Forged in Fire (2015–…): Season 8, Episode 30 - Armed Forces Tournament Part 1 - full transcript

[dramatic music]

- Tonight in the forge,
we are bringing back

Some of "forged in fire's"

Best bladesmiths
and toughest american warriors

To battle it out
in four head-to-head duels.

This is
the armed forces tournament.

♪ ♪

Eight former competitors
and u.S. Service members

Will be redeployed
to the forge to battle it out,

Building a blade from start to
finish in one five-hour round.

The winner of each duel will
take home a check for $2,000



And earn themselves a seat

In the final battle
of our tournament,

Where they will face
tough competition

And battle it out
for a check for $10,000

And the ever-coveted title
of "forged in fire" champion.

Tonight, the dueling begins.

Up first, the e-4 mafia duel,

Where a corporal
from the marines

Will go head to head with
a specialist from the army.

- The e means enlisted.

So I was in enlisted men,
and I got to the fourth rank,

Which is corporal
in marine corps.

Marines, you know, they teach
you to adapt and overcome.

And so this time, my knife's
gonna withstand anything.



- I am not just trying
to submit a completed blade.

I'm trying to make a comeback.

- And later,
the two branch duel,

Where a veteran from the army
and the air force

Goes up against a veteran from
the navy and the air force.

- Something that we're always
taught in the service,

Failure is not an option.

I mean, you got to get
the mission done.

- It's great having served

In two different branches
of the service

Because what you learn in one,
you bring to the other.

I just hope I succeed
in this challenge.

- The duels start now.

[rock music]

- My name is garrett elting,
and I'm 29 years old.

I'm a former marine.

Did two tours to afghanistan
and southern helmand province.

The last time
I was on "forged in fire,"

I got to the second round
and I just happened

To get a chip
during the strength testing.

Marines, you know, they teach
you to adapt and overcome.

And so this time, my knife
is gonna withstand anything.

- My name is robert guest.
I'm from tacoma, washington.

I joined the army in 2011.

And I served until 2016.

So my last time here,
I struggled a little bit

And the back end of it
splits apart.

I am feeling
just absolutely defeated.

If this doesn't work,
I'm not moving on.

Winning the duel and moving on
to winning the tournament,

For me, it's tangible growth
that I can measure.

♪ ♪

- Bladesmiths,
welcome back to the forge.

Guys, I know I speak
for everybody

When I say thank you for
your service to our country.

And we're very happy to have
you guys back in the forge.

You are gonna take part

In the armed forces
redeployment tournament.

Because we've got a corporal
and a specialist in the house,

This is the e-4 mafia challenge.

- [laughs]

- We've got five straight hours
of forging competition

Where the two of you guys
are gonna battle it out

For the duel title.

Now, the winner of this duel
is gonna get $2,000

And a spot
in the final round of our

Armed forces redeployment
tour championship.

Now the winner of that
will get a check for $10,000

And that ever-coveted title
of "forged in fire" champion.

At the end of the round,
you guys are gonna present

Your work to our panel
of expert judges

Who will then test your blades,

Give you a critique,
and make an elimination.

Today's judges are

Two-time "forged in fire"
champion, ben abbott,

Historic weapons re-creation
specialist, dave baker,

And edge weapons specialist,
doug marcaida.

Now, guys,
I'm sure you're very eager

To find out what
this tournament's all about.

We have five random
knife handles

That are sticking out
of an ammo crate.

Attached to those handles
are five unique blades

From u.S. Military history.

All of our duels
have been chosen at random.

And you guys are
the first to go.

What I want you guys to do
is come together

And decide collectively
what blade you guys want

To build based solely
on the handle that you see.

But keep in mind what you decide

Is what you're stuck with
for your duel.

So, guys, I want you to talk
amongst yourselves,

Pick your poison,

And let me know what you decide.

- All right. One sucks.

- Yeah, that's terrible.
- And three sucks.

- I don't want to do
three either.

