Forged in Fire (2015–…): Season 3, Episode 11 - Forged in Fire - full transcript

Are you wondering how healthy the food you are eating is? Check it - foodval.com
---
- Over three seasons, the
best bladesmiths in America

have put their skills
to the test...

- Yes! Whoo!

- By going head-to-head
here on "Forged in Fire."

- But I'm gonna make
a dang knife via magic.

- But only the best of the best

have earned
the title of champion.

- Yes!

- Tonight, four of these
elite craftsmen

return to battle it out
in the ultimate competition.

- Look out, look out, look out.
Move, move, move.



- But only one will take home
ten grand

and emerge with the title
"Forged in Fire"

champion of champions.

[dramatic music]

♪

- I'm Travis Wuertz.
I'm 34.

Typically, I'm known
for building grinders.

Winning "Forged in Fire"
the first time was a lot of fun

because so many of
my customers said,

"I didn't know
you could do that.

I thought you just
made grinders."

That was a good feeling.

- My name is Shayne Carter,
I'm 55 years old,

and I've been forging knife
blades well over 30 years.



Winning "Forged in Fire" was
a tremendous accomplishment.

I love competition.
It's in my blood.

I have to ride this horse
while I have it caught.

- I'm Peter Burt.

After winning
in my first appearance,

my wife and I and our daughter
took a trip to Hawaii,

which was one of the best
experiences of my life.

I decided to come back
because I'm a person

who has a hard time
saying no to a challenge.

- My name is Scott Thomas.

I've been bladesmithing
for 25 years now.

Last time,
my sword bent on the pig

because there was a soft spot.

If Jonathan's blade
hadn't exploded,

it probably would've been
a different outcome.

I really feel like
the freshman winner going up

against the varsity guys.

- Bladesmiths,
welcome back to the Forge.

As returning champions, you're
some of the greatest bladesmiths

that have ever walked
through those doors,

and today we're gonna find out

who stands out among you
as the best.

As before, every aspect of your
blade making capabilities

will be put to the test,

and as usual,
at the end of each round,

you will present your work
to our panel of expert judges,

world-renowned knife
maker Jason Knight,

historic weapons re-creation
specialist David Baker,

Kali martial artist
Doug Marcaida,

and looking at these tables,
you've probably figured out

that you'll be making
some variety of Damascus,

but what kind?

On your anvils is a cloth.

Go ahead and lift that up.

Canoe Damascus.

- I know what canister
Damascus is,

but it's canoe Damascus.

Is he just making this crap up?

- You must add two
or more of the materials,

along with the powdered steel,

into your metal canoes to create

a billet of canoe Damascus

from which you will forge
a signature blade

in your own style.

Keep in mind that
in the second round,

you'll be attaching handles
to your blades

to turn them into
fully-functional weapons

that will then be tested
in a beef rib slice

and hammering
into a steel plate.

Additionally, your blade must
have a through tang,

where the tang of the blade

runs through the full length
of the handle.

You have ten minutes
to work on your design.

You will have three hours
to forge your blades.

Your ten-minute design
window starts now.

♪

All right, battle
of the champions.

- I'm going with my tried
and true recurve.

Nothing cuts like the recurve,

and if the tip aligns up
properly, it'll penetrate too.

- In his competition, Travis had
to make a Viking sword.

- That was a beautiful
blade he brought in.

It was really well constructed.

- So what I start drawing

is kind of a standard
camp knife shape

where I know
I can leave the tip thick,

and it's perfectly in line
with the tang.

- Peter made a blade
that was so strong

it chopped through cow femurs.

- And I'll never forget his look

while I was swinging
at those bones.

He was hiding his eyes.

- Yeah, well,
I draw stick figures.

I'm gonna design
a medieval falchion.

I can have a really nice,
sharp, spike-like point on it.

They also say it's gonna have
to have a through tang.

All traditional falchions
had a through tang.

- Scott was
the claymore challenge.

His blade bent,
and the other one shattered.

- But once we straightened
that blade back out,

I cut halfway through a sheet
of steel

without damaging the edge.

- So I'm gonna make a recurve.

A recurve always cuts good.

If they want to penetrate
with that point,

I want to be able
to have some strength

but not so Persian-y.

- Shayne came in,
and he's only bladesmith here

who had to turn in two
identical butterfly swords.

- And he nailed it.

I mean, they looked beautiful.
They performed beautiful.

- Bladesmiths, your ten-minute
design window is now closed.

