Thoughts on Forged in fire

butcher_block said:
i for one thing sam salvati woudl kick the hell out of the tests (not making a sexyh blade but a killer user
Click to expand...

Agreed.

Sammy's biggest issue would be to figure out what to do with all the extra time they'd given him... :D


Justin, I don't think anyone necessarily believes this should have the same impact as a documentary, but there's no reason a little bit of explanation couldn't be incorporated into the format. Hell, once it's explained just how tricky heat treating can be, that would be a GREAT hook to increase the drama!
 
Is it perfect? No, but its a show about knives/weapons so I watch it since I like shows about such things. My hats off to the contestants. On a side note, I think they should change the name to "Cracked in Construction". LOL
 
One personal problem I have with the show is that I am a teacher at heart. Things should educate in some way,...even entertainment. About the biggest education the viewer gets from the presentation is that what bladesmiths (and farriers) do is make is "bad a$$ weapons". I know, I know..... it is a weapons based show.

I set out to watch this week's show with an open mind. I put a note pad on my lap and wrote down the names of the smiths, and notes on a few things about them. I made a few more notes as they started working. About ten minutes into the show, I put an X by Ryu's name. Merely by the editing, " wasting time" comments made, and the way they showed him as the "poor underdog" against the makers who used modern equipment, I could see that he was the winner. The runner up was also pretty easy to spot. They accented how well he was doing and how well he used his time, etc. By 20 minutes into the show, I set the pad and pen on the side table.

There were the normal flagrant editing issues that these type shows do to make things look dramatic (especially time wise) that I know were not in real time. We have already discussed that the blades are tempered overnight, but in the show they quench them, walk up to the judges, and then they are tested immediately. Of course, not one of those blades would have survived as-quenched. The public does not know that, so the producers choose to leave any mention of those type details out ( because it would prove that what you see is not actually what happens).

I especially saw the "human interest" angle in the difference between the home forges by noting how Ryu's place had not even been tidied up ( it actually looked like they had deliberately make it look junky and unused). I really find it a stretch that he had not done some practice and clean up in preparation for the show.

My biggest observation of something not looking right was the quench flare-up. It looked like the blade was quenched in gasoline! Was the tank of commercial quenchant topped off with propane or alcohol? The quenchant looked dark and thick in the other barrel, so I can't see it having a gaseous ignition like it did??? Contestants have said there is no faked shots or set=ups, so I would assume the blade was very hot and partially quenched. Even with that, there appears to have been a lot of editing to get that flare up shot as we saw it.)

Without a doubt, it is not aimed at knifemakers as the target audience.






To make us all appreciate the talent of the contestants and the difficulty of the time constraints, we should put up a thread called, "Forged in Fire Weekly Challenge". Each Monday night the weeks challenge would be put up as the home forge project. By Saturday night those wishing to participate should have finished the challenge item in five days. For this week it would be a Viking Broad Axe. No winners or losers, just photos and info on the projects made. Photos and descriptions of problems/failures encountered would make it honest and real.
Anyone up for that?
 
What a fun show to watch.

Much respect to the contestants. It is really interesting to see them work under pressure.

It is entertaining to watch knifemakers and collectors try to tell producers how to make a TV show.

Can you imagine the histrionics if a TV producer tried to tell a bladesmith how to make a blade?

it is a fun enjoyable show to watch.

I look forward to the next episode.
 
I've never seen so much of our steel wasted on poor equipment and water quenching.The biggest challenge was an inadequate shop set up without enough electricity to run the equipment properly. They leave all that part out!
 
Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith said:
Without a doubt, it is not aimed at knifemakers as the target audience.
Click to expand...

That is stating the obvious :rolleyes:

No one makes a TV show with an audience of a couple thousand people many who might not even watch or have the History Channel.

It really should not have to be stated the audience is the general population.

Just sit back and enjoy the show, or just turn it off if it makes you sad :(

It is far better then a lot of the other shows out there they are showing.
 
As the thread title says, I was giving my "Thoughts on Forged in Fire". We are discussing our impressions of the show.

I agree it is far better than most of the crap on the TV today. I will likely watch every episode.
 
Since they are local celebrities, could we start a thread asking the contestants to introduce themselves and give us a link to their work even if they don't have an orange membership? I understand that they normally wouldn't be allowed to post a link to their pages without an orange, but I think most of us want to see their work.
 
For clarification, I saw most of the negativity on Facebook but that is the only social network I am on. Many "big name" knife makers mocking the show and the contestants.
 
I've not seen the negativity in that aspect but they should be ashamed of themselves. I personally know 2 of the contestants and both are ABS members, one with his JS stamp. I respect both of them greatly and hope to 1 day be half as good a knifemaker as either of them.

Chris
 
Omega Leather Works said:
The last episode was fantastic fun to watch.

They really need to work on ppe and cooling the place though.
Click to expand...

fans on the crew, not the cast, heat=drama. Also, I haven't cracked a blade in over 6 years, that's just how bad the lights affected me, it is what it is and I still like the show
 
Aldo, I made my second Katana from your 1084 and quenched in brine with very good results :)
Aldo Bruno said:
I've never seen so much of our steel wasted on poor equipment and water quenching.The biggest challenge was an inadequate shop set up without enough electricity to run the equipment properly. They leave all that part out!
Click to expand...
 
I respect anyone who is willing to appear on this show. These contestants all had the balls to put there work in front of the viewing public with the stress of a clock and bright lights.

I found it entertaining. That is what tv is, entertainment. I watched the show with people that have done a little blacksmith/bladesmith work and they all thought it was fun to watch. Better than watching another show about some guys in Alaska. Which seems to be the big thing now.
 
Denver65 said:
Better than watching another show about some guys in Alaska. Which seems to be the big thing now.
Click to expand...

http://www.adn.com/article/20150413/senate-passes-bill-eliminate-alaska-film-tax-credit-program

That should slow down soon

The state Senate has passed a bill eliminating a state film tax credit program.

Sen. Bill Stoltze sponsored the bill that passed Monday, which would eliminate the already-shuttered program.

The program allowed film companies to apply for the credits and then sell them to companies with a larger tax burden in the state. It was created in 2008.
Click to expand...
 
they mixed up the quotes a bit , the 600deg thing was a pre heat before going into the salts, the katana was made from L6 (that i got from the baron himself...) I did an air quench and triple temper it was around 58RC at the edge after temper. I also did a bit more they never showed, a few normalizing cycles and a spheroidize anneal.
Atlas Knife Company said:
Being a fan of Chopped, I found it interesting that they did the dessert round in their home shops. I think next season will be better, as bladesmiths now know what to expect and can practice speed-making prior to filming and will be able to turn out much better products.

Did anyone else think that Matt's katana was air cooled stainless, or was he going for bainite? When he pulled it out of the HT column and let it sit there, I was a little baffled.
Click to expand...
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top