Forged in Fire (2015–…): Season 8, Episode 21 - Casino Challenge - full transcript

Someone needs to stop Clearway Law.
Public shouldn't leave reviews for lawyers.

- I'm alexander davis. I'm 21.

And I've been forging
for 12 years now.

This is gilbert.
My fiancée gave me him,

'cause I'm gonna be
a first-time dad

in about four months.

It was just a way
to remind me of the ones

that are supporting me
and I care about.

- my name is chris gardner.

I am 37 years old,
from las vegas, nevada.

At home, I have my two kids.
They are four and eight.



They love, you know,
coming out in the forge

while I'm working out there.

They can't wait
to see me compete.

- My name's damond clark.
I am 45 years old.

Started doing brazilian
jiujitsu about 12 years ago,

so I think that part
of the reason

I'm a pretty decent bladesmith
is the discipline

and the strength
it takes to be in jiujitsu.

It feels like I'm getting
ready got a fight.

Been competitive my whole life,
and this is another chapter.

- Feeling lucky today?
- I think so.

- My name's johnnie cane.
I'm 55 years old.

One day I was flipping
through youtube

and saw a gentleman
making knives by hand.



If he can do it, so can I.

I came on this competition

to prove I can run
with the big boys.

I will try to be
the top dog on the block.

- bladesmiths,
welcome to the forge.

I hope you all came ready
to test your luck,

because we've got
three very intense rounds

of forging competition
lined up for you today.

At the end of each round,
you're gonna present your work

to our panel of expert judges,
who will then critique

your work
and make an elimination.

It will all culminate
with one of you

taking the house for $10,000
and walking out of here

carrying the title
of "forged in fire" champion.

Now, the judges
for today's competition

are abs master smith j. Neilson,

historic weapons recreation
specialist dave baker,

and edged weapons specialist

and kali martial artist
doug marcaida.

Well gentlemen, welcome to
the "forged in fire"

gambling house.

Now here's how it's gonna work.

We're gonna spin
the wheel of forging,

which is gonna give you
a technique

you need to use for round one.

Now, there some
that are pretty easy,

like choose your own technique.

Then we've got things as
hard as jelly roll damascus.

Now, at the same time,
I'm gonna put

five cards face down
and flip one of them over.

That's gonna give you
a parameter

for your second
round handle materials.

Now, if you don't like where
the wheel of forging lands,

you can decide to spin it again.

But there's a kicker.
Every time you spin this wheel,

I'm gonna flip over another
one of these cards,

making your second round
a little more difficult.

Now gentlemen, with whatever
technique you land on,

you're gonna have to build
a signature blade

that measures between
14 and 16 inches.

Now, by the end of round one,
you need to be quenched,

hardened, and acid etched,
because we want to make sure

that you meet
the technique parameters.

Alex, you're up first.

Come on up
to the gambling table.

- I don't want to land
on jelly roll damascus.

God forbid I land on anything
I'm not capable of doing.

- Let's do it.

Let's see what your round
two parameter will be.

You have to add a fuller.

In round one, twist and stack
damascus.

Good to go? - Yes.

- That's one of our more
difficult ones.

You sure you don't
want to spin again?

- Mm.
- All right. Fantastic.

Head back to your anvil.

Chris, you're up next.
Come on up.

- As I get closer, I can start
to make a few of them out,

and then I start seeing
just layered damascus,

and, man, bingo,
those are what I'm going for.

- Let's see what you get.

You have to add a fuller

in round two of the competition.

In round one,
200-layer damascus.

Are you happy with that choice?

- I'm very happy.
- All right, damond.

Let's test your luck.

- I'm just hoping
that it's not something

I've never tried before.

- In round two, you're gonna
have to add antlers.

In round one,
fishhook canister damascus.

How you feeling about that?

- I get fishhook
canister damascus,

which didn't sound fun to me.

All right. - I love it.

- So I took a second spin.

- In round two, you are going
to add paracord.

- Okay.
- Oh!

Extremely close to jelly roll,

but you landed
on 100-layer damascus.

- I'll take it.
- You happy with it?

- Yes, sir.
- All right, bud.

- 100-layer damascus
is a cakewalk.

- Johnnie, you are up.

- I'm thinking about taking
whatever the first challenge is

that I know how to do.

- Round two, sir, you have
to add a mosaic pin.

How you feeling about that?
- That's good.

