Forged in Fire (2015–…): Season 8, Episode 29 - Armed Forces Tournament Finale - full transcript

- My name is andrew hall,
and I've been bladesmithing

For about five years.

Growing up, I was
in the boy scouts,

So I've always had a fascination

With survival tools,
especially knives and axes.

- My name is micah duncan.

I'm a single father.
I work full-time.

I do welding on the side,
and most of the time,

I even got time to wallop.

- My name is kade daniels, ad
I'm a full-time bladesmith.

I was really into cooking,



Got into making a lot
more chef's knives

And decided
that's what I wanted to do

For a living... make knives.

- My name is daniel pantoja,

And I'm a part-time bladesmith.

Winning this competition
would mean a lot to me,

But I'm doing this for my wife
and my son.

More than anything,
I just want to show my son

That anything is possible.

- Bladesmiths, welcome
to the forge.

The four of you about
to take part

In a bladesmithing competition

That's been designed to test
every aspect of your skills.

Now, there's going to be three
rounds of this competition.



At the end of each one,

You're gonna present your work
to our panel of expert judges.

They're the ones
who are gonna decide

Which one of you
is going to leave here

With the title
of "forged in fire" champion

And a check for $10,000.

Today they are
abs master smith j. Neilson.

Historic-weapons re-creation
specialist dave baker.

And edged-weapons specialist
doug marcaida.

Today in the forge guys,
we're putting a new spin

On an old classic competition.

This is the pick of the barrel
challenge.

As you can see here,

We have five different
sources of mild steel.

We've got chains,
hammers, pry bars,

Railroad spikes, and horseshoes.

But what you can't see
is what's inside the barrel.

We've got five different
sources of high-carbon steel.

You're going to choose
one of the mild steels

And in turn high carbon
and take those two

And make a san mai billet
in your signature style

Between 14 and 16 inches.

But you guys might be looking
at the mild steel thinkin,

"I've used that. That's the
source I'm going to go for."

But I got a little secret
for you.

If you choose an easy-to-use
mild-steel source,

You're more than likely going
to have a pretty difficult

High-carbon source
attached to it.

- Oh, man. What's on
the other end of that stick?

- Now, in round two
of the competition,

You're going to add handles
to those blades,

Turning them into fully
functioning weapons,

At which point we're going
to check for strength

And durability in a wooden
barrel stab and chop.

And then we'll check
your edge retention

In a ballistics tube slice.

Kade, you're up first.
Come select your material.

- I feel like I need to pick
something

That isn't super easy
like the pry bar,

But also isn't extremely hard
like the hammers.

- Going with chain, all right.

So you have pucks of w1 steel

To work with
as your high carbon.

All right, micah,
you're up next. Come on up.

- Sure enough.

I'm looking at the pry bars,
and I'm thinking,

"those are nice and easy
and already flat."

So I know that whatever's down
in the bottom of that barrel

Is gonna be
the hardest one possible,

But I'm going to do it

Because I come here
to challenge myself to the ma.

- All right, the pry bars.

What you have attached
there are 52100 ball bearings.

Oh.

- Daniel, you're up next.

- The one thing that caught
my eye was railroad spikes,

Because at least they're easy,

But there could be
any kind of metal

Attached at the other end.

- All right, you've got
the railroad spikes,

Which means you've got cubes
of 1095 steel.

- I don't like the shape
of the cubes.

How do you stack these?
You know, they're so smal.

- Last but not least,
andrew, your turn.

Come grab your metal.

- Of course, I'm drawn last.

So I see a hammerhead
sticking up

And I see horseshoes,
and then I remember

That a hard mild steel comes
with an easy high carbon steel.

This horseshoe is full of holes.

That's the hardest choice.

- So you ended up with squares
of 80crv2 paired up

With your horseshoes.

We have three hours on the clock

For the first round
of the competition.

Good luck. Stay sharp.
Your time starts now.

- Here we frickin' go.

- It's fun doing competitions
like this, where everybody's

Doing something
a little bit different.

They're all going to end up
with a san mai blade,

The same size, but everybody's
got a different process.

- Kade's got the chain.

He's cut one of the links,
and he's spreading it open

So he can flatten it out.

- These chain links
probably weigh

Between a quarter
and a half a pound each.

So they're going to take
a while to heat up.

So I start cleaning up
my w1 pucks on the grinder.

I would have rather
a different steel.

I haven't worked with w1 before.