Your three-hour forge time
starts... now.

♪

Jason, what makes canoe
Damascus so unique?

- You're taking
different little things.

You throw it in the canoe

as opposed to the canister,
which is all on the end.

The canoe is, you know, flat,

so you can arrange it
in there however you wanted to

and then fill the rest
with powder.

Each individual here

is going to do
something very different.

- Right.

- This challenge is much harder

that what I faced last time,

the fact that we need
to first make the steel

before we can make the blade.

I decide to use Liquid Paper
to coat the inside of my canoe.

This way, theoretically,

the steel won't stick to it
when it welds,

and I can get
my solid chunk out quickly.

For my canister,
I choose shredded cable,

chainsaw chain, and bike chain.

They're the most similar in
heat-treating characteristics.

- I'm gonna use materials
that I'm familiar with.

I'm gonna put ball
bearings down first.

I'm gonna add some cube of 1080.

Part of the reason for that is,

as I'm grinding away
that soft material,

I'll be able to see
those ball bearings quickly,

and that's what
I'm looking for to know

when I've gotten rid
of that soft material.

- I don't know if Shayne put
Liquid Paper in his can or not.

- Nope and neither did Travis,

but Pete and Scott did.

I hope the Liquid Paper smiths

don't fall into the trap
of over-forging that billet

because that can make it
really difficult

to get that canoe skin off.

- Canoe Damascus,

I've never done anything
even near close to this stuff,

so I tried to make some
sort of neat pattern.

I throw some chainsaw chain
'cause the chain

always has neat little stuff
to it, and I figure,

"Well, I might as well scatter
some ball bearings

in there too."

You know, hope for the best.

- The idea is get the powder
to go in between all the pieces,

and sometimes that's a trick.

- So into my can I throw
in some ball bearings

some saw blades,
some cable scraps

and fill the rest with powder,
basically baking a cake.

- Scott and Travis
are over at the welders

getting everything
all put together.

- The biggest thing is getting
solid steel to work with.

- Got a leak.
- Wow.

Look at Scott's forge right now.

- He's got a big old
leak in there.

- There is just sparks
just shooting out of that thing.

- That's not good.

- Scott's panicking
a little bit.

It's like Fourth of July
in there.

[dramatic music]

♪

- [bleep].
- Is that bad that he had that?

- When you're seeing
all that sparkling,

the material is oxidizing.
- Right.

All that powder is actually
shooting out of that hole.

- I had to seal a couple
of little holes

that I missed
in my initial welding.

[bleep].

- You know, if they grind off
that can,

as opposed to peeling it off,

they had better make sure
that they remove enough metal

so we can see that pattern
inside.

- Travis is putting
on a light show.

- I'm making no attempt
of peeling the can off.

Not even gonna try.

What I'm gonna do
is grind the corners off,

make sure the can
has stuck completely

because a mild steel
can be removed

from the important parts
of the blade.

- You have only two hours
remaining to finish your work!

- Thanks, Wil.

- You're welcome.
- [laughs]

- We got three grinders.
- We got three grinders.

- Whoo!

- It's time
to take that skin off.

All I need to do
is grind one corner off,

and I'll be able to unwrap
this like a burrito.

The Liquid Paper did its job,
created a barrier,

and prevented the steel inside
from welding

to the steel of the canoe.

♪

- I'm gonna try to get all of
the can off of the outside,

but I know there's still
gonna be remnants

of that can
on the side of the blade,

but I've got to get it all
removed from the cutting edge.

♪

I wasn't paying
good enough attention.

The angle grinder just jumped up

and just bit the top
of my finger.

I got a cut through the glove.

- So Shayne's already cut.

We've got the medic
taking care of him.

♪

- You just get patched up,
and you get back in the game.

- It's time to start cutting
the casing off.

I'm hoping that
the Wite-Out works.

That ain't gonna work.
[bleep].

- Did he forge weld mild steel

to the steel
inside of the canoe?

- Oh, this ain't happening.

That can is not coming off.
I'm struggling.

I'm trying to chisel.
That's not working.

It's all [bleep]
welded together.

God [bleep].

I have completely
made one solid chunk.

That ain't gonna work.

That ain't coming off.

Ah, that ain't gonna happen.

- Scott needs to change up.
- Yeah.

- He needs to change his plan.

He is not getting anywhere
with what he's doing.

- I cannot
get this canister off.

I am so screwed.
This [bleep] ain't coming off.

I know I'm in trouble.
I don't know what to do.