- In round one,
we are on raindrop damascus.

You feeling
comfortable with that?

- You bet. The only hard part
about raindrop damascus

is getting those
little round holes

drilled through the steel.

- Now guys, in round two
of the competition,

you're gonna add handles
to your blades,

turning them
into fully-functioning weapons.

After that,
we're gonna go into testing.

We're gonna check for strength
and durability

in a roulette wheel chop.

And then we're gonna
check your edges

and check the sharpness
in a playing card slice.

You have three hours
on the clock.

Good luck. Your time starts now.

This is gonna be
an interesting round.

Each smith started off
with 12 pieces of 15n20

and 12 pieces of 1095.

We've got 100-layer,
we've got 200-layer,

twist and stack, and raindrop.

- Twist and stack
is time-consuming,

in that you're gonna have to
make two billets, twist them,

and then stack them
and weld them.

- I'm doing a twist pattern,
which takes an extra step,

which taxes extra time,
and if I up, I'm done.

I'm gonna make sure
the steel's absolutely clean,

no mill scale, no rust.

Welding!

Preparation is key to make sure

I don't get no inclusions,
none of that.

- normally, a 200-layer stacked
damascus, I take my time,

make sure everything's
prepped right.

I don't have that here.

- Welding!

I stack all 24 pieces together
to start with.

- Chris has 200-layer count,

and he's using every bit
of the steel you're giving him.

- He's gonna need it.
Cutting and stacking like that,

you are gonna burn
some steel away,

so using all the steel's
the smart move.

- With 24 layers, my billet is
gonna be cut into five pieces

to make 120-layer.

Then I'm gonna have to cut
that in half and re-weld that.

That will give me
a 240-layer billet.

- I have to make raindrop
damascus.

A full tang chopper
is what I have in mind.

I only chose 10 pieces
of steel to begin with,

because if part of this
billet would screw up,

then I would have extra
to fall back on.

- To do a good raindrop pattern,

you want a high layer count.

So you're gonna at least want
to get it up to about 100-layer

before you drill
that raindrop pattern.

I like that johnnie's being
very meticulous about his work,

but does he have enough metal
there for raindrop damascus?

- I'm betting no.

- starting out with 24 layers,

and I need to get to over 100,

so I'm going to draw out
the 24 layers,

stack it in three,
which will give me 72 layers,

and then stack it again
in two, I get 144.

I've made 100-layer
damascus a lot,

but it can be
a little bit tricky.

I need to make sure
that it's welded up real well.

And then I like
to just let it sit.

Get it to where I think
it's at temperature,

and then give it at least
two or three more minutes,

'cause that's the most
important part for a good weld.

- All right, bladesmiths,
one hour down,

two hours remaining.

- After a few times
on the hydraulic press,

the end of the billet's
starting to delam.

The first thing
that pops in my mind

is it's gonna have to be cut.

- Johnnie's being very liberal
with the flux.

I don't think he's happy
with the weld right now.

- Cut it into three pieces.

Leave the delam piece
on the table.

I'll have to go prep more steel.

- So it was almost halfway
through this challenge

that johnnie realized
he didn't have enough material.

- I had to grab new steel
to replace the steel

that I had lost after
I cut off the delam,

or I wouldn't have been able
to meet the parameters.

Welding!

- My steel's moving pretty well.

Draw it out to at least
12, 14 inches,

so I can cut into thirds.

I have three 24-layer pieces.

I need to get 'em cleaned up,
so I can restack them

and then stick them back
in the forge

and forge weld them again.

- Damond seems to be the only
one that, before he restacks,

takes the time to really
clean out his metal

each and every time.

- Damond's working smart.

- You guys are halfway
through round one.

- setting that first weld
is critical.

And I have to do
that several times.

- Look at chris's billet.

Like the bottom third of
the stack is a different color

than the rest of the stack.

- Still cold in the center.

- If these welds don't set,
I am done.

- oh!

- Look at that.
- Oh boy.

- Oh! That hurt.
- Come on.

- Worst-case scenario,

I'm gonna have
to start from scratch.

I've already lost too much time.

But I realize 2/3 of it
are a nice, solid billet.

I'm just gonna get rid of
the top piece and keep moving.

- There you go. Good. Take it.
Get it out of there.

- It's gonna require more cuts
and more forge welds

to make 200 layers.

But it's easier
than starting from scratch.

