"Forged In Fire" on TV: Any thoughts?

About 3 years ago I ran into a local knife maker that had just won F in F, and he had a lot to say about it. We both go to the same to cigar lounge and he was holding court when I got there.

He said it was a very positive experience and that the entire show was run in a very professional manner. They have a run through for the actual filming so the guys can get accustomed to having the camera guys in their way while they are working and to have some idea of how important it is to keep on top of clock/time management.

He stayed at a nice hotel, he was fed well, and overall the experience was a nice trip. As homespun and earthy as they want the hosts to appear on camera, he said they were a little less warm in person but still very polite and nice. Like most folks these days they were on their phone a lot and even left the set quite a bit while filming. That makes sense, the show makes no bones about the fact that they have other interests other than being a judge for a filming season of a television show. It is a business and it is expensive to run, but it is well run apparently as they were kept completely on the filming schedule.

He said he was picked not for the general challenge but because of his skill set in building rustic weapons. IIRC, he built a pirate's Cutlass out of a nice piece of steel but all the fitments were from assorted things in the supply cabinet and challenge material left on a table. I was pleased for him that he had such a good time and won the dough.

He said he got his money less withholding for Uncle Sam, and took himself and his wife out for a big steak, got his truck fixed, bought some stuff for his home forge, and getting good cigars was about the last of the prize money.

I enjoyed the story. I rarely watch the show now but it has opened my eyes and I am very surprised at the level of proficiency and the abundance a very talented knife makers out there these days.
 
Does anyone know or could say, how much time do the final contestants have between being selected for the final challenge and actually filming the final challenge?

I’m mostly wondering if they have time to procure materials than may be unexpected or I wouldn’t think materials would be provided but could be available if needed.
 
3fifty7 said:
Does anyone know or could say, how much time do the final contestants have between being selected for the final challenge and actually filming the final challenge?

I’m mostly wondering if they have time to procure materials than may be unexpected or I wouldn’t think materials would be provided but could be available if needed.
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Don't know about the time thing, but I seem to remember at least once where they were given handle material, guessing because the requirement was so specific.
 
000Robert said:
I quit watching it years ago when Walter Sorrells' knife was broken on the log by hitting it with the side of the blade. I watched it in slow motion. But they didn't own up to it as far as I'm aware of and give him a chance to make a new knife or something. So, I never watched another episode.
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You could tell that Walter was pretty aggravated when Jason Knight started critiquing his blade.
 
I love the show. The format can get annoying like the advertising and all the drama,but that is the nature of showtime.
I would like to meet Doug Marcaida and pick his brain sometime.
 
I watched an episode last night where the blades of both contestants broke when hacked into a log. They showed the break area, and both blades had a small, signature brownish area of a microcrack.

A year or so ago, I had purchased a small chopper from a builder who used the super tough 8670 steel. That blade broke on my first chop, too. And one end of the grainy surface of the break had the signature orange/brown area of a pre-existing crack. The episode confirmed what I had suspected about that knife. It also told me that we need to check our blades in rough use before we get into a situation where we depend on them.
 
He made you another one for free right?
Twindog said:
A year or so ago, I had purchased a small chopper from a builder who used the super tough 8670 steel. That blade broke on my first chop, too. And one end of the grainy surface of the break had the signature orange/brown area of a pre-existing crack. The episode confirmed what I had suspected about that knife. It also told me that we need to check our blades in rough use before we get into a situation where we depend on them.
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Big Tiny is 8670, and the Godzilla Smatchet will also be made out of that steel.
Big Tiny is holding up well; but now you have me worried...
 
Danke42 said:
Folks kept showing up on KOD with titanium swords and wrecking the sets so yeah done for now. The Big Steel cartel was not amused.
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Speaking of amused, what about a few of those contestants who came in with some wallhanger complete trash, talking about how it's a weapon given unto them from their mystic master or sensei, and Travis Wuertz is like "Lemme see that....(shakes handle and blade visibly rocks back and forth)..."Yeeeaaahhhh, I'm afraid I'm not going to be able to let you proceed." and the larpers try to act nonchalant about it but you know their whole world just got ended. LOL
 
Bob Denman said:
Big Tiny is 8670, and the Godzilla Smatchet will also be made out of that steel.
Big Tiny is holding up well; but now you have me worried...
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Only one way to find out....start chopping! I am a firm believer in "one is none, two is one". Even the best made knives are subject to invisible defects. All my hard use knives have been tested out at home before heading out on my adventures, and even then - I carry a second (tested) blade, as most of us do.

(I also noticed a bit of a "Godzilla" theme you have going on - both with your pending Smatchet, and your sig line. :) )
 
I DO have some stuff on the ground that needs to be mashed-up: as soon as this Winter leaves us!
 
000Robert said:
I quit watching it years ago when Walter Sorrells' knife was broken on the log by hitting it with the side of the blade. I watched it in slow motion. But they didn't own up to it as far as I'm aware of and give him a chance to make a new knife or something. So, I never watched another episode.
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I doubt they did it on purpose but, even if they did, shouldn't a "properly" forged/hardened/tempered blade be able to withstand such an impact?

Just asking from a non-knifemaker/consumer POV.
 
Bob Denman said:
They're building the Ida Sword
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I find it amusing that a couple of Abbott's competitors chose what they thought was the most difficult possible sword to produce but that they ended up f*cking themselves, as did the guy who chose the Ida who's sword ended up w/wavy ridge lines (before) and a huge bend (after) testing.

Richard338 said:
Ben is a good character on the show and I enjoy watching. He has been successful against the people brought in within the show's format.
What surprises me a little is the level of stuff shown on his website (gallery and new products). For those, he has as much time as he wants and settles for pretty modest fit and finish. I don't begrudge him cashing in on his name recognition from the show, but there are several custom makers on this forum that are tiers above that level at a similar price point.
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I'm not in the position to judge the fit/finish of Abbott's knives vs others in the same price category because I don't buy knives in that price bracket BUT, after looking at the knives pictured on his website, I would not have any problem buying a couple of them if I were in that "market."

That said, the show is not about who can produce the prettiest knives. It's about being able to produce a "functional" knife/sword w/in the time limit allowed that will withstand the extraordinary and abnormal abuses that they are subjected to on the show.

Only 1 out of 3 or 4 people who have been on the show have ever "won" and some of those who "won" only won because their competitor's blade failed before theirs did; not because they made a "great" blade.

So, whatever is lacking in Abbott's finishing skills, there's no doubt that he can make extremely strong and durable blades under pressure.

That's probably the "reason" why the producers of the show chose him to become a judge of the show (the only competitor to be so "honored") and chose him to "compete" head-to-head w/others on the show for its "entertainment" value.

Frankly, I like him better than J Nielson, who he has apparently replaced, and I think the show is better for it.
 
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These competitors just didn't have it going for them...
Maybe next week: "Mr. 8-0" will get his comeuppance!
 
Bob Denman said:
These competitors just didn't have it going for them...
Maybe next week: "Mr. 8-0" will get his comeuppance!
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I'd watch the show regardless but the producers are probably using these challenges as a "tease" to get others to continue to watch the show to see if Abbot will or lose.

It's kinda like what happens when there's a huge/long term winner on Jeopardy.

Viewer interest and ratings go up when there's a big/long term winner on that show and Jeopardy's viewer #'s will probably drop off after Amy Scheider lost (after 40 straight shows and after winning about $1.4M) last night.

FIF doesn't attract the same # of viewers that Jeopardy does but there probably a similar effect that the producers are going for by creating these "challenges" w/Abbott.
 
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