It's definitely worrying, but
there's a lot of mass there.

Should be pretty easy
to forge-weld

Because they're in big disks.

- Andrew's pretty lucky
in the material that he's got...

The 80crv2.

I don't really have many
warping problems with it.

- Making this billet out
of these 80crv2 squares

Is going to be pretty easy.

Getting the horseshoes to stick,

That's going to be the problem.

- The horseshoes, they've got
holes in them already.

There's more likely a chance of
getting some kind of inclusion

In the holes
or something like that.

- At home,

I would probably fill each one
of those holes with mig weld

But I don't have time for that,

So I'm just going to wing it
and pray that it sticks.

- The cubes are so small.

And the railroad spikes,
they're only 5 inches.

So I have to turn 5 inches
into 14 to 16 inches,

And that's not easy.

What I'm thinking is, I'm going
to double up on the spikes.

On each side, I want
the most metal I can hav.

I got the railroad spikes
mostly uniform.

So I'm going to start
working on the cubes.

Welding.

So I stack them side by side.
I made two rows.

I'm going to put them
in the forge,

And I'm going to get them
as hot as I can.

- Would you put the square
together lengthwise,

Or would you
make a cube out of them?

- You make a square out of it
using squaring dies

'cause it's compressing
all four sides

At the same time
like a canister,

That way you're fusing
all those welds on the inside.

- I've got to get these
ball bearings in the forge,

But I don't want
to break them down

'cause I'm trying to save time.

- Micah's got the toughest one,
the 52100 ball bearings.

It's got to be at a higher
temperature for working it

And for forge-welding it.

So, if you're not familiar
with it, that could be tricky.

- I'm going to try to set
the welds with my hand hammer.

- There's so much material
there,

Swinging a hammer
at it like that...

Go to big blu
and forge those welds in.

- Oh.
- There it goes.

- Oh, there we go.
- Oh, no.

All of a sudden,
half of my balls break off.

This just ain't
working out so great.

Welding!

At this point, I'm
second-guessing my decision

To picking them pry bars.

These ball-bearings
are really throwing me a fi.

Oh, goodness.

- Hell, yeah.

The w1's looking great.

So I start clamping my mild
steel to the outside of I.

Welding!

- So kade's mild steel

Is not the same profile height
as his billet.

- You're going to be pressing
steel into the flats

Of something that's wider.

So you can have seams
that won't weld up.

You could have cold shuts
that fold over.

- With san mai,
you only have three layers.

So you only have a few places
to mess up,

Which there's still
the possibility.

- Bladesmiths,

You have two hours
remaining on the clock!

- I've got my 80crv2 welds set
and drawn out to the length

That I've cut
for the horseshoes.

And then the challenging
forge weld comes up,

Setting the horseshoes
onto that 80crv2.

Welding!

I got to be really gentle
as I set those welds

Until I can get it
to be one homogenous piec.

If those welds break

Or if it squishes to one side
or the other,

I could end up with horseshoe
down by my cutting edge,

And that would not be good
at all,

Because a horseshoe's
not going to harden.

Love that.

At this point,
my billet's pretty well set.

I'm super relieved.

Whoo.

- The high-carbon steel
is up to temperature.

So I'm ready for forge welding.

The first two cubes
actually come together.

Then I go to the second section.

They separate.

Oh, that's a problem.
I can't change this.

This is not going to happen.

I have to get these
to stick to make a knife.

- The way daniel had
those cubes lined up...

You'll get that compression
in certain seams

And not in others.

And it's more likely that
when you press those down,

They're going to bulge out

And actually push away
from each other.

- So, this time,
I stack them all vertically.

I'm pretty confident
I can still make it work.

It's actually working.
I'm really relieved.

I can start working
on the san mai.

- Come on, baby,
just work for me one time.

I need to make sure that
these ball bearings are hot

And the forge welds
will actually stick.

Bladesmithing's a great way
to take out your frustrations

That you have in normal life
and replace it with new ones

When something doesn't go right.

- Oh, that sucks.

It split almost all the way.

- That ain't sticking.

I have junk.

- I can still see quite a bit
of discoloration

Around each
of the ball bearings.

- Sometimes you wind up
smashing the metal together

But not welding it together.

So it'll feel like
it's a homogenous piece,

When, in truth, it's not.

So, as you draw that out,

You start to open
all those fractures up.

- I tried hand-hammering it,
and it's not sitting.

