters given would be a waste. I would forget fancy/pretty handles and use rubber or some sturdy plain wood.

There are basically only a few things that will determine if you stay or go for each of the first two rounds - Following the project guidelines, sharpness, blade and edge toughness. Pretty isn't even a factor in the judging of the first two challenges. In the final challenge, it only matters if both weapons pass the tests equally. We have seen a plain sword made from 1095 beat a 500 layer damascus sword with all damascus fittings because the handle cracked on the fancy one.
 
And, you guys don't think the show is scripted?
It may be less scripted than many, because the producers are not knifemakers-but it's scripted.
I agree that it can get people interested in knifemaking and the show is at least "entertaining," but it's pretty hokey.
 
They should crossbreed this with Cutthroat Kitchen so the contestants can sabotage each other.
 
Bill DeShivs said:
And, you guys don't think the show is scripted?
It may be less scripted than many, because the producers are not knifemakers-but it's scripted.
I agree that it can get people interested in knifemaking and the show is at least "entertaining," but it's pretty hokey.
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Perhaps you should do some research before you make comments? The show is not scripted, ask any of the several people that have been on the show. The ones I've talked to all say it's lots of waiting around, and then a lot of watching the clock, and it's hotter than hell in there and the lights are too bright to see a good color on your steel, but they have all told me it was not scripted.
 
I look at it this way. If you don't like it don't watch it. I don't like the Kardashians, so I don't watch it.
 
Bill DeShivs said:
And, you guys don't think the show is scripted?
It may be less scripted than many, because the producers are not knifemakers-but it's scripted.
I agree that it can get people interested in knifemaking and the show is at least "entertaining," but it's pretty hokey.
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What parts do you think are scripted?
 
Example: make a bayonet-
5 guys come up with their own ideas. Strangely, only one looks like a bayonet. One is a Kris, one is a bowie knife, one is a drop-point bowie, and I don't remember the other-but it did not look like a bayonet. I just find it odd that 5 knife guys would come up with such a variety of blade styles for a bayonet, with only one actually looking like a bayonet.
Perhaps I'm wrong, and perhaps I'm being overly critical. Perhaps not.
Regardless, I'm glad to have started a thread that everyone seems to be participating in!
 
What you're describing there is what I think happens to people who don't work well under the stress of the clock. They get tunnel vision and can't see the forest for the trees. They came in to the show with a bunch of preconceived notions of what knife they were going to make, and regardless of the criteria presented to them, they cloud right up and default to prior programming.

"I'm a traditional blacksmith! I do things all traditional! I make it as hard as possible to turn out a good product!" Well, ok, if that's your business model, fine, but is that really the best idea when you have to create a ladder damascus blade in 3 hours and there are not only welders, but a press and power hammer at your disposal?


What I really love are the guys that don't get it when they're designing, and realize about half way through that their design was a 6 hour job and not a 3 hour job, and what was an odd looking kukri shaped thing on paper becomes a straight bladed seax :p
 
Bill DeShivs said:
And, you guys don't think the show is scripted?
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Gone from "joke" to "scripted"...
You realize that at this point you are basically insulting the integrity of the people who compete on the show, including folks who are members here.

Probably time to let it go.
 
If the show is scripted....

I would love to see the script lol

Maker 1: Drop blade
Maker 2: Make blade to short
Maker 3: Put cold shunts in blade
Maker 4: Make a blade that will "Keel"
 
I will say this, while I think I could make a better blade in 3 hours than some contestants have...it's only if I could grind it from barstock. I'm trying to learn but put a hammer in my hand and I'm going to break things, not make things :D
 
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