[bleep].

- Some serious problems
going on with Scott's blade.

- It's welded solid.

The canister's not coming off.
It's all welded together.

- Scott needs to change up.

He needs to just
change his direction.

- Plan B. Got to grind.

I got to find
some metal in here.

I don't have to cut
the whole thing off,

just enough of where
the blade is.

I look at the time, I'm like,

"Okay, I know that I'll get
a blade done."

It just won't be
really well-ground.

- Two hours has elapsed!

You have just 60 minutes
remaining to finish your work!

♪

- I've got my blade
basically the shape I want,

so I go ahead and harden it.

Looks good.

- So Travis went in
for his quench.

- Nothing broke, nothing
cracked, nothing warped.

Back to the grinder.

- We're down to the wire,
and I'm not comfortable.

I won't know that I've gotten
rid of all that soft material

till I actually get
the blade hardened.

- Shayne has just quenched.

He's got his blade in the oil.

- The quench went pretty good.
The blade's hard,

but it might
be just a little too hard.

What I'm worried about is,
you know, chipping or cracking.

- Well, I got all
but one side off.

I might be able to grind
some of it off.

I can see some pattern.

The pattern is there,
only on one side though.

[laughs]

- Scott just quenched
in the oil.

- Let it cool down.

- Still straight. [bleep] yeah.

- And into the water.
- No...

- Oh, my God. That thing
was still smoking hot.

- Scott may have some problems.

It's not a good idea
because it could crack.

- Look out, look out, look out.
Move, move, move.

- 30 seconds!

- I made a blade
from canoe Damascus.

There is a pattern there.

It's kind of weird,
but it's a pattern.

- Each of these bladesmiths
in this first round

has given
a championship performance.

Eight, seven, six, five,

four, three, two, one.

Bladesmiths,
shut down your machines.

Drop your tools.

- Whoo-hoo! It's over.

- I'm ready to get naked.
- [laughs]

- Not with you guys.
- Yeah, I hope not.

- Champions, now it's time
for the judges

to take a closer look
at your work.

Travis, please present
your blade to the judges.

♪

- Well, it looks good.
I like the shape.

It's on the robust side.

I noticed that some people
were using the Liquid Paper,

but you decided not to.

- I decided I'd rather be hard
and solid than easy.

- Okay. Good strategy.
Well done.

- Thank you.
- Peter, you're next.

- It's a great shape,
a really nice finish.

As it sits right now, you've got
your tang virtually in line

with the spine of your blade.

You would need at least
this much handle material,

so your handle
will be offset on the knife,

so it'll be interesting
to see how you deal with that.

It's well done.
- Thank you.

- Shayne, you're up.

- Welcome back, Shayne.
Very clean lines.

A lot of meat here
so it's very heavy right now.

Overall, though, nice design.
Thank you.

- Shayne, you have
a lot of rough spots

around your ricasso area,

and I hope that you
clean that up.

Well done.

- Scott, you're up.

- Scott,
you had an interesting battle

with the casing on this.

I see a lot of issues in here.

I see a lot of the outside
can still stuck on this blade.

It makes an interesting pattern,

but it's not gonna be effective

when it comes to making
this blade sharp.

- When I look at this,
I think of slashing

and having this come through
and then having that void there

and then the tip catching.

You've got a...
- Little bit of a warp.

- A pretty healthy warp
to one side there.

It'll be interesting
to see how it works.

- I feel pretty good,

but what the judges see
and what I see,

they might be different things.

- It would be great if I could
ke it to the second round

because I know that I can
clean this blade up really nice,

but the odds are, you know,
not quite there.

[laughs]

- In this last round,

you each competed
like champions,

and the judges have made
a final decision.

The bladesmith leaving
the Forge is...

[suspenseful music]

Scott.

Your blade did not make the cut.

- Scott, an incredibly
bold design,

but in the end, it really
came down to execution.

There are a few problems
with that blade.

There is an S-curve bend
to your blade.

The tang is way off-line.

There's still canister left on
a large section of your blade.

Your blade's already
at a finished thickness,

so to chase those problems
with more grinding,

you're gonna have to remove
a lot more material,

and it's because
of those reasons

that we've got to let you go.

- Scott, please
surrender your blade.

- feel good.

I mean, you know,
I got eliminated,

but somebody's got to go first.
[laughs]

Shayne.
- Well done.

- You know,
it's the champion round.