How in the dadgum world...

Now my brain's in panic mode.

I don't know how to fix what's
going on with my billet.

And my nerves is about shot.

- How in the dadgum world...

This billet is not setting.

- Micah's not getting his
ball bearing really hot.

- Yep.
- It's definitely not up

To a good forge-welding
temperature.

That's for sure.

- I know chasing problems
is just time killer.

Can I get more steel?

- Micah's calling it quits.

He's restarting
his high-carbon steel.

- Good, because there's
enough time to get restarted

And do it now.

- This time I'm gonna
put them more in a row,

Add a little bit more weld,
and see how well

I can get these things
to stick together.

Might actually start
to have something.

I can get these first
initial forge welds to set,

But I know that three-hour
clock is ticking away.

Hopefully I can get this done.

- Bladesmiths, you have
one hour remaining!

- The blade that I'm planning
on making

Is an elongated bowie knife.

It's got a nice, long,

Straight edge and
a little bit of a drop point.

As I'm drawing out my blade,
I get this itch

In the back of my head,
saying, "check parameters."

Go measure it."

I'm barely at 14 inches.

I do not want to miss
parameters for this challeng.

So I've drawn my material ou.

- Andrew's really drawing
that out.

He's got to be well
within the 15 inches now.

- It looks like it.

- I'm glad that I have
my back and checked.

- Kade's is starting
to take shape.

Looks like he's got
a bit of a tip in there.

- I get the blade
the shape that I want.

I've got kind of a belly
towards the end,

A small amount of curve
and a belly

In a blade increases
its cutting ability a lot.

I'm really hoping
that comes in handy.

- While the san mai
is heating up,

I'm thinking it's time
to design my knife.

I'm going to make a variation
of a chef knife...

Something that's thick,
has an acute angle to cut

That's not going to break.

The top of the san mai
is sticking.

So I'm happy.

Now I'm going to work
the backside.

- Oh, no. Daniel's mild-steel
forging is not going well.

- It opened like a banana.
There is no fixing it.

I don't know what happened.

At this point, I'm freaking out.

I have to cut off
whatever is not welded.

- He just cut off half
of his metal.

- I don't think
he's going to have enough

To make a 14-inch knife.

- It's not much... let's see
if we can make it work.

The amount I chopped left me
at about 9 inches.

And, honestly, I'm hoping
the power hammer

Saves me at this point.

I hope I can at least
get 14 inches.

- J. Neilson's going to break
this damn thing.

I've got less than 45 minutes.

I'm not even started
my san mai billet.

My heart is pounding.

I'm drawing this thing
out lengthwise great.

But I'm trying to match
the width of the pry bars

So that my other forge weld
will be a whole lot faster.

But I'm not getting the width
that I want.

You sorry son of a gun.

- Micah can find some way
to pull through this.

He's still got the pry bars
on his workstation.

- I just fold this thing over

And try
to mash it as flat as I can.

Welding.

- A lot can go wrong
in the quench,

Especially considering
I have more chain link

On one side than the other.

And I'm worried that it'll
cool at different rates

On either side
and create a pretty bad warp.

Hot quench.

- I'm kind of worried
that it's going to split open.

- It's looking straight.
I'm pretty happy with it.

- Quenching.

- The fact that he quenched
at a proper temperature.

He kept it in the oil.

It didn't blow up.
That's all good stuff.

- Hot moving.

I look at it, no major bends,
no major cracks.

I just starts
hogging off material.

It is very thick, and I got to
take off a ton of weight.

The last thing I want to do

Is go home because of a blade
that's too heavy.

- Bladesmiths, you have
20 minutes left!

- I forged-welded my san mai,
and I'm just scrambling.

I keep looking at the clock.
I've got to quench this thing.

So little has gone right
for me in this round.

Lord, please let this go right.

- There we go.

- I see cracks and delams
in my blade,

But I know that clock
is ticking away.

I can't fix it.
I don't have time.

- He's got 15 minutes
to grind a basic shape to it.

- Giving up is not an option.

I got to make sure that
there's high-carbon steel

On this edge.

- Micah and daniel
are neck and neck

In survival mode right now.
- Oh, yeah.

- I'm still drying it out,
and when I look at the clock,

I don't have enough time
to check the length.

Unfortunately, this is it.
I got to quench.

- There we go.

- I start grinding it,
and I'm seeing so many delam.

