Forged in Fire (2015–…): Season 1, Episode 5 - Crusader Sword - full transcript

Since the
dawn of human civilization,

mankind has made weapons.

Whoa!

Bladesmiths have honed

and perfected their craft
over thousands of years

and now for the first time ever,

these men will go head-to-head

and put their skills
to the ultimate test.

Welcome to the forge.

It starts with
a lump of raw steel

and a ticking clock.



And by the end of three rounds,

the bladesmiths must deliver

handmade weapons
that are works of art

as well as deadly instruments
of war.

These weapons must survive
explosive tests

as well as the scrutiny of
an expert panel of judges.

In the end, only one bladesmith
will take home $10,000

and be crowned
a Forged in Firechampion.

My name's Matt Venier.

If it's sharp or is on fire,

I'm interested in it.

My name is Gabriel Bell.

I'm 30 years old and I like
Japanese sword making

because I think it's the epitome
of refinement



and technique of sword making.

My name is Peter Burt.

The first sword that I made

I gave to my high school
girlfriend.

She was not very excited
about it.

I'm Dave Roeder.

When I was 16, I followed
the sound of an anvil

and I met a man that
was forging a knife.

Got to watch it being done

and I've been making
knives ever since.

Gentlemen, welcome.

Ahead of you are
three challenges

designed to test just how
good you are in the forge.

Each round pits you against
the clock and each other.

When the time runs out, the
judges will examine your work.

If it doesn't make the grade,

you will be eliminated.

Let's meet the judges.

First up,

solo weapons making expert
and internationally-known

master bladesmith J. Neilson.

Next, world-renowned swordsmith

and rare weapons
re-creation specialist

David Baker.

And finally, edged
weapons specialist

and martial artist
Doug Marcaida.

It's time to make some blades.

In front of you on
your anvil is a cloth.

Go ahead and lift that up.

That is a block of W2.

High carbon forging steel.

From that lump of raw metal

you must design and
forge a blade of your choice.

You have ten minutes
to design the blade

and you will have three
hours to forge the blade.

The blade has to be at
least 12 inches in length,

but not more than 14 inches.

You must also set a hamon line.

For someone who's trained

as a Japanese swordsmith,

making a hamon is
just a everyday thing.

So it's not any big
challenge for me.

Remember, after three hours,

one of you will be eliminated

and asked to
surrender your weapon.

Your ten-minute
design window begins...

Now.

So I chose the bowie knife.

It's used for hunting

and, in some cases, defense.

I've made hundreds of them.

I can make this
thing blindfolded.

The knife that I designed

is part kukri, part bowie.

Both were fighting knives

that were famous in history.

If I'm known for anything,

it's for not making
straight blades.

I don't make
conventional swords.

I almost always make
Persian or African-inspired,

very curvy knives and swords.

I'm making a
Japanese short sword

known as a wakizashi.

I've chose to make a wakizashi

because it's a
time-tested weapon

that has been used by
samurai for hundreds of years,

and I would say my
work certainly reflects

the Japanese aesthetic.

I'm second-generation
swordsmith,

so I'd say the stakes are
somewhat high for me.

I have a lot to prove.

I'm designing a hybrid

tanto/bowie-esque kind of blade.

My style of blade-making is,

I tend to prefer the
Japanese-style blade.

My strategy in the design phase
is to come up with something

that takes some of the
Japanese-inspired work that I do

but change it up a little bit

so it's not the same
as everyone else's.

Gentlemen, your design
window is now closed.

You may begin
forging your blades...

Now.

Okay, we got one... two
so far, with steel in the oven.

Matt just
went to get a bar of steel.

I think he's gonna go weld
a handle onto his block.

I rush over to the welder

'cause I don't
like to use tongs.

You're always
fiddling with them.

They never quite fit
exactly the way I want.

As I'm welding, everyone
else has their piece of metal

in their forge and
it's starting to heat up,

and I know I'm a little
bit behind at this point.

The time limit is
definitely my biggest concern.

I think it's the
biggest challenge.

I've never done a blade,
start to finish, in three hours.

So I'm very
concerned about that.

'Cause I'm starting
with this lump of steel.

I got to draw it out,
so it's really critical.

I can't move on
to the next stage

until I've got the
length that I need.