These guys are good,
and, you know,

even when you lose
to the group of guys like this,

it's still not really a loss
in my book.

That's the way it goes.

♪

- Congratulations,
you've made it past round one.

In this round of competition,
you'll be attaching handles

to your blades to turn them
into fully-functional weapons.

In addition, you must also
make a guard for your blades.

Sounds easy enough
for a roomful of champions.

That's why we're having you
make them

from bronze with these...

foundries.

A foundry isertical forge

that allows you
to melt steel or metal.

That liquid metal
can then be poured

into a mold
to form any desired shape.

- I'm almost sick to my stomach.

I know nothing about
casting whatsoever.

This is tough.

- Due to the difficulty
of this challenge,

you will have four hours
instead of the usual three,

but keep in mind
that when the time runs out,

one of you will have
to surrender his weapon

and leave the Forge.

Good luck, bladesmiths.

Your four hours starts now.

- In this challenge
we have four hours.

Oh, [bleep].

Which seems like a lot of time

but, jeez, not only do
I got to build a handle,

I got to cast
a guard out of bronze.

It's gonna be really tough.

- Travis is just acting like
the challenge isn't there.

- I don't have much of a plan,

other than work on my blade

because at least I know
what I'm doing there.

- He's going for the "I'm gonna
see what they do first" route.

- In foundry work,
you're melting material,

and then you pour it
into a cast.

In this case,
we're working with foam,

packing that in sand
that will burn out.

Two of my business partners
do quite a bit of casting.

I've watched them but done
very little of it myself.

New piece.

I made two forms,

both times
forgot to put a sprue on.

In the vertical pour
with a sprue,

your piece is completely
enclosed by the sand,

so you'll get nice detail
on all sides.

Doing the open top,
I know I'm gonna have one side

that's just a nasty, big lump.

- They've got these flasks.

That's what that two-part
piece of metal out there is...

- Okay.
- And they've got the foam.

Put that in the flask,
surround it with casting sand,

pour that molten metal in.

That foam will actually
evaporate into the sand.

- The metal evaporates the foam,
forming a...

- Positive of what
they were trying to cast.

Now, Pete has done a different
kind of a mold setup.

Instead of being
enclosed in the flask,

he's got his mold open top

with sort of a reservoir
sitting around the top.

- When I take the cast apart,
it is pretty obvious

that I have a solid casting,

but the hole that
I had carved in there

to put the tang through
no longer exists.

That means I'm having to
drill this and file it and fit it up.

It doesn't need to be redone,

but I've made
a lot of work for myself.

- I feel like Ned,
the third-grade reader.

I know nothing
about casting whatsoever.

Is the fire too hot?

Is the fire too cold?

- You want to make sure
that you get it at least

a couple hundred degrees
above melting.

That way you've got time to pour
before it re-solidifies.

- This is a true test
of the champs

because we've pretty much
tested their ability

to adapt, improvise,
and overcome.

- Okay, here we go.
Shayne's pouring.

What keeps metal from
spilling out through the sand?

- The sand packs very densely,

and it has
a lot of moisture in it.

So when you pour
the bronze into it,

the heat's gonna
dissipate fairly rapidly.

- It's kind of like Christmas.

I can't wait
to unwrap my present.

It isn't uniform,
and it isn't symmetrical,

but I've got a good,
solid chunk to work with.

- 1 1/2 hours has elapsed.

You have 2 1/2 hours
remaining to finish your work.

- All right, what the hell
do I do with this now?

I'm done wasting time.

Shayne and Pete
are casting their guards,

but I don't think
they're a wealth of knowledge.

I really want to look over
and kind of copy,

but I don't know if that's
the best idea either.

No idea what I'm doing.
It looks like it's molten.

- Here we go,
here we go, here we go.

- Here we go.

[dramatic music]

♪

- The foundry is really
a simple thing,

but there's a lot
of little details

that can really bite you
in the ass.

- Whoa!
- That's probably not good.

- All the weight of that
metal pushed through the sand.

- Oh, my God.
- It's the worst-case scenario

that I can even think of.

- As I pour, my bronze,
just... pfft,

spews all over the table.

- What happened
when Travis compacted his mold,

it pushed the mold
way to one side,

so when he poured,
all the weight of that metal

pushed through the sand
and poured out.

- Be enough there,
be enough there.

I just decide to pick up
the biggest piece of scrap

and turn it into a guard.

Make something out of it.

- Does this mistake put Travis

at a disadvantage compared
to the other smiths?