- Garrett and I
are both military.

So we're comfortable
working together.

I've worked in
joint post before.

I'm sure he has as well.

But it is exceptionally
difficult

Trying to pick something
just based on its handle.

It could have a really,
really ornate handle

And an incredibly simple blade.

Two and four look like gonna be
more easy to make handle wise.

- Four's gonna be a chopper.
- Four's got a weird tang too.

- Man, I can almost
guarantee you, number two

Is gonna be
some sort of a fighting knife.

- Oh, yeah.
I think me and robert

Are pretty similar, and we both
have pretty analytical minds.

Four is gonna be...

- Four is gonna be that
light machete like a chopper.

- It's gonna be
some sort of... yeah.

- Well, what do you want?

- All right, guys,
time's running out.

Have you made your choice?

- I say... I say two.

- Let's do two.

- All right, guys,
you are gonna be building this.

Now, gentlemen,

What you guys decided on
is the m1942 machete.

- Hell, yeah.

- All right, okay.

- The m1942 machete made
its debut on the battlefield

During world war ii

And was used by multiple
branches of the military

In the pacific front.

This long single-edge blade

Could easily
hack through dense jungles

And deliver quick deadly
slashes during ambush attacks.

Soldiers continued to use
this intimidating weapon

Up until the vietnam war,

Where it was replaced
by a shorter

And more lightweight bolo knife.

- Now when you guys
are building your machete,

You need to follow
these parameters.

Your blade length measured
from tip to the handle

Needs to be between
16 and 18 inches.

And for attention, guys,

You need to include
a bird's head's beak.

All right, guys, so you have
the blade you need to build.

But it's not gonna
be just as easy

As doing a mono-steel blade.

You guys probably noticed

We've got some challenge coins
in front of you.

Now I'm sure you guys
are very well aware

Of the long standing tradition
of the military

With challenge coins
and coin checks.

But these are
a little bit different.

What you guys have in front
of you are eight custom

"forged in fire"
challenge coins.

Each of them has a forge
welding technique

On the reverse side.

What I want you to do
is come up, select your coin,

Which will dictate
what forge welding technique

You need use
to build your m1942 machete.

- Garrett, you ready?
- Yeah.

- Come select your coin, bud.
- Let's do this.

[tense music]

♪ ♪

- Oh, hell.

- What did you get?
- Fish hooks.

- All right, so you're gonna
have to build your machete

With fish hook
canister damascus.

- I'm a little worried
right now.

I don't do that very often.
I'm gonna have to figure out

How I'm gonna make
this work for me.

- All right, robert.

After seeing what he's got,
are you excited?

- No.
- Not at all.

- No.
- Too bad.

[laughter]
come up and choose your coin.

♪ ♪

Go for number one.
What'd you get, robert?

- Piano keys.

- All right, so you're gonna
have to do piano wire damascus.

- I have never made piano wire
damascus before.

Nerves are getting to me
and facing a tough challenge.

- Now you guys will have
five hours

To completely build your blades
from start to finish.

At which point, you're gonna
hand them over to the judges

To test
for strength and durability

In an ammo can chop

And then gonna check
your edge retention

In a climbing rope slice.

Good luck.
Your time starts now.

[rock music]

- Well, this is
a difficult challenge.

The guys chose a weapon
to make blindly

And then they blindly grabbed
their techniques

They had to use
to make that machete.

- I'm really excited to be back

And get another chance at it.

So I'm gonna make it count.

I'm not gonna put any
white out in the canister

Because it takes too long
to get the can off.

I'm just gonna forge
weld everything through,

Grind it off at the end.

- So garrett didn't use
any white out.

Got nothing in there
to just keep the can separated.

- After this is all set,

It's an extra 45 minutes
to get that can off.

- Fish hook damascus
is a little bit difficult.

There's a lot of little nooks
and crannies

That might not get filled
with the 1095 powder.

Any sort of inclusions,
that's bad news.

I'm excited to be representing
the marine corps.