Right now, I'm really
appreciating the process

of creating the weapon.

The blade is very
much, in many cultures,

something that's very spiritual,

and to see the forging process,

you know, putting
their power into it,

I mean, that to
me is fascinating.

All right, we've
got a piece of steel out.

I have no concerns.

When I'm working in the
shop, I have no concerns.

I zone out the world.

I have to get it done.

Oh! This is so nice.

Dave needs to
get a little bit hotter, I think.

Would you say that he
pulled that out a little bit early?

Little early.

You want the steel hotter.

You could put fine stress
fractures into the steel

you'll never see,

but they'll show up when
your tip of your blade breaks

later on.

I think what sets me apart

from the other competitors is,

they are all actually
full-time knife makers.

And I split my time
between knife making

and ornamental ironwork.

I feel that the ornamental
ironwork actually brings

a different perspective
to working with knives.

If I win the competition,

I will have exceeded
my own expectations

and me and my
wife will go to Hawaii.

Gentlemen, two hours to go.

Oh, we got Matt
going to the hammer.

Gonna see here,
you'll see the difference

with a stick welded on there.

Much more secure grip.

See, this is where

he might be able to
make up some time.

I'm very worried
about being behind

There's limited amount of time

and every step is crucial.

Oh, we've got
some steel on the floor.

Gentlemen, you have
90 minutes remaining.

Dave's over here
straightening his blade.

He's gonna go to the
grinder in a minute.

Oh, yeah.

Dave's doing a good job.

Skills that help me the most

is the ability to be
able to forge proficiently

and then also grinding.

So I can grind it real quick

and get the job done
right the first time.

When my daughter turned five,

I made her a rapier sword.

Not everybody that
age gets a sword.

And it was taller than
her, so it was kind of cute.

I love it.

Usually, in my own shop,

I would be setting
this blade aside

to cool slowly before grinding,

but I don't have
that luxury now.

I have to cool it
off very quickly

so I'm swinging it
around like a madman.

Beau-ti-ful.

You destroyed
it. That was great.

Got to get the job done, right?

When does the hamon line go on?

Before or after the
quenching process?

During the quenching process.

Put the clay on
before it goes in the oil.

Okay.

And the hamon actually sets

during the hardening process.

Okay.

For someone who's trained

as a Japanese swordsmith,

making a hamon is
really just a piece of cake.

Once the blade's up
to the right temperature,

I quickly pull it out,
quench it in the oil.

That's where the excitement is.

The last 30 minutes are
just a race against the clock

to grind this thick edge
down to a sharp blade.

Yeah,
he's in. Matt's in.

Well, all
right. Happy days.

I feel really great
about the hamon I'm doing.

I've got plenty of time
left to finish out the blade.

I feel pretty confident.

How thick is that clay
supposed to be on there?

Does it matter?
Does it have an effect?

It depends on what
you're trying to do.

The thickness you put it
on, the way you put it on

will bring out different
patterns in your hamon.

- There he goes,
he's... - There we go.

Yeah, he
needs to move it around.

There it is.

He's stirring a little bit.

Based on how this looks, I
should have a good hamon.

We'll find out.

I have to add a temporal
line or a hamon in this thing.

I've never worked with
this specific steel before

so I don't know
if it's gonna work.

My heart's pounding
like that power hammer.

The pressure's on and
I need to get it done.

Now we got a big problem.

He went ahead and quenched it.

He didn't put clay on it.

- He's not gonna have a hamon.
- Nope.

I have to add
a hamon in this thing.

I've never worked with
this specific steel before,

so I don't know
if it's gonna work.

Oh, we've got
some fire over here.

Now we got a big problem.

Now we have a big problem.

- We've got a blade on fire.
- He didn't put clay on it.

- He's not gonna have a hamon.
- Nope.

Oh, man.

So what are we looking at here?

The blade's hard now.

I can use clay,

but the way I've always
done it in the past

is the old way...
No clay, just do it.

Oh, he's quenched it again.

- He's done a second quench.
- There it is again.

He's doing a multi-quench.

As long as I heat
my edge, it gets hot,

the spine doesn't,
when it goes into the oil,

that edge is gonna get
hard, the spine won't.

That's gonna give
me my hamon line.

I got to give him credit.

That's a pretty bold move

for a competition like this.