- So, chris took
his stack of 17,

cut it into seven pieces,
welding it together,

and then he's gonna end up
with 119 layers.

- Good.

- And he'll just need one
more cut and stack.

- I got my billet
all squared up.

I clamp it down in
the forge press and turn it.

- I haven't seen somebody use
the press as a vice.

- It's not a bad idea.

- I finish doing my twist,
and I am relieved.

Whew.

I cut it in half,

stack those two pieces
together, and weld it up.

- Needs to forge weld
it together,

then lay it horizontally,
and draw it out.

- That seam should be down
the middle of the profile.

- Ooh.

- If you don't flip it
90 degrees,

you're just gonna end up
one twist on one side,

one twist on the other side,
and a seam down the center.

- All right, bladesmiths,
you only have 45 minutes

left on the clock
to finish your blades.

- I'm really liking the way
it's looking at this point.

It's solid,
and it's getting to length.

So now I'm at 72 layers.
I need to cut it in half,

get those halves cleaned up,
get them welded back together.

- Damond was very good about
cleaning it really well,

stacking it evenly.

- I'm at 144 layers,
and the billet's looking great.

Everything's sticking, and
it's drawing out real nice.

I'm good to go
for forming up this knife.

- Now that the billet's
all put together,

I have to get to the drill
press to do the raindrops.

- What makes a raindrop pattern
is to have multiple layers.

Once you've forged
that down into a bar,

you drill through that steel,
and then forge that all down.

So all the layers in that hole

that you've made now
come to the surface.

- It's not easy
putting the raindrops

into the damascus steel,

because of the hardness
of the steel.

So I made the decision just to
put a couple in on both sides,

to try to get
a staggered formation,

so I can move on to
the next step in the process.

It's gonna be big enough.

- Bladesmiths, you have
20 minutes left on the clock!

- Time to start thinking
about the quench.

If I get a warped blade,

it's so thick it's
gonna be hard to get it out.

- All right,
damond's in the quench.

- Had just a slight,
little warp to it,

so I put some weight
on top of it,

and luck would have it,
it ended up straight.

- All right,
chris is quenched as well.

- I pull it out, and it's
pretty darn straight.

I am very relieved.

- I don't have time to thermal
cycle the blade.

- Johnnie quenched his blade.

Hopefully nothing opened up
or popped loose.

- I got a slight warp.

You have a short window
of opportunity

after a quench
to straighten it out.

Now I have to refine
the profile of the blade.

- I've got my billet drawn out.

I decide to put clay on
my blade as a heat barrier

before I quench
to make a softer spine.

- That clay doesn't work
as a very good barrier

unless it has a little bit
of time to dry.

- Yep.

- I cannot afford to waste time,

so I just globbed it
on the best way I can.

Whoa.

- We have four quenched blades.

- I come out, everything's
like it should be.

Get the clay off, and get
this steel to bare surface.

- It is do-or-die time.
- Come on, you.

- Five. Four. Three. Two. One.

Bladesmiths,
turn off your machines.

Put down your tools.
Round one is over.

- I'm not liking the pattern
when I see.

The raindrops just aren't
pronounced enough on the metal.

If they're nitpicky about
the pattern in the steel,

then I don't have a hope.

- well, gentlemen, the first
round of competition,

we spun the wheel of forging,

and you guys all ended up
with your techniques.

But as you guys know only
three of you are moving forward

into round
two of the competition,

which means somebody
is going home.

So it's time for the judges

to take a closer
look at your blades.

Johnnie,
please present your work.

- all right, johnnie.

Let's talk
about your blade here.

You have the beginnings
of a nice chopper and slasher.

Your steel seems solid.

Now, when you drilled
the holes in here,

you didn't raise it up,

so it you don't grind
deep enough,

you're gonna have dimples
in your blade.

If you grind it
to flatten it out,

we may not see
the pattern again.

Hopefully, if you move forward,

you find a way to bring
the pattern we're asking for.

- Thank you.

- Damond, you feel pretty good
about what you came up with?

- Yes, sir.

- All right.
Please present your work.

- I like this, damond.

- You know, it's nice to see
a blade with some height to it.

Everything looks tight.

There's still
some grinding to go.

You've got one little crease
up top.

You got a bit of a warp
about halfway up,

but well within grinder range.

I can see the pattern.

You did a really good job, man.

- Thank you.