- Oh, yeah.
- Yeah, definitely.

- They're ahead now.

- All right, here we go.

- You have only
90 minutes remaining!

- That's what we're
talking about.

[squeaking]

- Peter's using
psychological warfare right now

to set the other smiths on edge.

- Yeah, it is kind of making
the hair stand up

on the back of my neck.

- I can already tell
that I'm behind

where I was hoping to be.

- I got a big-ass block.

I already drilled
a couple holes.

You want a big-ass
composite block?

- Hey, if it's got holes in it,
I won't say no.

What the heck? Here's
something already started.

I'll go with it.

The material that Travis was
working with is linen Micarta,

which is a composite.

Very strong, super rugged.

Pfft.

♪

- Last time I was here, I made
a very good working blade.

I didn't care for the handle.

I am really not liking
my choice of handle material.

So maybe this time I can prove
I can put a good handle on it.

I've chosen to do
a block of wood.

The stabilized wood
looked pretty solid,

but once I got into it, there's
some voids in that wood,

but it's too late in the game
for me to change the handle.

- I'm just filling up some of
these voids around the edges.

Since we're required to have the
full through-tang construction,

I need a cap at the back end
to peen the tang over onto.

As I'm hammering the tang,

it starts to crack
a little around the edges,

and it's not cinching
up the way it should.

[sighs]

Gonna have to do
what I didn't want to do.

I know I need to go to the torch

because I do not have the time
to continue hammering.

It's not the best way
to do this.

Starting to put heat
on the end of the tang

means I'm going to start

to singe the inside
of my handle material,

probably burn out
some of that glue

I put in there.
Mm.

Wow, that smells really good.

- I smell a lot of glue.

- It's not going to be
as secure as I would like.

- You have just 30 minutes
remaining to finish your work.

I decide to go with a slabbed
handle or frame construction.

All right.
Boy, is that awful-looking.

I choose poured plastic junk.

It's probably very strong.

I think my handle looks like
a Cheeto-pickle sandwich.

Oh, yeah.

- There's a lot of work
to be done.

I'm hoping to take
that blowtorch, heat it up,

and get a rivet forged
over my tang.

- Ooh, that thing's on fire.
- Oh, no.

- All that heat's traveling down

through the center
of that handle right now,

and that's burning epoxy,
and that'll make it brittle.

- Well, that ain't working.

♪

My goal was to come here
and make a better handle.

I totally failed.

Now I've got to get
the blade sharp.

- Five, four, three, two, one.

Bladesmiths, shut down
your machines.

Drop your tools.
Your four-hour time is closed.

- Good job, guys.

- It's always nice
when the time's up

because then I'm done.

- This is the strength test.
I'll be testing the strength

and durability
of the points of your knives

by hammering them
into these steel plates.

Peter, are you ready?

- Ready is not quite the word.

[dramatic music]

♪

- Whew.

- Peter, you made
a very robust blade,

and your point,

I don't think
that would've damaged

if we'd hammered it through
a 1/4 inch piece of armor plate.

Nothing came loose.
This feels solid to me.

It performed well.

- Thank you.
- Shayne, you're up next.

You ready?
- Yes, sir.

[dramatic music]

♪

- Well, Shayne, your point held
up with no problem,

but I have some issues
with your fit and finish.

Your guard is really sharp here.
I don't like that.

It should only be sharp here,

along the cutting edge
but overall, well done.

- Thank you.
- Travis, you ready?

- Does it matter?
- [laughs] Nope.

[dramatic music]

♪

Your point held up well.

It might've gone
deeper than any other one.

You have a really
nice point on this blade.

This Kirinite is tough stuff.

That held up well.

Overall, it performed well.

- Thank you.

- Next up is the sharpness test.

I'm gonna turn that
over to Doug.

- Champion bladesmiths,
to see how sharp

the edge of your blade is,
I will take your weapon,

and I'll try to cut
through these rack of ribs.

Let's see how sharp
your blades are.

Pete, you're up first.
You ready?

- As ready as I'm gonna be.
- Let's do this.

- My blade did great
in the strength test,

but it's neck-and-neck,

and I think
my blade's too heavy,

and it may not be able to cut

through that much meat
in one go.

♪

- Okay, Pete, I like
the construction of your handle.

I can index. I can feel
where the edge should be.

One of the things
that I question

a little bit over here
is the way

you have your guard at an angle.

Overall, though, it will cut.

- Thank you.
- Shayne, you're up next.