So he decided

to try to do the hamon
line without clay?

Yeah.

He had a plan,

and whether it
worked out or not,

we'll see.

Final minute, gentlemen.

Ten, nine,

eight, seven,

six, five,

four, three,

two, one.

Time is up, gentlemen.

Stop what you're doing.

Time's up.

I've taken a lump of steel

and made it into a
wakizashi in three hours.

I don't think my dad
could be prouder.

Gentlemen,

your challenge was to produce a
blade between 12 and 14 inches.

Additionally,

your blade must have
included a hamon line.

But now it's time for the judges
to take a look at your work.

Matt, please present
your blade to the judges.

It's got a nice
overall look to it.

I like the hamon,

came out nice and clear.

Thank you.

When you were designing this,

you had a lot wider blade.

I'm used to a much bigger anvil,

so it was much harder
work getting it to move

the way I wanted it to.

Gabriel, you're up next.

Doug?

I appreciate... I can see
the Asian influence on this.

It was kind of cool to see the
way you brought the passion.

It's got a lot of
meat in it still.

We had a lot of metal
to work with there.

Yeah, there was
a lot of metal there.

Do you feel like you maybe

jumped to the
anvil a little soon?

I feel like a little more
time on the hydraulic press

might have saved myself
a little time on the forging.

I'm having
trouble with the hamon line.

What I can see of
it is really pretty low.

I wish you'd been able
to clean it up a little more

and get it in some acid

so I can really see
what was going on there.

Pete, you're up next.

I like the design.

A little more fantasy-inspired,
I'm assuming, than traditional,

but it's got some
nice curves to it.

The line came out nice.

It's one of the most
distinguished hamon lines

I've seen today.

The tang...

It's definitely
gonna be a problem.

With the blade being so heavy,

such a small tang
can affect the balance.

Balance is very important.

The ability to be
able to recuperate

and not feel it's
just a chopper.

Dave, step up, please.

Everything looks
nice and straight.

I got to ask, though.

You didn't go near the clay.

Well, I've made
knives as long as I have

and not once have
I ever used clay.

I mean, the line is
there. It's a little...

Blah, but overall,
it's a very nice blade.

Good. Thank you.

You were calm and
cool all throughout,

so how much of
that was strategy?

Well, not to sound
egotistical, but...

It's just what I do.

I...

Get the job done.

Very cool. Thank you.

Gentlemen,

this is gonna be a tough call.

The judges will take some
time to make their decision.

That was pretty intense.

I couldn't imagine
getting that much done

in that short amount of time.

That was rough.

That was fun.

I liked that.

So let's go ahead and
start with Dave's blade there.

Look at the criteria.

- Does he have a hamon line?
- Yeah.

The clay's gonna pretty much

guarantee you have a hamon.

Not going with the clay,
it's a shot in the dark.

You don't know
where it's gonna be.

- Yeah.
- Exactly.

- Yeah, they... - Is
that yours, Gabe?

They picked mine up first.

Looking at this blade,
we're looking at something

that's near... you
know, finishing quality.

- So he's ahead of the curve.
- Right. Okay.

Let's take a look
at Gabe's blade.

I mean, I
like the overall concept.

- Hamon line?
- It's hard to see any.

I mean, there is
some, but it's so low.

And if you do not have a
hard edge all the way up,

then it's not a
functioning weapon.

What are they saying?

Let's move on to Matt's blade.

Matt, he's got a hamon,

even without
etching it in the acid,

you can still see
it very clearly.

Yeah, okay.

The other thing that
we kind of noticed...

Where the plunge line starts.

The plunge line is

where the blade edge drops down

and comes to the
center of your edge.

- Oh, no.
- Right here.

I see exactly
what you're talking about.

Wow.

His aren't symmetrical at all.

Sometimes the steel
does what it wants to do.

- You know?
- It does.

I'm not in full control.

There's a little bit of
magic in there somewhere.

What about Pete's blade?

It's very sexy.

People also pick up a
blade based on its looks.

So we have to look at the
aesthetics as much as function.

There's also what
appeals to you.

I have a big issue
with the tang, though.

Why does the tang worry you?

Would it break in the testing?

Well, a lot of your stress
on a hidden tang knife

is gonna be here,
right here, at that joint.

And you want a lot of meat.