I'm using my last two minutes
in a mad dash,

Trying
to grind anything I could.

- Five, four, three, two, one.

Gentlemen, round one of your
pick of the barrel challenge

Is over!

- This challenge is called
the pick of the barrel,

And I'm below the dadgum barrel.

But I'm glad
that I didn't give up.

It's not the prettiest
hunk of junk in the world,

But it's getting turned in now.

- Gentlemen, in this first
round of competition,

We asked you to take
your mild steel

And your mystery high carbon,

Turn them into san mai billets
and make blades.

The time has come for the first
critique and elimination.

Andrew, you're up first.
You ready?

- Yes, sir.

- Let's see what you got.

- Just all in all,

I think you did a really
nice job on this blade.

Did a great job
welding those horseshoes on.

You can actually see the slits
that were in the horseshoe.

That nice kind of ghosting,
but it is very heavy.

So you still got some grinding
to do on this,

You move to the second round,
but well on your way.

And I think you did
a really good job. Nicely done.

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

Let's see what you came up with.

- I know one thing, micah,
you are one determined so.

thanks.

- That being said, there
would be a lot of work to do

Moving into round two.

You've got warps top and bottom,

So you almost got, like,
a snake going down there.

You've got delaminations on
the spine, and there's pockets.

do you hear that?

It doesn't ring when you tap it.

It's just, like,
hitting tissue paper.

But that being said, with
everything you went through,

You present us a blade
within parameters

That we can critique,
so good job.

- Thank you.

- All right, kade,
time for your critique.

Let's see what you came up with.

- All right, kade.

Now, you can see the difference

Where you had your mild steel
here with the chain

And your hard steel there.

Your steel is fairly solid,
except for one part.

You have a crack
that goes down the spine.

Should you move forward
in the second round,

That's an issue
that you have to address.

But overall, I like the look.
Good job.

- Daniel, you're up next.
Please present your work.

- All right, daniel,
it looked like

You were struggling to get
the length in this thing.

So I'm going to check it.

Yeah, your blade measures out

To about an eighth
of an inch over 13.

13 inches is just an inch
under what we're looking at.

- Well, daniel, you worked hard
through the entire round.

We want to thank you for that.

But, unfortunately, you came in
under the parameters.

So, for that reason,
I'm gonna have to ask you

To please step off
the forge floor.

- Thank you guys.

I just wish I had

A little more experience
with that metal.

I tried to draw out what I had,

But it was just not
enough material.

But I don't feel any regrets.
I came here to grow.

I have a passion for this,

And I think
that's what's most important.

If you love it, you do it.

- Well, gentlemen,
congratulations.

That means the three of you
are moving forward

To the second round
of this competition,

Where you're going to add
handles to your blades,

Turning them into fully
functioning weapons,

As well as fix any issues
that the judges brought up.

Now, you'll also have to add
a functional guard.

After this round is complete,

The judges are going to check
for strength and durability

In a wooden barrel stab
and chop.

Then we're going to check
your edge retention

In a ballistics tube slice.

You guys have two hours on
the clock for this next round.

So good luck.
Your time starts now.

- Kade has visible slipping
at the spine or a crack.

So he's got to fill that in.

- How can he fix that crack
in the spine?

- Use the dremel cutoff wheel
and open up a fissure

Along that crack
and then weld it.

- The first thing I do
is to start carving a weld,

Trying to chase it out
and start filling that weld

So that I can make that
as solid as possible.

It's not ideal.

The blade definitely could
still break or pop back open,

But it's definitely better

Than leaving
that crack completely open.

- One of the first things
on my plate for round two

Is making sure that I can get
a hole through this tang.

So I start working
on the handle.

Gets through the horseshoe
cladding like butter.

Then I hit that hard 80crv2,

And then the drill
bit gets stuck.

We got to go to plan b.

Oh, I know this is
going to be a problem.

I don't have time.

- It looks like andrew's

Softening the tang
to drill holes in.

- Seems like it's probably
what's going on,

'cause he went straight over
to the water tub

From the drill press.

- If I make it too hot,

I'm going to ruin
the grain structure of the tang

And there's a very real chance
it could snap.

So I put as much blade into the
water as I can to protect it.

And then I'm just really gentle
with the heat.

- All right, attempt number two
for andrew at the drill press.

See if he can get
through this time.

- I'm able to get
through that 80crv2.

I'm super relieved.