You ready?
- Yes, sir.

[dramatic music]

♪

- Beautiful.

- Well, Shayne,
your blade cut through not one,

but two racks cleanly.

Your handle feels good,
and as you can see,

your blade, sir, will cut.
Good job.

- Thank you.

- Travis, the only
one left, you ready?

- Sure.
- Let's do this.

[dramatic music]

♪

- Well done, mate.
- Well, Travis,

your blade has a good,

nice balance to it,

but on the end over here,
your tang, it's showing,

and there's a lot of glue.

Overall, though,
your blade will cut.

- Thank you.

- [groans]
- Well.

- All right, judges,
let's get into the details.

Let's start with Pete's blade.

- You know, visually,
the only one problem

I have with it is this guard.

It just goes too far that way,

but his fit
and finish, out of all three,

is the best fit and finish.

- But when it came to
the sharpness test,

his blade did not cut

all the way through
compared to the other two.

- So how much did the foundry
screw up your process?

- I had a whole plan in my head.

Soon as he whipped off
that sheet,

I was just like,
"God [bleep]."

- Let's go ahead and move
on to Shayne's blade.

- This handle is rough.

There's no reason for him
to have not cleaned this up.

The weird thing is,
this feels really comfortable.

It doesn't feel like it's gonna
rub a hot spot on my hand.

It cut everything.
It penetrated the steel.

It cut through the ribs.

That's what makes this tough.

- All right, let's take
a look at Travis' blade.

- Some of our competition
seemed to come down

to time management.

That time was spent
on the blade,

but I wish some of that time
had been spent cleaning this,

but it's a performer.

This has got
a remarkable edge on it.

- Judges, you might have
the hardest decision

you've ever had to make,

but we have to send one
of these guys home.

Doug, have you made
your final decision?

- Yes, I have.
- Dave?

- Close but yeah.
- Jason?

- Yeah, man.
- Let's go tell our smiths.

♪

Bladesmiths,
in this competition,

you have each exemplified
exactly what it means to be

a "Forged in Fire" champion.

The judges have made
a final decision,

and it's time for one of you
to leave the Forge.

Peter, your blade did
not make the cut.

- Peter, the way you
conducted yourself

from the very get-go
is to be commended,

but in the end, it came down
to performance.

Your blade did not cut as well
as the other two competitors',

and it's for that
very small reason

that we're sending you home.

- Peter, please
surrender your weapon.

- I really engineered my blade
towards the 1/4 inch plate,

so I left a little
more heft in my tip.

I think all the blades had some
positives and negatives,

and the judges
had to shake that all out,

and going up against
such great competitors,

it's hard to feel
bad going home.

- Travis, Shayne,
congratulations.

Once again, you find yourselves

in the final round
of this competition.

Now we're sending you back
to your home forges,

where you will make
an iconic blade from history.

The pata.

- What the [bleep]?

- The pata was a unique
gauntlet weapon developed

by the Marathas
of central India.

This double-edged weapon
had a long,

flexible blade
over four feet long.

The pata was so distinctive,

it was featured in the
cult classic film "Willow."

Instead of featuring
a guard like most swords,

it had a steel gauntlet

that would cover the hand and
sometimes even the forearm.

With their arm strapped
inside of the gauntlet,

the user would not have
the use of their wrist.

Therefore, a soldier equipped
with a pata needed experience

in using such a unique weapon.

While the pata was commonly
used by mounted warriors,

its design allowed
even a soldier on foot

to strike from
a wider variety of angles

compared to
a conventional sword.

It must be an effective
working version of that weapon.

- What the hell is a pata?

Before, the Viking sword was
on my list of things to make,

and this is... I don't
even know what this is.

- It must include a guard
that covers the fist and forearm

and have an adjustable strap.

You will have five days
at your home forge

to complete this challenge.

At the end of five days,
you will return

and present your patas
to our panel of expert judges,

who will then subject them
to a series of rigorous

and dynamic tests.

They will declare one of you
the "Forged in Fire"

champion of champions

and hand you a check
for $10,000.

Good luck, champs.

We'll see you in five days.

- Good luck, Shayne.
- [chuckles]

[dramatic music]

♪

This is a challenge,
the champion of champions.

I have to push the envelope.

I have to make this sword
the best that I can make it.

I'm gonna gamble.
I'm going for Damascus.

I'm starting with 17 layers,

and I actually want
to get to 200 layers.

There's no quick and easy way
to make Damascus.