You want a strong section there.

And having the tang
this thin just worries me.

Okay, so we have four blades.

Do we know which contestant
we're gonna eliminate?

- Yes.
- Yeah.

- Yes, we do.
- All right.

Let's go ahead
and let them know.

It's important for me to make it

to the next round
of this competition

because I have my father and
his teacher's lineage to represent.

So I'm hoping that the
judges will be able to recognize

that with this particular
piece, the beauty in my work

is in its simplicity.

Otherwise, this is
gonna be my ticket home.

Gentlemen,

the judges have
made their decision.

Gabriel,

you didn't make the cut.

Gabriel, we really
appreciate the work

you put into your knife.

It was the hamon line.

We could only see it

in one or two small
sections of the blade

and it was extremely
close to the edge.

And if we can't see that hamon,

we can't tell if that
whole edge is hard,

and if that whole edge
isn't hard, it's not a weapon.

Thank you for the opportunity
to partake in this competition.

Gabriel,

please surrender your weapon.

I think my hamon may have been

a little too subtle
for the judges' taste.

Maybe the Japanese aesthetic
kind of got the better of me

on this one.

I really would like to
move on to the next round,

but after those
judges' comments,

my confidence has taken
a little bit of a blow, I'd say.

Gentlemen, congratulations.

You've all forged your blades

but your work here
is far from over.

Your second challenge
will be to complete your work

by turning it into a fully
functioning weapon.

You must design
and craft a handle

out of the materials
provided for you.

Also, you can use that time

to address any mistakes
you made in round one.

When the time runs out,

each blade will be
tested on its strength

and durability in a wood chop.

We will also see how
well it holds an edge

in a specially-designed
sharpness test.

Your blades will be
judged on design,

form, and how well it
performs in these tests.

At the end of this challenge,

one of you will be eliminated.

There are three
hours on the clock.

Your time starts...

Now.

It's important to
have a good solid handle.

It's the interface between
the user and the knife.

The shape's important.

What it's made
out of is important.

I know the judges are
gonna look at the plunges

and make sure they're
as even as possible.

So I need to fix this before
I start with anything else.

I have a lot more material
out towards the tip of this blade.

So I need more weight in
the handle to balance that,

or else, this will feel
really front-heavy.

Pete looks like
he's using brass.

Exactly, 'cause he said
because the blade's heavy,

I'm gonna counterbalance
it with brass.

Fitting up curvy fittings is
much more of a pain in the ass.

Now I need to fit
everything to this curve.

I've fixed the plunges
as best as I can.

Now I need to move on to
fitting the wood to the tang.

So I burned the handle on.

This is something I never do.

Now what's the danger of
affecting the metal with that?

You could overheat it.

This could blow up in my face

and I could wreck
this piece of wood

and then I'm
starting from scratch.

The wood to the tang.

So I burned the handle on.

I'm very nervous.

This could end
things right here.

I don't know if I can
recover if this goes wrong.

I slowly build up some
heat on the tip of the tang

and I slide the wood on...

And it fits perfectly.

Now we're cooking with gas.

It's really important to select
the right handle material

for the piece.

If I don't have the right look

between the handle
and the blade,

it's not gonna look
proportionally right.

Dave's handle,

it's a real simple design.

Yeah, so you know,

Dave's got the best shot
at moving forward quickly.

Is that a good
way to break the bit?

Oh, yeah.

- I think the chip's loose.
- Well, it's gonna be.

I do have my own
unusual way of doing things.

It's just the way I do it.

I'll do my fittings first.

Once I get that done and shaped,

I'll move on to my handle.

I like it.

Pete is
burning the wood on also,

like Matt did, except he's
doing it a little faster with a torch.

If burning the tang
in doesn't go quickly,

this could be bad news for me.

You have one hour remaining.

Dave looks happy with his fit.

Now what's he doing?

He's pulling a perichord.

Oh, he's doing a
wrap over the whole thing.

He's gonna do a wrap.

He's using the Micarta
as an endcap for his wrap.

To hold in place.

So he is gonna do
a wrapped handle.

I came to bladesmithing
through an art background.

I transitioned from painting
motorcycles to bladesmithing

because bladesmithing is a
much deeper form of art to me.

That might look really nice.