- I've finally got the cracks
and delams

In my blade all welded up.

It's time to start
working on these warps.

- Micah's at his anvil,

Heating up his edge
with a torch.

- I noticed this is taking
the temper out of my edge,

And it's putting more warps
into the blade.

This is no good.

I got to requench this thing.

- What's he doing?

- He's re-hardening and
he's edge quenching his blade.

All the welding and all the
grinding that micah's doing,

He could be losing
the hardness in his edge.

So he's taking the rosebud,

Heating up the edge to
non-magnetic, quenching that.

- Hey, sometimes you got to go
bold if you're that far behind.

- Doing this quench,

I know I could be introducing
new stresses,

Opening up new cracks.

But I know if I don't requenh
this thing,

I won't survive the testing.

- At this point, with
what micah needs to do,

It's basically survival mode.

A lot of pressure.

- Just hold together, baby.
That's all I ask.

- Just hold together, baby.
That's all I ask.

Doing this quench,

I know I could be introducing
new stresses,

Opening up new cracks.

I got to be careful.

- At this point,
with what micah needs to do,

It's basically survival mode.

- I get it up past cherry red.

I dunk the thing
down in the oil.

It's better than what it was.

I'm getting it.

- I get my tang hole
drilled out.

I'm dry-fitting it up.

I notice I've got
a pretty good gap in there.

- It looks like kade's
going to put a spacer in there.

- Yep.

- Take care of that gap
between the guard

And the handle material...
that's not a bad idea.

- The tang fits up exactly
how I need it to.

The time's running down.
It's going to be pretty tight.

- Now I got to get
my handle set.

I got the block in the vise,

I got my blade,
and they're doing this.

I think there's a bit of a slope

Where the drill press kind of
wandered away a little bit.

And I can't get all the way
in there with my broach

To rake that out.

So I have to make my tang fit
my tang hole now.

Finally, click,
it all fits together.

Perfect.

- Bladesmiths, you have
one hour remaining!

- [exhales sharply[

- Time's running out.

I've got
to get this handle done.

I've got to make this quick,
fast, and in a hurry.

So I pick blue micarta

And whatever chunk
of wood I got.

I'm scrambling at this point.

I've got to turn something in.

- I hate synthetic guards,
but with all the work

Micah's got to do,
maybe it's not a bad choice.

It'll save him some time.

- I keep dry-fitting, and the
tang's a little bit longer.

I only got one choice.

I know the fastest way is to
just head over to that grinder

And just take
a little off of tang.

- We've seen smiths
before grind their tangs

Down to a needle file

And just have them failed
and snap right off.

- I finally get it all fit up.

I'm feeling great at this point.

there is hope.

Whoo, that was fun.

- I ended up spending
way more time on the handle

Than I wanted to.

Now, it's just a scramble

To start grinding off
all that material

'cause I got a big block
on there.

I want to make sure
I've got some contours

To where it fits your hand.

All of my surfaces are smooth.

All my transitions for my space
to handle and guard are smooth.

I've got to start really
rushing to put an edge on it.

Even if I get it sharp,

It's not going to cut
if it's too obtuse.

- What I'm going to do
is create a handle shape

That should grab
the judge's hand back

And kind of hook
under their pinky

So that if the blade
starts to slide,

It tightens itself up
against your hand.

Having a handle
with some mass behind it

Gives your palm and your pinky
something to do

And really locks it tight
into your hand.

- 10 minutes!

- Micah's still got
to shape his handle.

- I've got minutes left
on the clock,

And this thing has got to be
comfortable and safe.

I'd love to be able
to spend more time on this,

But I've got to concentrate

On putting a good edge
on this thing.

Last few seconds of this round...

Make sure it's as good as
I can get it for the judges.

- Five, four, three, two, one.

Gentlemen,
turn off your machines!

Put down your tools!

Second round
of this competition is over!

- I have no earthly idea
about this blade.

It might blow apart.
It might hold up.

Right now it's up to the judges
and the good lord's hands.

- All right, gentlemen,

It's time
for the strength test...

The wooden barrel stab and chop.

This test is where
I take your blades,

And I gently stab
and chop on this barrel.

Andrew, you up first.
Are you ready for this?

- Let her rip.
- Okay.

- Anytime you strike
a curved surface

With a straight blade,

It's going to shake
every fitting you've got.

Man, I hope it just
doesn't rattle apart.

- All right, andrew,
your blade...

