Thoughts on Forged in fire

I didn't care for all the negativity either, but hey I didn't edit it. Reality TV is a train wreck in a genre you find interesting. They have to have drama of all sorts to put the hook in people. None of the humming or whistling while I worked or from anyone else was in their.

None of my statements about the love of the craft. Nothing. Just the negative stuff. I don't have control of what or how it's editted.

I lost. Screwed up and wasn't afraid to show my disappointment in myself. I would have preferred for other shots than what they showed but, again it's out of my control.
 
Don't take it bad Jimmy. My wife was totally bummed with how your experience played out. Clearly you are very talented and the show wasn't indicative of how you work.

I 100% agree, this episode was easily the best. Is it just me, or did the steel look like 1084 from Aldo? Looked like some of the ends were painted blue.

The only thing I don't really care for is the weapon that the smith must make back at their home forge. I'd far rather see the contestants make a Santoku, or Bowie than an obscure weapon from history. I guess chopping up a ballistic dummy filled with goo is more exciting than chopping carrots. Still, that's the one part of the show that bores me.

Anyone else freeze the shots at the home forges to see what they have? I've spotted some pretty cool stuff that I can relate to by doing this.

Can't wait to see what happens next!
 
Oh and did anyone notice that they showed more examples of the smiths work? Especially the winners swords. They need to do much more than they have, but it's a start.
 
I didnt care for the final "weapon" either. I wish they would pick something the smiths had some experience with so you could see their best work. This was by far the best episode. I would also say they need to do a better job explaining the rules. Too many nice blades being disqualified because of the wrong dimensions.
 
Matt R said:
I didnt care for the final "weapon" either. I wish they would pick something the smiths had some experience with so you could see their best work. This was by far the best episode. I would also say they need to do a better job explaining the rules. Too many nice blades being disqualified because of the wrong dimensions.
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The whole nature of the show is a competition though. It's NOT a craftsmanship show. I know we'd all love for the show to be about the craft and the process, but really... its' a gameshow competition where the competition happens to be bladesmithing, rather than trivia, or quizes, or any other number of things.

I will say I have been a little disappointed at the lack of the 'history' on the history channel, but overall I've still been very happy with the show as a whole. When they pick XYZ iconic weapon from history, it would be nice to have a few minutes dedicated to actual historic examples, an overview of how the weapon was used, time period and location, etc.
 
I like the show but they should cut the cheese dick martial arts expert and they should definitely show some of the makers' completed works as kind of a thrown bone for putting themselves out there. And I'd like to see another master smith or two be on the judges panel. Or blade sports champions. Or Noz and Rick from Pawn Stars for God's sake. Anyone but that douchepoodle of a martial artist. And it'd be cool if they stopped having unwieldy and unrealistic "historical" weapons that I'm sure even those cultures didn't enjoy using. That'd be like going into the future and watching a show about someone making a Uzbekistani goat herding stick instead of a light saber in 12 minutes flat. Sure, the process is cool to watch but no one cares about seeing crappy, useless weapons being hastily produced. There's a reason why basic knives and sticks and exploding projectiles are still used after all this time, because they work. Those other weapons aren't around because they don't.

On second thought, maybe they should bring in the dudes from fight science without the computer generated theories. Have scientific breakdowns of what's actually happening on a somewhat intelligent level with some cool and flashy graphics and plenty of human shaped gelatin getting minced up and fireballs and extended shots of the flames coming out of the forge. They could use what's his face from Cold Steel as an advisor...
 
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I was doing a sound gig last night and came home to find that they ran all the past episodes in succession from 8PM to 4AM. I was too bushed to stay up and watch them, but I saw most of the katar episode again. Keep a watch on your history channel programming, as they do this sort of marathon often.