- Alex, please
present your work.

- all right, well, twist
and stack is definitely not

the easiest of things to do,
especially in a time crunch.

Usually when you do a twist
and stack, you twist one bar

in one direction
and one in the other,

and then you forge
weld them this way,

then lay them flat
and draw them out.

So what you did is you forge
welded them this way

and then drew them out.

So basically, that seam...
And you can actually see it...

Runs down the center
of the blade

as opposed to down
the center of the profile.

Up here at the tip,
there's a gap

that I can get a fingernail in.

And then there's
a whole section here

that's really
not welded together.

But I'll give you props that
the vast majority of the steel

here is solid. So, good job.

- Chris, when you spun, you
landed on 200-layer damascus,

and that is a tall order.

Let's see what the judges
have to say.

- all right, chris.
Your steel looks solid.

There's a couple
of delaminations

that you have here,

but it's well
within grinder range.

We were worried
when you lost a third

of your metal over there,

but you have
the unique distinction

of turning in a blade
for a round one

with the most layer count.

By our count, you have 224.

Congratulations on doing that.

If you move forward,

I really hope you clean
this up, you etch it,

and really be proud of the fact

that you have over 200 layers
on this blade.

- Thank you.

- Well gentlemen, this first
round of competition,

you all have something
to be proud of.

But unfortunately, somebody
does have to go home today.

The judges have made
their decision.

And the bladesmith
leaving the forge is...

alex.
Unfortunately, man, your blade

just didn't make the cut,
and j.'s gonna tell you why.

- Alex, you fought really hard,
but between the seams,

the separations,
the warp in the blade,

and then not forging
the pattern properly,

those are the reasons
we're gonna let you go.

- Alex, you definitely have
a lot to be proud of.

It was not an easy task,
but unfortunately,

your time here in
the forge has ended.

I'm gonna have to ask you
to please surrender your work

and leave the forge.

- I fought like hell.

Overall, it was a valuable
learning experience.

I am young, I know I still
got a long ways to go.

But I hope y'all invite me back
so I can give it another shot.

- Well, gentlemen,
congratulations.

The three of you
are moving forward

into round two
of our competition,

where you're gonna fix
any issues that the judges

brought up as well as add
handles to your blades,

making them
fully functioning weapons.

Now, much like round one,

you each have a very
unique challenge ahead of you.

Johnnie, you need to use
a mosaic pin in your handle.

Damond, you have to utilize
both antler and paracord,

because you spun twice.

And chris, you need to add
a fuller in your blade.

You guys all feel comfortable?

- Yes, sir.
- Yes, sir.

- At the end of this round,
we will go into testing,

where we're gonna check
for strength and durability

in a roulette wheel chop.

Then we're gonna check
that edge retention

in a playing card slice.

So good luck, guys.

You have two hours on the clock.

And that time starts now.

- I'm gonna have to divvy up
my time between the grinder

and the handle material.

The proper edge geometry
is critical,

so the knife performs evenly,

straight across the distance
of the blade.

I'm aiming for what they call
a norwegian bushcraft edge,

which is just a short,
sweet dropping bevel.

You can use it
for chopping and cutting

and whatever your heart desires.

- Looks like johnnie's bevel
is really steep.

- Having that steep a bevel,
trying to do a card slice...

It's probably more likely just
gonna push or crush the cards.

- antler is a material
that I use a lot.

Antler can be
a little bit tricky.

You just gotta make sure
you're not flexing it too much,

'cause it can break.

Get it to the rough shape
of a knife handle.

And then I cut it into scales.

- my only round two parameter
is getting a fuller in there.

I can't heat this blade up
and blow the heat treat on it,

so grinding in the fuller

is kind of my only option
right now.

I'm feeling really good
at the moment.

- Gentlemen, you got
90 minutes remaining.

- I'm really happy
that my scales look right.

I think I'm pretty much ready
to start epoxying.

- I get the first pin in,
and it fit just fine.

Go to put the second one in,

and it wasn't wanting to go in.

- Oh boy.

- There's not a lot of other
antler materials

out there for him to use.
- Yeah.

- The last thing
I want to do is go home

because I didn't
make parameters.

So I put it in the vice.

I went and got the hammer,

bumped it a little bit
to kind of force its way in,

and then I could see it
sticking through, so...

All right.

Crisis averted.