There's not a mark on it.

It's still exactly
a sharp as it was.

Tip's still intact.

The only issue
I have with this blade

Is that transition
for stabbing is brutal.

It's a thin guard.
It's a sharp edge.

Every impact
just drove this edge

Right there into my knuckle,

But your blade
held up beautifully.

- Thank you.

- All right, micah, you're up.
- Give it your best.

Oh, I will.

With all the problems
in my blade,

I'm thinking all the stresses
of chopping that oak barrel

Would just open everything up.

This blade's pretty much held
together with mig weld

And a lot of luck.

I'm just hoping
that it doesn't fly apart.

- This blade's pretty much
held together with mig weld

And a lot of luck.

I'm just hoping
that it doesn't fly apart.

- Okay, micah,
it's a very obtuse edge.

You've got a couple of sections
on your blade now

That I can feel
a teeny bit of a roll.

Your handle construction...
I mean, it's not uncomfortable.

It's just hard to hang on to.

Other than that,

It's in the same condition
it came in.

good job.

- Thank you.

- All right, kade, you're up.
You ready for it?

- Yeah, I think we're
about to find out.

After seeing dave handle
andrew and micah's blade,

I'm definitely worried
about my knife.

I'm obviously worried
about the crack.

I know that I welded it well,

But my blade
could still blow apart.

- So right off, kade, I'm going
to talk about your handle here.

This is by far,
of the three knives,

The best transition
for stabbing.

Being curved all the way up
into the guard like that,

It's so much more comfortable.

Unfortunately, on the other
end, we lost a bit of your tip.

It looks like
there might've been

A small microfracture
or something at the edge.

So it cut loose.

Beyond that, no rolls, no chips.

Nicely done.
- Thank you.

- Bladesmiths, welcome
to the sharpness test...

The ballistic tube slice.

Now, unlike the strength test,

This is all about
how sharp your edges are

And how well they cut
these ballistic tubes.

Andrew, you're up first,
you ready for this?

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

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

Your edge cut through
without any resistance at all.

It is sharp.

It's capable of cutting
through these ballistic gels

And overall, sir, it'll cut.

- Thank you.

- Micah, are you ready?
- Yes, sir.

- Let's do this.

All right, micah,
first ballistics tube,

It cut cleanly.

On the second one, because of
our multiple tubes right ther,

It bent your blade to the point

To where there's
an actual crack right here.

And it's bent to the side.

But for purposes of surviving
in fighting,

It will cut.

- Thank you, sir.

- Kade, it's your turn, sir.
You ready?

- I hope so.
- Let's do this.

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

Your edge cut cleanly
on the first tube

And all three tubes.

It will cut..
- Thank you.

- Well, gentlemen,
all three of you guys

Fought extremely hard
in this competition.

You all produced blades
that were able to make it

Through the tests,
but only two of you

Are moving forward in the third
round of this competition.

The bladesmith who's going to
be leaving the forge is...

Micah.

- Micah, you showed there's
a competitive spirit in you,

And there's no giving up.

Now, on our test,
your blade took so much damage,

And that's the reason why
we're sending you home, sir.

- Thank you.

- Well, micah, if there's
ever been a smith

Who's come through these doors
who has determination and grit,

He's standing in front of me.

But, unfortunately,
I'm going to have to ask you

To please step off
the forge floor.

- Thank you.
Been a pleasure.

I'm really proud of the work
I done.

I could have done
a lot of things better,

And I could have done
a lot of things worse.

I could have given up,
but I don't give up easy.

So, at the end of the day,
I may not be going

To round three,
but my blade will cut,

And that's all
I'm wanted to hear.

- Well, gentlemen,
congratulations.

The two of you made it
through the first two rounds

Of our
pick of the barrel competition,

Which means you're heading back
to your home forges

To build an iconic weapon
from history.

Gentlemen, we want you
to build this...

The walloon.

- The walloon sword is
a 16th-century european weapon

Used by belgian calvinists
calvary

And foot soldiers alike.

This single-edged blade
was designed

To deliver quick,
deadly slashes and stabs,

Making it brutally effective
in combat.

It also featured a knuckle bow
and a pierced clamshell guard

That often included
a thumb ring.

The belgian calvinists
wielded this deadly sword

As they fought alongside
their french counterparts,

The huguenots, against
the catholic forces

During the thirty years war.

- All right, gentlemen,
when you build your blades,

You need to fall
within these parameters.