Last time I was here,

I was part of the battle
of the branches tournament.

So I'm super excited
to get another chance at it.

- Piano wire damascus.

Sounds like
a canister thing, right?

- Yeah. I mean the only way
you could do it beyond that

Is twist it
and then make cable damascus.

- I decide that I am going to
do a canister damascus billet.

- Garrett didn't use white out
but robert is now.

- It's a bad idea.

- I don't want to risk too much
mild steel being in this blade

Because I don't know
what these piano wires

Are made out of.

But I know I'm adding 1095,
which is hardenable good steel.

So I make sure that it's got
a nice coating on the inside.

Robert did not take the time
to let that white out dry.

- Don't do it.

- Oh, no.
- Oh, boy.

Robert's got everything
into his can

With a bunch of wet white out.

What are the chances that he
gets this to stick in his weld?

- 35%.

- Ooh, I don't like those odds.

- The problem is, is with that
white out being wet,

I'd say that half of that can's
gonna stick to what he's got.

- Five extra minutes upfront
letting that white out dry

Saves you
the hour and 15 minutes

It takes to restart a new can
because things didn't work out.

♪ ♪

- While the canister's
in the forge,

I go grab my handle material
and my penstock.

It's [indistinct].

The marine corps taught me
the seven ps.

Proper prior planning prevents
piss poor performance.

- It's good to see that
garrett's looking way ahead

To the handle,
making good use of that time.

- The canister is up
to temperature,

So I take it over to the press
to set the weld.

Oh, that [bleep] is hot.

What I'm gonna do
is use the squaring dies

So I can apply equal pressure
on every side of the can.

- You can see,
he's not taking big bites.

- I can feel that my can
is fully welded,

And it's time to start
making it longer.

- You have 4 hours
and 30 minutes remaining.

♪ ♪

- Last time I was here,
I unfortunately had a failure

Where the welds in my blade
didn't take.

So I go over to big blu
and I give it a good solid hit

And the back end of it
splits apart.

[bleep].

My goal this time
is to try to make sure

That my welds
are nice and strong.

And so I want to leave it
in there for a while

To make sure

That everything is completely
at welding temperature.

- So robert's canister
is in the fire.

He's measuring out stuff.

- All these moves that
they're doing is purposeful.

- Yeah.
- It's not, you know,

"why am I gonna
stand around here

Watching it heat up?
Might as well keep moving."

♪ ♪

- The canister actually seems
to be fairly solid.

Now I'm going to swap
to the flattening dies.

♪ ♪

- Let's do this, buddy.

Today, I brought a picture
of my best friend matt.

He passed away
in November of 2020.

And it's been a pretty
rough time since then.

Matt and I served together
in the marine corps.

We did both deployments
together.

He's a big part of my life.

I want to make sure that
he's watching over me today.

So hopefully, he can get me
home with $12,000.

[chuckles]

I'm ready to get
this blade to shape.

- One of the aspects of
this blade is how thin it is.

The 1942 machete
was a purpose-built tool.

It had to be light,
easy to maintain,

And be able
to cut through jungle,

But you didn't want
to carry more weight.

- So I draw on my billet

Exactly what I want
my blade to look like

And I head over to the grinder.

- Perfect. Well, I mean,
he's forged that blade down

To a workable thickness,
grind it to shape.

- That's got a good shape
to it already, yeah.

- I'm feeling really confident
right now.

- Bladesmiths,
you've got three hours

And 30 minutes remaining.

- Now there's white out in this
can and he's pressed it down.

Robert has set himself up
for a problem.

- At this point, I feel like
the welds are solid.

Now comes the time for me
to peel the can away.

♪ ♪

Oh, come on.

As I start
to peel this can away,

I'm realizing that sections
are fused together

And it's difficult
to pull this material apart.

- Ah, that's not good.

- We're really starting to see
robert's paying

For that decision to white out
inside that can, big time.

- I am at a crucial
decision-making point.