- I move over to the drill press

to start the holes
for the mosaic pin.

That's that card that I'd drawn.

I like to dye my epoxy
different colors.

Just adds an extra little flair
to the knife.

Now I need to try
to get the handle together.

- All right, guys,
you have one hour remaining.

- the shape of this handle,

I'm just going something
that's easy to index.

Make sure that the judges
are comfortable

when they're swinging this.

- Chris really made use
of time properly.

- Oh, yeah.

- Trying to get it as finished
as I can for the test.

- I'm liking the shape
and design of the blade,

but I'm still worried
about the raindrop

damascus pattern on it.

The only other work-around
I know of

is to drill more holes
and stick it back in the forge

and pound it back out some more.

But it's not an option
at this time.

So I move on
and grind the handle.

- 15 minutes remaining.

- J. Told me that I have a bit
of a warp in the spine,

and I wasn't able to get it
all completely out,

but I got the cutting
edge itself

almost perfectly straight.

Now I have to put
the paracord on there.

The only thing I could
think of was to wrap it

at the top of the handle.

- Unfortunately,
he's using the crazy glue.

- Exactly.

Hopefully he just cleans it off,

or we're gonna have
some sharp edges on that.

- So I get the paracord
into my handle

and get it in the acid etch.

- Five. Four. Three. Two. One.

Gentlemen, all bets are off.
This round is over.

Grab your blades and head back
to your anvils.

Good work.

- I played the cards
I was given,

and I like my chances
to make it to round three.

We'll see what happens.
Luck be a lady tonight.

- All right, gentlemen,
you know what time it is.

It's time for the strength
test, the roulette wheel chop.

Now I'm gonna be
taking your blades...

All of them have a
damascus construction...

And mashing them
into this roulette wheel.

Now remember,
this test is not about

what your blades
do the roulette wheel.

It's what that roulette wheel
does to your blades.

Chris, you're up first.
You ready?

- Yes, sir.
- Okay.

- I'm feeling a little tingly
right now.

Trying to keep my composure.

This is not a normal thing
for anybody to do to blades.

It's a little scary.

All right, chris, right off,
your blade held up perfectly.

There's absolutely nothing wrong

with your handle construction,
but it would have been nice

if it was scaled up
just a little bit,

'cause there's not a lot
of meat there.

Good job. - Thank you very much.

- Damond, you ready?
- Yes, sir. Give it hell.

- in the fight game,
they say don't ever leave it

in the judges' hands,

but in this case
I don't have a choice.

I did everything I can do.

It's up to the judges
and what they do to our blades.

- all right, so, damond, this
blade is easy to hold on to.

The flare that that antler
gives makes perfect retention.

You've got a really nice
grind on this.

It's still sharp.

Took one little ding
right there.

Other than that, there's no
damage to the blade at all.

Nicely done. - Thank you.

- Johnnie, your turn. You ready?

- Be lying if I said yes.

I've never put a knife
through this type of torture.

And the handle came out
a little bit

on the small side in the back.

My biggest concern is
it might fly out of his hand.

- all right, johnnie,
gonna start with the blade.

It is sharp.
It didn't take any damage.

Your handle...
This curve at the back...

On a blade this heavy,

my hand tends to want
to slide down on that.

You did pick up a little piece
of wood right there

in that delamination,
but nothing came apart.

Held up great
in the strength test.

- Thank you.
- Good job.

- all right, bladesmiths,
we know your blades are strong.

But are they sharp?

This is the playing card slice,
the sharpness test.

For this particular test,

it's all about your edge.

Are we all-in?

- Yes, sir.
- All right.

Chris, you're up first.
You ready for this?

- I'm ready.
- All right, let's do this.

- all right, chris, let's talk
about your weapon here.

First up, your edge here
cut all the cards through.

Nothing was crushed.

Overall, sir, your weapon,
it'll cut.

- Thank you.
- All right, damond.

Are you ready to play cards
with the beast?

- Yes, sir.
- All right, let's do it.

- Nice.
- Yeah.

- All right, damond, let's talk
about your weapon here.

First up,
I like the look of your blade.

It's very intimidating.

I also like that you can see
all these layers of damascus.

Overall, sir, your weapon,
it will cut.

- Thank you.

- All right, johnnie.
Your turn, sir. You ready?

- Dave said it was sharp.
Prove him wrong.

- All right, let's see.