I find the martial arts fellow silly, too. And the weapon choices for the final project equally silly....but this is a TV reality competition. If they showed normal things and just sat around with a panel discussion about their merits, the show would be gone on episode two.
Imagine if they did a series about crazy homeless people who get food from dumpsters, roll around a cart full of old junk, beg on street corners, drink cheap booze, and sleep on the beach. We wouldn't watch it because we are familiar with those things. However, if they put a very similar bunch of kooks in a tree house piled full of trash in the Montana woods, let them eat beetles/moose jerky/and such, and drink moonshine from old tin cans......that is a hit show.
 
Michael Janich would be a better expert. He knows what makes a realistic weapon as well as what goes into making them.
 
I think it's too easy to hammer on individual personalities - and their quirks -while viewing them on a television show such as this. I suspect ANYONE might come across as a gort, if the chemistry or timing is forced or awkward. We can always come up with 'better' alternatives, but I wonder just how much better they would be, in the circumstances. No one likes to have a gun, or a camera, pointed at them and be forced to dance...
 
The makers are doing the best given the ridiculous constraints and objectives. Here, here's 5 days to make a traditional samurai sword, even though you've never made one and don't have the tools for it. Here, you now have some tools but you have 3 hours to straighten a big assed spring made of unknown steel with a tiny forge and you won't get a thermometer, a magnet, proper lighting, proper quenchants, or anything else actually necessary to make a good knife. We won't talk about what is ACTUALLY needed to make a good knife. Oh, your piece of metal is kind of passable as a knife? Great, now go home and forge some round metal thing with an edge that's basically a big pizza cutter and we'll see which of these flies the best and which can be carried properly on top of a turban. That's between giving you crowbars and bearings made of unknown steels and not letting you control your own heat treatment. And then let 1 dude who knows what he's talking and 2 who have no idea about what it takes to make a blade judge your work like it says something about you as a bladesmith. The martial arts dude "yeeaaahh, it cuts. Yeeaaah, it kills." Really? If that's the standard the take a lawnmower blade and grind off some of its width, attach something to act as a handle, and you're good to go. Take the farriers rasp, grind out an edge on both sides, epoxy a handle on the tang, and go drink a beer.

I'd love for them to take some 52100 round stock and say here, it's 52100, make an axe that can be used as a breaching tool. Make a knife that can be used as a skinner. And make a short sword that could've been used by a gladiator. You have one week in our shop and all of these tools provided by our sponsors. Your products will be used and abused in accordance with their design. Go.
 
bodog said:
The makers are doing the best given the ridiculous constraints and objectives. Here, here's 5 days to make a traditional samurai sword, even though you've never made one and don't have the tools for it. Here, you now have some tools but you have 3 hours to straighten a big assed spring made of unknown steel with a tiny forge and you won't get a thermometer, a magnet, proper lighting, proper quenchants, or anything else actually necessary to make a good knife. We won't talk about what is ACTUALLY needed to make a good knife. Oh, your piece of metal is kind of passable as a knife? Great, now go home and forge some round metal thing with an edge that's basically a big pizza cutter and we'll see which of these flies the best and which can be carried properly on top of a turban. That's between giving you crowbars and bearings made of unknown steels and not letting you control your own heat treatment. And then let 1 dude who knows what he's talking and 2 who have no idea about what it takes to make a blade judge your work like it says something about you as a bladesmith. The martial arts dude "yeeaaahh, it cuts. Yeeaaah, it kills." Really? If that's the standard the take a lawnmower blade and grind off some of its width, attach something to act as a handle, and you're good to go. Take the farriers rasp, grind out an edge on both sides, epoxy a handle on the tang, and go drink a beer.

I'd love for them to take some 52100 round stock and say here, it's 52100, make an axe that can be used as a breaching tool. Make a knife that can be used as a skinner. And make a short sword that could've been used by a gladiator. You have one week in our shop and all of these tools provided by our sponsors. Your products will be used and abused in accordance with their design. Go.
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Excellent opinion! Thank you I agree
 
Omega Leather Works said:
Anyone else freeze the shots at the home forges to see what they have? I've spotted some pretty cool stuff that I can relate to by doing this.
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Of course, I'm eagerly looking for one of my products, or maybe a bubble jig.