Either I'm going to continue
to pursue this and try to cut

The rest of this off
or start over.

- Walk away, robert.

- Down the rabbit hole, man.

- Holy [bleep].

- I can't seem
to get the canister off.

If I can't get this off,

I'm gonna have to cut off
what is already removed

And then just try
to grind away what's left.

- Do you think it'd be faster

Just to restart
than try to make this work?

- At this point,
I think so, right?

- Oh, I would.

- Time is running out.

If it takes me an hour
to cut this material away,

It's gonna really cut into
my fit and finish time.

I gotta start over.

- I hope robert
can pull this off.

- So in order to make
this restart work,

This time, crucially, I'm not
gonna put any white out inside.

Instead, I'm going
to try to get it

To weld completely
solidly through

And then grind
that mild steel off the sides.

I've lost a whole lot of time.

And so I know I have to work
at a faster pace.

There's no room
for errors this time.

- I'm coming up
on the halfway point.

So it's time
to get ready to quench.

There's a big possibility

That'll warp because
I didn't grind the can off.

So I've got two different types
of materials

That are gonna cool
at two different rates.

Here we go.

- All right.
Garrett's quenched.

♪ ♪

- Oh!

I pull it up,
and this thing is a banana.

I get over to the jig
so that I can get my warp out.

I've only got
a little bit of time

Before this blade
gets below a temp

That it could break
while I'm bending it.

♪ ♪

I get to working on it.
I get it pretty straight.

It survived.

- 2 hours and 15 minutes
left on the clock.

Garrett's quenched.
He straightened his blade.

Think he's in a pretty
good spot?

- Oh, yeah.

- Now that I got
this thing straight,

I know I got to get it
into temper.

Last time I was here,

Ben abbott
put a chip on my blade,

And I'm hoping he doesn't
do it again this time.

My plan is to temper
a little bit warmer

Than what normally
is used for 1095

So I can get
a bit springier of a blade,

And it's still gonna have
that edge retention.

Hurry up.

- After my restart,

I really feel like
I've got my second wind,

And I feel good moving forward.

- In half an hour, robert got
a canister hopefully to weld.

It looks like
it's doing all right.

He's making moves
in the right direction.

- Last time when I was here
was one of the best,

Most memorable experiences
that I've had.

And having the opportunity
to compete again,

Just to see if I've grown
from my past experience

Is just a really exciting time.

So as my billet
starts to take shape,

I decided the best thing
that I should do

Is cut it at an angle.

Now that I've cut in the tip,
it is time to refine the shape.

♪ ♪

- Bladesmiths, you have
90 minutes remaining.

- Even though I've got a really,

Really great-looking blade
right now,

I need to make sure
that I get this handle perfect

Because I don't want that
to be the reason I go home.

- Garrett's over there
at the drill press.

So we're gonna see a handle on

With still an hour on the clock.

That's ideal.

- My plan is to get
all the pins on one side,

Put the blade in,

And then hammer
the other piece of micarta on.

And then I'm toss
some epoxy in there.

♪ ♪

Eh.

Oh, that [bleep] pin.

That is not gonna fit.

The pin starts
to bind really bad.

So I decided to go hammer on it.

Ugh!
Frustrated.

I don't have time for this
right now.

- When in doubt, smash.

Pretty much
what garrett's doing.

- There we go.
Marines, you know,

They teach you to adapt
and overcome.

And so that's what I did.

- I am running out of time.

That means that this quench
has to be successful.

[rock music]

♪ ♪

That's about right.

This is probably the happiest

That I've been
in the competition.

♪ ♪

- Overall, the handle
came out really well.

It feels really good
in the hand.

It swings well.
That feels good.

Well, I need
to go grind my edge.

As I'm grinding away and I kind
of started to get that shape,

I take it over to the acid
'cause I want to make sure

That I got all of
the mild steel off my edge.

I don't want it to roll over

When it comes into contact
with something hard.

It has to withstand
this testing.