There's a process
it has to go through,

and it's just time-consuming.

For that pattern to pop,

I think I have to go
above and beyond.

I'm gonna make an impression

in this block of wood
kind of the same shape

as the back of my hand.

I've never forged a gauntlet,

so I'm limited on tools.

I'm limited on knowledge.

It will have to be done
by eyeball and by hand.

[dramatic music]

♪

- I'm definitely happy
to be back in my own shop

because I make tools
for a living,

and I've been working
on some neat little gadgets

and gizmos that I think
will be pretty handy.

This is not a standard
"Forged in Fire"

because I'm going up
against Shayne Carter.

I'm gonna have to bring a nice
piece 'cause he's no slouch.

You can't go wrong with 5160.

The pata is a broadsword blade

that linked the sword blade
to the forearm

to generate power
through the elbow and shoulder.

I can... I can... I'm starting
to see this being...

This is gonna be some...

This is gonna
mess up some [bleep].

♪

- It's day two.

I'm gonna spend most of the day
working on that gauntlet.

I have ideas in my mind,

but I don't have a clear picture

of what the finished
product's gonna be.

I think that's gonna
be pretty close.

Actually fabricating a knuckle,

fabricating the human hand
is a tough challenge.

♪

It's starting to look
more like a fist.

Now I'm just gonna have to get

the D-guard fit to the sword.

We're getting there,
slowly but surely.

[dramatic music]

♪

- Well, it's day three,

and I'm ready
to quench my blade.

Well, here we go.

What I consider the most
important part of this build

is the hardening of the blade.

If it's soft,
it's not gonna hold an edge,

and if he hits something,
you don't want it to stay bent.

I would like to do some testing.

[dramatic music]

♪

That [bleep]'s tough, man.

- So day four and the sword's
coming along very nicely.

If I had one comment,

I would say it's probably
just a little bit heavy,

but I went the extra mile
with the pattern

to give Travis
a run for his money.

I'm actually feeling
pretty good.

By the end of the day, I want
to have my blade assembled.

I've-I've got the blade inise
the vise, and I'm welding it up.

I'm getting it fastened and...

Oh. Oh!

And a spark jumps
out and, bingo,

just fries the cutting edge
of my blade.

That means I'll have
to re-profile the blade,

re-etch it.

If I don't re-profile it,

I could have a soft spot
there as well.

It's definitely a disappointment

because the geometry
and the aesthetics

of the blade are compromised,

but all I can do
is move forward.

- Today is day five,

and I'd be lying if I said
I wasn't nervous.

I still got to build
my whole gauntlet.

So if I make it 14-gauge,
I'll make it wider.

Let's make this up. If I make it
bigger out of 16-gauge,

I can just die
the whole [bleep] thing.

On a day like this,
I think I could've held

a needle in my ass
for ten hours straight.

I have the fist of the gauntlet.

I welded that to the arm
piece of the gauntlet.

I welded that to the guard,
to the hand piece.

I still got to put a strap in.

I want a fricking sheepskin
in it.

All right, let's go.
Time is running out.

That's gonna make a mess,
but I don't care.

Oh, this is gonna suck.
God [bleep].

The last ten minutes
was a bitch.

[groans]
All right.

All right, then.
That works.

Oh, piece of... I wish I could
take that discoloration off.

I'm out of time, right?

Okay, then I'm done, right?

- Travis, Shayne, you've had
five days at your home forges

to work on your weapons.

Travis, why don't you
tell the judges

about your blade.

- I went with a simple,
high-carbon 5160 blade

and tried my best to fit
the sucker to a gauntlet,

and hopefully it performs.

- Shayne, tell us a little bit
about your blade.

- I made my steel out
of Damascus steel,

1070 and 15 and 20.

It's a blade I would
have never built,

so it was fun,
and I learned a little bit.

- All right, gentlemen,
now it's time

to see how your weapons
hold up in our tests.

Up first, the sharpness test.
Doug.

- To see how sharp your weapons
are, I will take your pata,

and I'll deliver three sharp
blows on these meat carcasses.

Travis, you're up first.
You ready?

- Might as well.

I feel pretty good going into
the weapons testing.

I know my blade has good
geometry, and it's comfortable.

[dramatic music]

♪

- Well done.

- Okay, Travis, very

nice, clean lines
with your blade.

On the motion,
it's got great recovery.

A little bit heavy
for the gauntlet there,

but it is wicked sharp.

Your weapon will cut.

- Thank you.
- Good job.