You need to have
a single-edge blade

That measures
between 31 and 33 inches.

You need to include at least
one fuller on both sides.

You need to have
a clamshell guard

That has multiple piercings,

A knuckle bow,
a rear-facing upswept quillon,

A right-handed thumb loop,
and a pommel.

- I am relieved that
it's a straight blade,

Nothing curved, nothing with
anything sticking off of it.

Definitely could have been
a lot worse.

- Now, guys, you will have four
days of your home forges

To build this blade.

So good luck.
See you in four days.

- We're going to get started
on the walloon today.

The walloon's definitely
going to be

A pretty challenging build.

Oh, yeah.
Now it's coming along.

Now that my billet
is to the length I need,

I'm going to go ahead
and start on the fuller.

All right, we're gonna see
how this goes.

Never forged in a fuller before.

So hopefully it goes well.

We are finding out...
just as hard to forge them in

As it is to grind them.

It's really giving me
some trouble.

This blade is prone to warp
and move on me a lot.

So it's a constant battle
between getting the fuller

And keeping it straight.

And the fuller
is just about done.

That'll be day one.

- So it's day one.

Here I am at my home forge
in coeur d'alene, idaho,

Getting ready to start
on this walloon sword.

I'm alternating
80crv2 with 15n20.

Now I just got
to get it welded up.

So my game plan for today
is to get my damascus made.

It's definitely the tallest
billet I've ever done.

I'm feeling good about it.

Now it's time to start
drawing this billet out.

Just about there.

That's a breath of relief.

Bingo. That'll be straight
enough for this, I think.

- Day two...

First thing I got to do today
is get that blade quenched.

Now it's just a waiting game.

I'm going to start doing
a little bit of thermocycling,

And then we're gonna go
straight into the quench.

With a blade this long,

You always run the risk
of a warp in the quench.

Just about...

And then I'd have
to start over completely.

All right, that's good enough.

I'm hoping nothing goes wrong.

- With a blade this long,

You always run the risk
of a warp in the quench.

Just about...

And then I'd have
to start over completely.

All right. That's good enough.

I'm hoping nothing goes wron.

Oh, yeah, we're looking good.

I'm in a really good spot
for day three.

- Day three... yesterday I got
that clamshell guard,

My quench finished

The first thing
I got to do today

Is fitting the handle
and getting a pommel set.

I really love
this colombian mystery wood.

It's a hardwood
that's been stabilized.

The waviness in the wood
is going to complement

The waviness
in the damascus pattern.

I like where this is headed.

So I'll do a lot of dry fitting,

Making sure everything
fits up nice and tight.

We're heavy,
but that'll be good.

- Day four... the first thing
I want to do

Is to finish my guard.

I got to make sure
that there's no hot spots

That could hurt
the judges' hands

And it feels comfortable
when they hold it.

Oh, yeah, coming along good.

I got my guard where I want it
and the finish I want.

It's time to go ahead
and start gluing up.

That went good.
No issues.

It's been a long four days,

But really happy
with how everything came out

And excited to see
the judges use my blade.

- Morning of day four...
a lot to do today.

I got to make this thumb ring.

Yeah, I'm happy with that.
Let's roll with that.

So I'm getting ready
to weld the thumb ring on,

And I don't want
weld spatter everywhere.

It could make a spot that would
be rough on the judge's hand,

And I just can't have that.

Yeah, I think that'll do.

I'm just in love
with this sword.

At this point, I feel
pretty good about my chances.

I hope that level
of craftsmanship

Will put me one step ahead,

But kade's
an excellent craftsmen.

I mean, I'm really anxious

To see what he brings
to this competition.

I couldn't ask
for anything better, man.

- Well, andrew, kade,
good to see you guys.

Welcome back to the forge.

So we gave you guys
four days at your home forges

To put together
your very best walloons

And, guys, they look deadly.

But before we get into anything,

I want to hear about them.

So, andrew,
how did it go for you?

- I went great.
I had a blast.

The blade is 80crv2
and 15n20 damascus

With mild-steel fittings

And a colombian mystery wood
stabilized handle.

- Awesome.
Kade, how about you?

- I couldn't ask for it
to go any better.

I got a 5160 blade

And some axis deer
on the handle.

- Well, guys,
we've got a sharpness test.

We've got a strength test.

And up first, the keal. Doug.

- Bladesmiths, welcome
to the keal test.