♪ ♪

All right!

Got a nice straight black edge.
Golden.

- Bladesmiths,
you have 30 minutes.

Robert's getting himself
back in a better place.

He's making up for lost time.

- Looks like he's back
in the race.

- So I am going to start

Working on my handle materials.

I'm going to try to save time

On the grinder by cutting
the micarta into shape.

I don't have as much time as
I would like for this handle.

But it's about as good
as I have the time for.

- Bladesmiths,
you have five minutes.

- Now I have to put in that
final bevel on that edge.

- You can see that robert,

He's grinding
pretty aggressively.

- Definitely got a lot of metal
right there.

- Five, four, three, two, one.

Bladesmiths,
put down your tools.

This duel is over.

♪ ♪

- I feel okay about my machete.

I definitely know
that I did the best

That I could have done
having had to restart.

You never know what can happen.

♪ ♪

- Bladesmiths, welcome
to the strength test,

The ammo crate chop.

To test the strength
and durability of your blades

As well as the overall
construction of your machetes,

I'm gonna be chopping
into these ammo crates.

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

- Yeah. Sure.

- [laughs]
then I guess I'll do it.

- The most difficult part
about this test

Is he's hitting
both wood and metal.

And if the blade gets stuck in
the box or something like that,

It could bend or break.

The last time I was here,

I didn't make it
past the testing.

So this time,
I hope I make it through.

♪ ♪

[rock music]

♪ ♪

[laughs]

- All right, garrett.

Well, first things first,
you're all in one piece.

That's awesome.

Your edge, there's no evidence
that I smashed into a crate

Other than some scrapes
on the side.

The one thing
that I think did happen

Is it's definitely got
a curve to the right.

But all in all,
this is a great looking machete

You got going on here.
Nice job.

- Awesome.

- All right, robert.
You ready for this?

- If I say no,
can I go make another one?

- No.
- [laughs]

♪ ♪

These ammo boxes

Are typically constructed
very robustly.

They are tough.
They're hard to break through.

I'm so nervous
I'm holding my breath.

♪ ♪

- Nice.
Nice.

- All right, robert.

I do appreciate the fact
that you did start over.

So I'm really happy that you
ended up with a machete shape.

If you had have had more time,

I hope you might have taken
some of this weight out

'cause it is really,
really heavy.

And the really blocky handle is
not very comfortable to swing.

You did take one glinting
right here,

One small, small roll here
from hitting the hasp.

But the rest of the blade seems
to have held up really well.

And you started with piano wire

And you got something
that looks like piano keys.

So that's kind of interesting.
So all in all, well done.

- Thank you.

♪ ♪

- All right, bladesmiths.

This is the sharpness test:
The climbing rope slice.

♪ ♪

To find out how sharp
your weapons are,

I'm gonna take your machetes

And try to cut through
these climbing ropes.

Garrett, you're up first.
You ready?

- Let's do it.

- Let's do this.

♪ ♪

[cowbell clanking]

♪ ♪

All right, garrett,
you have a sharp edge, sir.

It's sharp enough to cut
through and ring the cowbell.

Overall, sir, your weapon,
it will cut.

- Awesome.

- Robert, your turn, sir.
You ready?

- Sure.

- All right, let's do it.

♪ ♪

[cowbell clanking]

[cowbell clanking]

[laughter]

All right, robert. Let's talk
about your machete here.

You have a spot right here
that, when I put my hand on,

I can really feel that hot spot

'cause there's so much weight
on your blade.

Now your edge, one and done.

You have a sharp edge here.

It cut easily on the rope.
And overall, sir, it will cut.

- Thank you.

- All right, bladesmiths.
You guys did a great job

By putting together
your 1942 machetes,

And they both tested
really well.

But only one of you guys
will move forward

Into the final round.

And the judges
have made a decision.

The bladesmith
who's gonna be joining us

In the final round is...

♪ ♪

Garrett.
Congratulations.

Now, robert, you fought hard,
you brought us a good blade.