And I want to use
my Japanese influence

to make this Japanese handle

because it's so different
from everybody else's knife.

Oh, my hands are cramping.

Why do I do this to myself?

So I decided
not to pin my blade,

but the epoxy that
I'm using for this...

Down she goes.

Is pretty damn strong.

What worries me is, he's
gonna count on epoxy

to hold it together.

I can't imagine that he would,

but it's not unheard of.

I'm not gonna
have an issue with this.

Whoa.

You have ten seconds remaining.

Five, four,

three, two, one.

Blades down.

Looking around, I
immediately see some things

about both the knives
that I'm not sure about,

but I see things about my
knife that I'm not sure about.

How that's gonna
stack up with the judges,

I really can't tell.

Okay, gentlemen,

it's time to see what your
blades are really capable of.

First up is a chop test.

J.

Fellow bladesmiths,

this is gonna test the
geometry of your blade

and the strength of your blade,

as well as the durability
of the cutting edge.

Going to do 12 chops each.

See how well
your knife performs.

Matt, you're gonna be up first.

I'm very nervous

because I think my
blade is a little lighter.

It's more of a slicing
and stabbing blade.

It's not going as deeply
as I would like to see it go.

Looks like the
edge held up well.

I don't see any
folds, shiny spots.

Good job.

Thank you.

Now going to measure the depth

of the deepest cut

to see how far we got.

You're just under half an inch.

Okay, that's great.

Peter, you're up next.

This is a chopping blade.

This is what I made it to do.

So I think it's going to
perform very well on this test.

It's held up well.

No bends or warps.

Handle feels pretty comfortable.

Everything's firm.

Thank you.

Now we'll measure.

Pete, looks like your blade
chopped a solid two inches.

Nice.

You ready, Dave?

Sure.

So yeah, my handle's
held together with five-minute epoxy.

I've got no problem with this
thing holding up pretty good.

Op test now.

Are you ready, Dave?

My handle's held together

with five-minute epoxy.

I've got no problem

with this thing
holding up pretty good.

Edge held up well.

I was worried about the handle.

It's a little bit rough.

Nice job.

Thank you.

Now we'll measure it.

Dave, you're at an
inch and three quarters.

Good.

Next up, Doug Marcaida will test

how well your
weapons held an edge

in a sharpness test.

Matt, you're up first.

For the test over here,

I just want to see if it
held its cutting edge.

If your blade held it's edge,
it will slice the tomatoes.

If not, it won't break the skin.

Okay.

Matt, it cuts like a knife.

That's good to hear.

I'm relieved.

I think I made up a little
bit on the sharpness test.

Okay, Pete, you're next.

Very good.

Thank you.

You have a chopper here.

Dave, you're next.

It sliced through,

but the feeling kind of
dragged me to the side.

But just like your
fellow competitors,

you all sliced through
all five tomatoes

and passed this
test with flying colors.

I can't control the outcome,

but just that not knowing factor

is making me a
little bit nervous.

If I had to pick one person
who I think is going home,

I can't do it at this point,

because everybody's
blade did well in one test

and not quite as
well in the other test.

So it's really anybody's
game right now.

It was a tough call,

but the judges have
made their final decision.

Matt,

you didn't make the cut.

Overall, I love your design.

Your handle I
think is fantastic,

but your blade's plunge
lines were still pretty off-center,

but what really hurt you was
your blade just failed to chop

as deeply as the others
in the wood chop test.

Yep.

That's why we got to let you go.

I understand.

Matt,

please surrender your weapon.

I'm a little disappointed.

I wanted to get
into the final round.

Thank you, gentlemen.

- Thank you.
- Thank you.

Obviously, I could
have done things better,

but that's the way
an artist life goes.

You always know
you can do better.

Pete, Dave,

congratulations.

You made it through
to the final round.

To be crowned the
Forged in Fire champion,

you must forge an
iconic blade from history.

It's time to reveal what
that weapon will be.

Holy crap.

The crusader sword.

Dating back to the Middle
Ages, the crusader sword was

the European knights'
weapon of choice

as they conquered the Holy Land.

This single-handed,
medium length long sword

also contained a double-edge
that tapered at the end,

making it the ideal
weapon for piercing

the emerging plate armor that
was found on most battlefields.

The most famous crusader
sword was the legendary Excalibur

wielded by King Arthur.