To find out what kind of lethal
damage your weapon will do,

I'll take your weapon,
deliver some lethal blows

To this pig carcass.

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

- Let's do it.
- Indeed we will.

- Anytime you do damascus,
you never know

If you're going to have some
kind of hidden forge-weld flaw.

So I took a little bit
of a risk there,

And I definitely feel
the nerves and the anxiousness.

So I'm just hoping
that it survives.

- All right, andrew, let's talk
about your walloon sword.

First up, I really appreciate
the damascus pattern.

It's a sight to see.

Your handle construction,

It's smooth, but it fits
and locks my hand in.

The tip is sharp,
and so is the edge.

Overall, sir. It will keal.

- Thanks, sir.

- All right, kade,
your turn, sir. You ready?

- Guess we're about to find out.

- Let's do this.

- Chopping a pig
is no small task.

They've got some hard bones
in there,

And their shoulders
are absolutely armored.

I'm just hoping it survives.

- All right, kade, first off,

This thing is light as a
feather.

And look at that flex
that you have with your blade.

With your handle construction,
the material you used

Actually gives me
a good contrary to that,

And it fits good in the hand.

Now, during the test, though,
it cut very deep,

But at the same time, it took
a slight bend by the guard.

But overall, sir, this weapon...

It will keal.

- Thank you.

- Bladesmiths, welcome
to our strength test...

Our medieval door chop.

I'm going to take
your walloon swords

And deliver
multiple vicious strikes

Into this big medieval door.

Now, it's not what your sword's
going to do to this door.

It's what that door
can possibly do to your swords.

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

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

- All right, nice job, andrew.

Everything still looks good.
Handle's comfortable.

Everything's tight. Nice job.
- Thank you.

- Kade, how are your nerves
right now?

- Pretty bad. Definitely
not excited for this.

- I'll be excited enough
for both of us.

- Yeah.

After seeing that my blade
picked up a bit of a warp

In the keal test,

There's definitely
a large possibility

That chopping into his door
is going to break my blade.

So hopefully
it survives in one piece.

- After seeing that my blade

Picked up a bit of a warp
in the keal test,

There's definitely
a large possibility

That chopping into this door
is going to break my blade,

And that's a problem.

- All right, kade.
Your edge held up fine.

It's a nice light sword.
It's got good flex.

The big thing, though,
is your blade itself

Bent over to the right.

And then as I continue
with the test,

Now you've got
this bend up here.

But you still got a good,
strong blade.

Nice job.

- Thank you.

- All right, bladesmiths.

This is the sharpness test...
the basket slice.

To find out how sharp
your weapons are,

I'm going to try to slash
through these baskets.

Andrew, you're up first. Ready?
- Let's do it.

- All right, andrew,
your edge stayed truly shar.

These cuts are very clean.

Easy to wield.

Overall, sir,
your walloon sword,

It will cut.

- Thank you.

- All right, kade,
your turn, sir, you ready?

- Sure.
- Let's do this.

All right, kade, let's talk
about your blade here.

Once again, I love the weight
that you have on this blade.

But while I was swinging
your weapon here,

It took a bend again,

But it will cut.

- Thank you.

- Well, bladesmiths, your swords

Did make it through our tests,

But only one of you guys
is coming out

On top of this competition as
the "forged in fire" champion.

The judges have made
their decision.

Today's "forged in fire"
champion is...

Andrew.
Congratulations, man.

- Kade, you brought us
a great sword.

It's beautiful. It's light.
It's fast. It's sharp.

But the blade started bending
without coming back to true.

And it's just getting worse
as the testing goes on.

That's why we're letting you go.

- Appreciate it.

- Well, kade, you're obviously
an extremely talented smith,

But, unfortunately, your time
in this competition has ended.

I'm gonna have to ask you

To please step off
the forge floor.

- Thank you, guys.

I think what went wrong
is I tempered my blade

At a higher temp
than I should have,

But I'm just proud
I made a blade that survived.

I built a blade that I wanted
to build, but so did andrew,

And he came out
with a better blade.

- Well, andrew,
congratulations, man.

You are
the "forged in fire" champion.

You just got yourself a check
for $10,000.

Congratulations.

- I feel great.

It's exactly
what I hoped would happen.

- That's a showpiece
right there.

- Thank you.

I poured my heart and soul
into this sword.

And for that to win me the title

Of "forged in fire" champion,
that's a dream come true.