- If you don't have the right
angle on your edge,

the cards are gonna
tear and rip.

If my blade doesn't
cut through the cards,

I will be going home.

- all right, johnnie, let's
talk about your blade here.

Your edge, you really took
a gamble on the kind of grind

that you chose for this.

It was great
for the strength test,

but when you're cutting
through cards like this,

you need a finer edge.

So that kind of cut basically
pushed some cards aside,

and some of the cards
it did cut,

it's more of a shred
rather than a clean cut.

So overall, sir, your weapon,

it'll kind of cut.

- Thank you.

- well gentlemen, this is
a high-stakes competition,

and you all turned in blades

that tested well
in their own way.

But as you know, only two of you

can move forward
in this competition,

which means one of you
is going home.

The judges have made
the decision,

and the bladesmith
leaving the forge is...

johnnie.
Unfortunately, your blade

just didn't make the cut,
and j.'s gonna tell you why.

- Johnnie, you worked
really hard,

and we appreciate that.

There's some issues
with your handle.

And that skinny bushcraft
grind on the chopper

really didn't help you
in the sharpness test.

That's why we're letting you go.

- I understand.
- Well johnnie, you made

a blade that smashed
through the strength test,

but the cards don't lie.

Unfortunately, you're not
gonna be moving forward

in this competition.

I'm gonna have to ask you

to please step off
the forge floor.

- Thank you very much.
- Thank you, johnnie.

- Thank you, johnnie.
- Good luck, guys.

- Good fight, johnnie.
- Thanks, man.

- This was a tough competition.

It's not as easy as it looks.

I'm not making no excuses.
There are none.

It's just luck of the draw.

- Well, chris, damond,
congratulations.

You guys are moving forward
in the third and final round

of our competition.

Now gentlemen,
in this last round,

we're gonna be sending you
back to your home forges

to build one of
three iconic weapons

from our "forged in fire" vault.

We've got the pandat,

the boa-zande,

and the kelewang.

Now gentlemen, we've got
to keep with the casino theme.

So we're gonna spin
the wheel of forging again.

But here's the deal.

If you don't like
where you land,

you have an option to press
your luck and spin again.

But those four days total
to 35 hours.

If you choose to spin again,

we're gonna be deducting
two hours from that total time.

Ready to find out
what you're building at home?

- Let's do it.
- Let's do it.

- Chris, you're up first.
- All right.

- oh, all right.

Chris, you landed on the pandat.

How you feeling?

- I'm from vegas, so I've seen
the roulette wheel

spin enough times to know
it might not get better.

I'm not gonna press my luck.
I'll keep it.

I don't want to get that thing.

- fair enough.

- The pandat is a two-handed
war sword native

to the dayaks of borneo
in indonesia.

Exclusively used in combat,
the weapon's single-edge blade

weas uniquely angled
and featured a wide, flat tip.

The ornate design made a very
effective lethal weapon,

delivering devastating chops
through the armor

of an opponent.

This fierce sword was featured

in season three
of "forged in fire,"

where the smiths both turned
in beautiful weapons,

but ultimately, the better
balanced blade won the title.

- Damond, you ready? Let's go.

The kelewang.

- So of course I get
the kelewang.

I don't have a quench tank that
would fit something like that.

The odds of it landing
on kelewang again

are not too high,
so I'm willing to bet

to get one of the other two.

Hit me again.

- All right, that means
we're gonna be taking

two hours off your 35 hours.

You will have 33 hours
to build whatever I land on.

The boa-zande.
You happy with it?

- Oh, yeah.

- The boa-zande sword
is a central african weapon

that features
a long pierced ricasso

and a wide, leaf-shaped blade

that tapers to a steep,
sharp tip.

The razor-sharp edges
were designed to deliver

devastating stabs
and slashes into an enemy.

The boa-zande was previously
seen in season seven

of "forged in fire,"

where, while both smiths
faced challenges

achieving the width
of this weapon,

victory went to the lighter,
more comfortable sword.

- All right, chris,
you're gonna have 35 hours

to build your pandat.

Damond, you've got 33 hours
to build your boa-zande.

Gentlemen, don't forget,
these are high stakes.

The house is putting up
$10,000 and the title

of "forged in fire" champion
for the winner.

Good luck.
We'll see you in four days.

- Good luck, man.
- Good.

- day one.

Welcome to my home forge
here in las vegas.