A crusader sword was also
carried by the Knights Templar

who were highlighted in
films like Kingdom of Heaven

and Indiana Jones
and the Last Crusade.

It must be an authentic,
fully-functioning version

of that famous weapon.

You will have just five days
to complete this challenge.

I have never made
a crusader sword before.

Having to make
one in only five days

is gonna definitely
push me to the max.

Just to give you the
best possible chance,

we are sending you
back to your home forge

for this final round.

In five days, you will return
to present your swords

to the judges.

They will be put
through a series of tests

to judge its sharpness,
strength, and durability.

Once these tests are completed,

the judges will decide

who will be crowned the
Forged in Firechampion

and walk away with
a check for $10,000.

Good luck.

We will see you in five days.

My forge at home is not at home.

It's actually a shop that I
share with three other smiths.

I'm feeling really excited
about this last challenge.

The crusader sword is
kind of a broad category.

I'm going much more
for flamboyance and style.

My strategy here is to
make a Damascus billet,

which is a laminated bar made
up of multiple layers of steel.

And a jelly roll is a specific
pattern in Damascus

where you actually
roll the steel up on itself,

kind of like a cinnamon bun.

Pretty tight.

The jelly roll has
reached the point

that I need to get
it into my hammer

to squeeze it down on itself.

My experience in crusader swords

is nonexistent.

I'm gonna stick with
what history has shown

and that's with simplicity.

I want to make sure that this
is going to perform without fail.

Everything's good there.

Looks pretty clean
along the edges now.

So we're gonna proceed
to forging this out.

Okay.

I got plenty of width and
I am struggling for length.

And if I can't get this
last little bit of length,

then I'm either going to
have to risk it with the judges

or start from scratch.

Forges are generally designed

for certain particular
applications.

This one is not
meant for swords.

Having a blade so long
makes it very difficult

to get it to evenly heat.

I'm gonna put
the blade in the oil.

I'm gonna pull it out
just enough for it to flash.

Any time that thing
got hot in the forge,

it would warp.

I could literally watch it bend.

This is called a three-pin
straightening method.

I'm gonna either
straighten this blade

or I'm gonna snap it.

I really don't like doing this.

I'm really happy with how
the Damascus pattern came out.

And now I've decided
that I want a small spacer

between the
leather-wrapped handle

and the guard.

So I've carved a
small piece of antler

just to make a nice,
decorative transition piece.

That's nice and tight.

I feel great about
what I've made,

and if Dave beats it,

that means he's brought
something incredible.

So luckily,

the blade didn't
break in the vice.

I was able to fix the warp.

Now I got to get
this sword finished.

The handle is walnut

and my overlay
is a leather band.

I decided to put inside
the handle a riser

underneath the leather.

It's pleasing to the eye

and it helps with the grip.

Confidence level's pretty high.

I'm really pleased with
the outcome of this.

I've got a great chance at
this in the end with the judges.

Bladesmiths, welcome back.

For the types of tests that we
wanted to do with your weapons,

we had to change
locations from the forge

to a location that provides a
little bit more maneuverability.

Yeah.

Pete, can you tell us a
little bit about your sword?

It's a laminated blade,

which adds a level of detail

that you don't see much
in swords these days.

I think it's gonna kick butt.

Dave, how was your five days?

It was great.

I kept it simple.

I decided to stick with a
steel that I know, 5160.

The handle itself is walnut

and my overlay is a leather band

and then on top of that is
a very thin deerskin hide.

Great.

Now it's time to find
out whether or not

they're works of art

or deadly weapons of war.

While the crusader sword
was quite powerful and effective

on foot in
sword-to-sword combat,

there was a method of delivery

that made it even
more destructive:

from horseback.

That rider is gonna
use your weapons

to attack that
ballistics gel torso

that's wearing a great
helm, gorget, and tunic.

Before we put your
swords through the kill test,

we first want to see
if they can not break

when subjected to a blow
delivered from on top of a horse

at full gallop.

Okay.

I suggest we get out of the way.

I'm very nervous.

Full gallop on horseback,

that's a lot of power
to put into a sword.

Dave, you're up first.

Are you ready?

I ain't gonna get any readier.

Three, two, one. Engage.

Nice hit.