But unfortunately,
you're not gonna be moving on

In this tournament
and doug's gonna tell you why.

- Robert, we thank you
for presenting us

A strong and sharp blade.

But the m1942 machete
was created for heavy use.

The weight of your blade
plus a blocky handle

Creates a hotspot
and would be uncomfortable

For continued use.

- Well, robert, we all want to
say thank you for your service.

Thank you for coming
to the forge

And showing us your skills.

But unfortunately, your time
in this competition has ended.

I'm gonna have to ask you

To please step off
the forge floor.

- All right. Thank you all.

- Thank you for your hard work.

- Congratulations, buddy.
Nice job.

It's a little disappointing,
of course.

Everybody wants to move on.

But my blade did better
than my blade did last time.

And I'm pretty pleased
with that.

I had a great time
just being here.

And hopefully, one day,
I'll win.

[laughs]

♪ ♪

- You all right, bud?
- Yeah.

It's odd to be on this side
of the winning thing.

[laughter]

- Well, garrett,
congratulations, man.

You just won yourself
a check for $2,000

And a spot in the final round

Of the armed forces
redeployment tournament, man.

Congratulations.

[applause]

- Thank you.
It's a big win for me.

I'm glad the marine corps

Is gonna be represented
in the next round.

I think matt's real excited
to see that I won this.

He's gonna be here with me
on the next round too.

So I can't wait to bring him
back in the forge.

Got to be something crazy
coming next.

I don't know what it is.
[laughs]

♪ ♪

- My name is joe stickel.

I'm a retired
chief master sergeant

With
the oregon air national guard.

I went into the army
right out of high school.

And then I served active guard
with kingsley field

In klamath falls, oregon.

The first time I was here,

I was sent home
after the second round

Due to my blade
taking significant damage.

♪ ♪

So this time around,
not gonna fail.

♪ ♪

- Hi. My name is dana dupuis.
I'm 50 years old.

I joined the navy
out of high school in 1988.

I served for four years.

And then I joined
the air force reserves.

And I retired in 2014
as a master sergeant.

The last time I was here,

I didn't have a proper handle
on my blade.

Put some blue painter's tape
on it real quick,

Wrapped it with leather,

It cut,
it performed pretty well,

But the handle broke.
It was no real handle.

I just hope, today,
I don't produce a turd.

- Bladesmiths,
welcome back to the forge.

Dana, joe, it's great
to have you guys here.

I know I speak
for everybody here

When I say thank you both
for your service and dedication

To our great country.

You're about to take part

In the armed forces
redeployment tournament.

And because you decided
to serve in not one

But two branches of service,

You guys are gonna be taking
part in our two branch duel.

Now I'm sure you guys
are really eager

To find out what you're
gonna be building today.

And we're gonna leave
that up to you.

Next to me,
we have a huge weapons crate

With four handles
coming out of it.

Now these are attached

To blades
from iconic military history.

There's only four blades here
because you are the second duel

To take part in this tournament.

What I want you guys to do
is come together,

Talk amongst yourselves,

And decide which
one of these blades

You want to build based solely
on the handle you can see.

But keep in mind what you decide

Is what you're stuck with
for your duels.

So, guys, take a minute.
Let me know what you choose.

♪ ♪

- What are you thinking, dana?

- I was thinking about four
with the mosaic pins and stuff.

It's a good handle shape,

And they put that extra
little thing to it.

- Yeah.

I think... I think we might want
to stay away from three.

Looking at the handles,
some of them are very ornate.

So I figured that's going to be
a much more complex-type knife.

Looks like some kind of
a dagger fighting knife,

Number one probably.
- Yeah.

I like five.
The handle shape, I'm thinking

It could be a machete
or something like that.

- All right, bladesmiths,
your time's run out.

Have you made a decision?

- I'm thinking five.

- I'm good with it. Do five.

- All right. Rock on, chief.

- All right, gentlemen,

You guys are gonna be
building this.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

- Yeah!