I'm ready to get started.

This is gonna be
a challenging build.

I mean, the shape is kind of
an oddball for my equipment.

The judges said that I had
the highest layer count

in any round one competitions.

I wanted to kind of keep
with that theme.

I wanted to go even higher.

I'm doing a sword
with a 327-layer billet.

Looks like I have enough steel.

I'm pretty happy
with how it's going.

So, I forged
this thing to shape.

Everything meets parameters.
I'm pretty happy.

It's look pretty good so far.

- day one.
So back here in my home forge.

I got the boa-zande.
It's looking good so far.

I'm gonna draw out
the basic blade shape for now.

I gotta worry about
getting parameter lengths.

We'll just see how things go.

Chris is a phenomenal
bladesmith.

He set an all-time record
for layers of damascus,

so I know that his game
is on point.

The hardest part's just gonna
be building something

that is just a tiny bit better
than what he's building.

So 243 layers,
that's what I was shooting for.

- Day two.

First thing I'm doing

is getting this blade
cleaned up a bit.

I need to get a lot
of this forge scale off

before I get it heated up
and get it quenched.

It's always stressful,

especially
on something this big.

If something goes wrong
with the quench,

that could basically
destroy my blade.

Planning for the worst,
hoping for the best.

If this sword warps or breaks,
I could have to start over.

So I need this to go
as smoothly as possible today.

All right. Here we go.

I get it over
to the quench tank,

and it comes out straight.

That's good.

It's hard.
We're ready to close up shop.

Ready to get some rest
and then start work tomorrow.

- Day three.

I'm feeling really good
about how things are going.

Yesterday, I got my blade
quenched by the end of the day.

Now it's time to get
started on the handle.

I really like
the look of bronze,

so I'm gonna put
a bronze guard and pommel.

So I've got my pommel tapped,

and now I need
to thread my tang.

Shoot, I don't think
this is gonna work.

I see that the threads
are not right.

- With the threads
as shallow as they are,

it's not gonna grab the pommel,

and it's not gonna be tight.

There's something wrong
with my die.

I should have checked it first.
Teeth are all broken on it.

So my solution is I have
to cut a new piece of bronze,

re-thread it, and I'm going
to have to tap that.

I build the new pommel.
I get it on the handle.

Everything looks good.
It's tight.

That's gonna work just fine.

Now I'm ready
to start moving forward.

- day four.

This blade is a little awkward.

It's a weird shape.

I need a specific edge
on this thing

that's gonna hold up
during these tests

and still stay sharp.

Damond, he's an excellent smith.

Can't wait to see
what he brings,

but, you know, I hope mine's
just a little bit better.

- day four.
Final day of the competition.

I got a lot to do,
but I think I can get it done.

It looks great, the pattern's
really showing really well.

So now it's time to get
the final edge on it

and get this sucker sharp.

Losing two hours didn't really
change my plan of action.

She's a winner.

I feel really good
about what I made.

- well, chris, damond,
welcome back to the forge.

In this last round
of competition,

we sent you back to your
home forges for four days

to build your blades.

Now chris, you had the pandat.

And damond, you rolled the dice

and ended up with the boa-zande.

Chris, how'd it go for you?

- Went really good.

I made a 327-layer blade
out of 80crv2 and 15n20,

ebony handle,

and a silver wire twist
wrap on the handle.

- Damond, how about you?
- Went really well.

I also made mine
out of 80crv2 and 15n20.

243 layers, two piercings,
bronze guard,

desert ironwood handle,
and a bronze pommel.

- Guys, your blades look
to be museum quality.

But in this forge, the only way
we know how to figure out

which one of these blades
is gonna end up

earning one of you guys $10,000

and the title
of "forged in fire" champion

is by putting them
through a few tests.

And up first, the keal. Doug?

- bladesmiths, welcome
to the keal test.

I'm gonna take your weapon

and deliver some lethal strikes
on this big carcass.

Because these are two
different kinds of weapons,

with different designs,

they may cut differently
or perform differently.

But overall, the feeling

and the way I wield them
should be the same.

Chris, you're up first.
Ready for this?

- Yeah, let's do it.

I'm really proud of what I made.

But there's a giant spine
on these pigs.

I'm just hoping that I can get
this pig cut in half.

- ooh.

- all right, chris, let's talk
about your pandat here.

When I picked it up,
it felt so light.