So seeing the rider go up
against this dummy with my sword

and it did not break on impact,

that is absolutely awesome.

Pete, your sword's up next.

Let's see some blood.

I feel great that my
sword held up well,

but it didn't cut
through the cloth armor.

To assess the damage

and perform the kill test,

I'm gonna hand you over to Doug.

Okay, Dave.

It's got some weight to it.

A crusader sword should
feel a bit heavy in the hand.

Slashing feels good.

Let's see if it will cut.

Okay.

Oh.

You can see it
points like a spear.

Beautiful thrusting capability.

It's a killer.

I had a lot of anxiety,

but I did really good.

At this point, I'm ecstatic.

Pete.

So now testing for the
thrusting with length.

It's got a lot of weight to it.

Let's see what it's
gonna do on a kill test.

Let's see.

It will kill.

All right, gentlemen,

that concludes the kill test.

Now we're gonna
head back to the forge

where we are going to
perform the strength test.

Welcome back.

Looks like your blades
are standing up to our tests,

but we have one left.

We have the strength test.

Okay.

Now I'm gonna
turn you over to Dave,

who's an expert in European
sword design and usage.

So we're done with the kill test

at the arena.

We're neck and
neck on performance.

Gentlemen,

a sword in combat went
through extreme stresses.

So to test this, I'm
gonna take five blows

against these femurs

to see how far
through we can get

with each of your weapons.

Okay.

- Pete, you ready?
- I'm ready.

All right.

As soon as I see

that they're going to
be chopping cow bones,

that makes me really nervous.

Against these femurs

to see how far
through we can get

with each of your weapons.

Pete, you ready?

- I'm ready.
- All right.

This is a very hard substance.

They're going to
be hitting it hard.

That makes me really nervous.

Wow.

While I was chopping,
this ring up here,

pretty rough on the hand.

Okay.

I'm just happy that my
sword is still in one piece

at the end of this.

Got about halfway
through that bone.

Just blowing pieces off of it.

And still has an edge.

Nice job.

Thank you.

Dave, you're up next.

You ready?

Sure.

I'm seeing these femur bones,

I'm getting ready
to almost throw up.

I don't want to
see this destroyed.

Bent.

Lot of stress in that blade.

No kidding.

You see the edge folded over.

Yeah.

Sort of bent right around
that point of impact

right there.

You can see we chopped
right through this bone.

About three blows
to crack that open.

Watching Dave work
on those bones with my sword

is the absolute
most nerve-racking,

stomach-twisting experience

that I've ever had
as a knife maker.

Well done.

Until the judges say
one way or the other,

I'm still...

I'm still nervous.

You've both been
outstanding competitors

through three
rounds of competition,

but there can only be one

Forged in Firechampion.

J.

Well, Pete,

that Damascus
blade was beautiful.

I mean, getting all those
welds folded together,

grinding that all evenly,

heat-treating it
the way you did,

it stood up to all the tests.

You did a wonderful
job on that piece of steel.

I had a couple of issues

with the way your
handle was put together

with that spacer.

The spacer really started
chewing into my hand.

I just couldn't get a good grip
up around the top of the sword.

That's an issue.

Comments for Dave?

Oh, Dave,

even though the
overall look of your sword

and the design of your
handle was very appealing,

obviously, it was a
heat treatment issue.

During the tests,
your blade folded over

and that really bit you
in the testing.

Dave, I love the design
of your blade.

Very clean lines.

Your handle felt very good
in the hand.

It's sharp.
It thrust well.

But in the end, it failed when
we started slicing the bones.

Pete,

you are the Forged in Fire
champion.

Congratulations.

Dave,

your sword felt great
in the hand,

but when I used it
on those bones,

boy, it just bent
right over the top

and the heat treat issue
like that,

we just can't let that through.

Dave,
you did an outstanding job.

Please surrender your weapon.

The judges' decision was
what it was.

If I can't change it,
then why worry about it?

I had a tremendous time
doing this.

It was an education,

a wonderful experience,

and definitely one
that I'm never gonna forget.

Pete, congratulations.

You're receiving a check
for $10,000.

That's pretty nice.

How do you feel?

I feel great.
I feel really good.

I think my wife,

when we get to Hawaii,
we're gonna lie back and relax.

She's had to put up
with me being gone for this.

She deserves it.