All right, Shayne,
you're up next. You ready?

- Yes, sir.

I know this weapon
will hold up to the test.

I mean, that's a given.
I built this weapon strong.

How it performs doing
those tests is the question

that's still on my mind.

[dramatic music]

♪

- Well, Shayne, off the bat,

it's very heavy, hard to handle
in terms of the recovery.

Your blade is gorgeous, though,

beautiful Damascus pattern.

In terms of sharpness,

it did almost cut through
the two pieces over there.

It cut all the way
through the center piece,

so this blade will cut.

- Thank you.
- Next up, is the strength test.

Dave.

- Now, a pata in combat
had to be sharp,

but it also had to be strong,

so to test
your blades' strength,

we're going to put it
in our vise

and then flex it both directions
to 20 degrees.

If your blade's strong,
it should return to true.

Travis, you're up first.
Are you ready?

- Yup.

When they announced
that the test

was gonna be bending
the blade 20 degrees,

you can't help but think
something bad's gonna happen.

- Here we go.
- I'm pretty nervous right now.

Anytime somebody shoves
your tip in a vise

and goes bending on it,

you can't help but think
something bad's gonna happen.

- 20.

Looks good so far.

[dramatic music]

♪

20.

♪

All right, Travis, you know,

everything's still right
and tight up here.

Your connection
to the gauntlet's very solid.

Good job.
- Thank you.

- All right, Shayne, your turn.

- Let's do it.

♪

- Ten.

♪

20.

Going the other way.

Ten.

♪

Ooh, 20.

♪

Well, Shayne,
I was actually worried more

about the connection
right there flexing,

since you've got it supported
on that one side,

but your blade is true.

- Thank you.
- Next up is the kill test.

For that, I'm gonna hand you
over to Doug.

- To see how much lethal damage
your weapon can do,

I will deliver some killing
blows on this pig carcass.

Travis, you're up first.
Ready?

- Sure.

♪

- Travis, your design

of your pata feels good
when you're thrusting.

It went all the way
through the carcass.

On a diagonal slice,

almost cut all the way
through the pig carcass.

Overall, sir,
your blade will kill.

Good job.
- Thank you.

- All right, Shayne,
you're up next. Ready?

- Yes, sir.
- Let's do this.

[dramatic music]

♪

Okay, Shayne, your edge
geometry on your blade

is on the thicker side,

so it tends to chop
as opposed to slice through,

but in terms of a thrust like
that and cuts, it's very lethal.

Those kinds of damages
will kill. Good job.

- Thank you.

- Travis, Shayne, the judges
have made their final decision,

but first they havesome.

Jason.
- Travis, I really like

the overall construction
of your pata.

When you pick up
a piece like that,

it makes me want
to strike something.

I like the sheepskin
you put inside of that also.

Overall, you did a great job.

- Thank you.
- Shayne, I love the fact

that you brought us a piece with
a lot of craftsmanship in it.

That ladder-pattern Damascus
in your blade is beautiful,

but also, all the supports
around the gauntlet

being Damascus added
a lot to that piece.

Even with the cross section
as thick as it was,

I was able to flex that blade
20 degrees in either direction

and have it come back to true,

so you obviously really
nailed the heat treat.

Nice job.
- Thank you.

- Travis, Shayne,
the "Forged in Fire" champion

of champions is...

[suspenseful music]

♪

Travis.
Congratulations.

Shayne, this time,
your blade did not make the cut.

- Shayne, we asked you to turn

in an iconic weapon
from history.

What you turned in is fitting
of a "Forged in Fire" champion,

but the weight and edge geometry

of your blade
affected its performance.

It underperformed
in the sharpness and kill tests,

and it's for that reas
we're letting you go.

- Shayne, please
surrender your weapon.

- Travis built
a better weapon than I built.

I got beat.
Thank you, gentlemen.

It's been an honor
to come back as a champion.

The reason I came back is
to become a better bladesmith,

and that's what
"Forged in Fire" does,

so when I get home, I'm gonna
spend time with my family

and get back to work.

- Travis, you beat out
three others

to become our champion
of champions.

Congratulations.

You will also be receiving
a check for $10,000.

Good job.
[applause]

- This was awesome.
Shayne is a very skilled guy,

and it was really neat
competing against him.

It felt really good winning
"Forged in Fire" once,

and to be able to do it again
and say

that I'm a champion of champions
is a pretty neat feeling,

but I got to head home
and build some grinders.