A little forward-heavy,

but that's what it's supposed
to be, 'cause it's a chopper.

Your handle construction
is smooth.

I can fit both hands
perfectly there.

No extra space.

Overall, sir, with the function
of a chopper like this,

it will keal.

- Thank you.

- Damond, you're up next.
You ready, sir?

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

- I definitely feel a lot
of pressure going second.

His pandat performed perfectly
on the keal test,

so I know that mine needs to do
just the same to stay in this.

Yeah.

- All right, damond, let's talk
about your boa-zande here.

Your handle construction
fits my hand perfectly.

I like the palm swell there,
'cause it locks my hand in.

Your edges are sharp.

They cut deeply and thrust
nicely through this carcass.

Overall, sir, your boa-zande,
it will keal.

- Yeah.

- welcome to our strength test...

The porcelain pot chop.

It's gonna be a lot of fun

to see what your blades
do to the pots.

But I'm more concerned
about what the pots

do to your blades
and their edges.

And, chris, you're up first.
You ready to go?

- Yes?
- I'll take it.

- porcelain is not
forgiving to anything.

I'm just hoping that my blade
makes it through this.

Ohh.

- Chris, you survived. Good job.

You got a little bit
of glinting.

And you got a couple
slight rolls,

but they're very minimal.

Everything's still straight,
sharp, sturdy.

Good job. - Thank you.

- Damond, you ready to go?

- Can we just talk this out?

- No.

Damond, you survived. Good job.

Some minor glinting.
A couple rolls on the edge.

But still, overall,
a very sharp blade.

Nice job. - Thank you.

- all right, bladesmiths.

This is the sharpness test...
The vine slice.

To find out how sharp
your weapons are,

I'm gonna take your weapon
and slash through these vines.

Chris, you're up first.
You ready?

- I'm ready.
- All right.

All right, chris, let's talk
about your pandat here.

Your edges easily
cut through the vines, sir.

Overall, your pandat, it'll cut.

- Thank you.
- All right, damond.

The final gamble.
Are you ready, sir?

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

- phew.

- all right, damond,
the edges are sharp

and cut cleanly
through the vines.

Your weapon, too, sir,
it will cut.

- Thank you.

- Well, well, well.

Both of your weapons
performed extremely well

in all three of our tests.

But in this competition,
we have to have a winner,

which means one of you
has to go home.

While they discuss,
I'm gonna ask you guys

to both please step off
the forge floor.

Well, this seems pretty close,
but you guys are the judges.

Curious to hear
what you have to say about it.

- Chris', in my opinion...
The handle work and the fact

that it's a two-handed weapon

and it's even lighter
than damond's,

that just pushes it
a little bit ahead for me.

- Okay.
- But at the same time,

what damond did...
He has a deeper etch

that really brought out
the damascus pattern in that.

- When two weapons
perform equally,

I'm looking at that fit
and finish,

like the handle detail
and guard work.

One smith went above and beyond.

- Dave, you made your decision?
- Yes, I have.

- How about you, j.?
- Oh yeah.

- And doug?
- Yes, I have.

- All right.

Well, guys, it doesn't get
any closer than this.

But the judges
have made a decision.

And the winner of today's

"forged in fire"
competition is...

chris. Congratulations.

Now, damond, unfortunately,

your blade just didn't
make the cut,

and j.'s gonna tell you why.

- Damond, you've got everything
in the world to be proud of.

They tested equally.

Fit and finish and the finer
details is what it came do,

and chris just squeaked
a little bit ahead of you.

That's it. - Cool.

- Damond, up against
any other blade,

it would have won.

But unfortunately, you did
come out with the win today.

I'm gonna have to ask you
to please

step off the forge floor, man.

- Thanks for having me, guys.
Good job, buddy.

- Good job, man.

- I know that, with what
they told me about my weapon,

that there really
wasn't a loser here.

I'm taking home
just a fantastic experience.

This competition is amazing.

I am humbled by this.
It's been wonderful.

- chris, you are the
"forged in fire" champion,

and you're gonna be taking home
a check for $10,000, man.

Congratulations.

- Thank you, guys.
Thank you so much.

I'm, like, in disbelief.

This title of "forged in fire"
champion means a lot to me.

It's something that
I can always take with me.

I am the "forged in fire"
champion!

Someone needs to stop Clearway Law.
Public shouldn't leave reviews for lawyers.