What really bugs me though is the CGI hammer hitting the logo into the sword, the hammer is at an angle.

Is that Mace in tonight's episode?
 
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Justin.Mercier said:
The whole nature of the show is a competition though. It's NOT a craftsmanship show. I know we'd all love for the show to be about the craft and the process, but really... its' a gameshow competition where the competition happens to be bladesmithing, rather than trivia, or quizes, or any other number of things.
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I agree, but this show is presented as something like Iron Chef, when in reality it's more like Cutthroat Kitchen.

They absolutely should be explaining how severely these craftsmen are being handicapped as it relates to their normal working conditions.
 
I agree with the above....I almost expect them to uncover their anvil and find a claw hammer and a lawn mower blade, and be instructed to make a cutlass using only those two things.
 
Well maybe after the season ends they could expand on what the format is and try and make it so at the very least a smith go do something he is proud to present . Something he has faith in during some of these tests. It just sucks that these guys cant present something nicer and I think it would prove to be beneficial to the show. Imagine a smith given a little extra time to build something he is somewhat familiar with. A viewer may see that and saw wow.. that's pretty nice maybe I could try and make something like that... And bam their is another aspiring smith or stock removal guy . My hats off to you guys. Jimmy I feel bad for you because I am somewhat familiar with you from IG and I was hoping you would come out on top,
 
Did anyone see the crusader sword episode? They actually named the steel and gave them a raw square of it. They wanted a hamon and explained what it was for. It was actually pretty good this time. I don't like how they wanted a chopper as the final product but didn't say anything about it at the beginning and then held it against a dude when he didn't know that's what he was supposed to make.

Here, make any knife of your own design. Any knife, as long as it's about 12 inches and has a hamon. Now for the tests, surprise! It's all about chopping and we'll judge your knife based on how deep your knife cuts, haha! Bet you didn't see that coming!

On the plus side the finished knives were all pretty decent looking. It was pretty impressive. And the final test? Very nice looking blades, both of em. Good episode.
 
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They did mention actual steel(W2 steel) used in the blades today, for the first time :) Few posts in this thread did mention the steel was not named before. May be show runners are considering feedback, I'm the optimist.
 
bodog said:
Did anyone see the crusader sword episode? They actually named the steel and gave them a raw square of it. They wanted a hamon and explained what it was for. It was actually pretty good this time. I don't like how they wanted a chopper as the final product but didn't say anything about it at the beginning and then held it against a dude when he didn't know that's what he was supposed to make.

Here, make any knife of your own design. Any knife, as long as it's about 12 inches and has a hamon. Now for the tests, surprise! It's all about chopping and we'll judge your knife based on how deep your knife cuts, haha! Bet you didn't see that coming!

On the plus side the finished knives were all pretty decent looking. It was pretty impressive. And the final test? Very nice looking blades, both of em. Good episode.
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I was thinking the same thing. The guy who made the slim knife that didn't chop did say after round one that he wanted the blade to be taller and more substantial.

I wonder if they give them an idea of what the tests would be. That dude who made the khukri would have been SCREWED if it was a stabbing test.
 
bodog said:
Did anyone see the crusader sword episode? They actually named the steel and gave them a raw square of it. They wanted a hamon and explained what it was for. It was actually pretty good this time. I don't like how they wanted a chopper as the final product but didn't say anything about it at the beginning and then held it against a dude when he didn't know that's what he was supposed to make.

Here, make any knife of your own design. Any knife, as long as it's about 12 inches and has a hamon. Now for the tests, surprise! It's all about chopping and we'll judge your knife based on how deep your knife cuts, haha! Bet you didn't see that coming!

On the plus side the finished knives were all pretty decent looking. It was pretty impressive. And the final test? Very nice looking blades, both of em. Good episode.
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Agreed. I was just saying the exact same thing to my wife this afternoon, as we were watching the DVR of the latest show.
 
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