- This is the world war ii
air force survival axe.

- The united states army
air force survival axe

Was a staple in u.S. Bomber
planes during world war ii.

This standard issue tool
featured an axe head

And a sharp pike
that could be used to stab

And slice through aircraft
aluminum skin after a crash

While its rubber handle
provided protection

From electrical shock.

Although this axe
isn't used much today,

Its legacy lives on

In the 2014 video game
"the forest."

- The overall length
of your axe needs to be

Between 13 and 15 inches.

The axe head needs
to have a height

Of between 4 and 6 inches
and have a single edge.

- I have no idea
about the survival axe.

The way the axe comes,

It doesn't come like
a normal axe.

It's flat back,
and it curls in this way.

And then the cutout's there
and then the spike.

It's gonna be a challenge.

- Now you guys know what blade
you're gonna be building.

Let's talk about techniques.

Now, guys, in front of you,
there are six custom

"forged in fire"
challenge coins.

On the reverse side
of those coins,

There is a technique that you
must use to build your blades.

I'm gonna call you each up
randomly.

Choose your coin, and that's
what you're stuck with.

- Joe, you're up first.
- Oh.

[tense music]

♪ ♪

- What'd you get, joe?

You've got to do a twisted
damascus pattern on your axe.

- Okay.

This is an incredibly difficult
challenge just as it is.

And then I have to do it
out of twisted damascus.

I'll figure it out.

- Dana, you ready?
- Sure. What the hell?

- Let's go.

♪ ♪

What are we seeing?
- Oh.

- Raindrop damascus.

- Son of a bitch.

I've played
with raindrop damascus,

But not to make it into
a full knife or anything.

It's gonna be a challenge.

- All right, bladesmiths,

You guys know
you're building an axe

And you know what patterns
you need to use to build them.

We've got five hours
for this competition

Where you need to build
that axe from start to finish.

Once the time runs out,
you're gonna hand it over

To our judges who will check

For strength and durability
in a helmet chop,

And then gonna check for edge
retention in a tube slice.

All right, gentlemen.
Good luck.

Your time starts now.

[rock music]

These guys did not choose
an easy blade.

They got their work
cut out for 'em.

- Yeah, it's an odd shape.

I mean, there are several ways
you can attack it.

- I can make it work.
I can do it.

- Trying to forge that shape

From the metal these guys
are starting out with

Is a really tough road
to go down.

It's gonna be that
first decision they make.

Are they gonna weld up
all that steel into one billet

Or are they going to decide
not to use all their steel?

- I'm gonna sand down
all the surfaces.

I'm gonna make sure
I stack my alternating layers,

Weld them up, and then
get them in the forge.

- Both the smiths
are at the grinders,

Cleaning up their stack.

They've got 1095
and 15n20 steel.

- I can't use all 34 pieces
of steel they gave me

Because if I stacked
all those in one billet,

I'd end up with a four-foot
long piece of stock

That I wouldn't
be able to twist.

Welding.

So what I decided I'm going
to do is make two billets.

I get the first billet
in the forge,

I figure I can get
that heating up,

And then I started
cleaning my second billet.

- If you're gonna make
two stacks,

You may as well have
one be heating.

- Twisted damascus over
a raindrop damascus.

- Yeah.
- Which one's more difficult?

- They both have
their unique challenges.

Raindrop, you have to take
that extra step

To let the steel cool,
run over to the drill press

And drill
a bunch of divots in it.

And then the twist, in order
to have a piece of steel

That's small enough
that you can twist by hand,

Now it's marginal to see

If you can widen it out
to this head.

♪ ♪

- The amount of steel they gave
us was a lot of steel,

So I decided to split it.

- Dana is not using
very much of this steel.

- Oh, that's...

- That's a huge risk.

I would love to see dana stack
all that material

So he has a high count
when he does his raindrops.

Otherwise, raindrops,
they barely look like puddles.

♪ ♪

- When it gets to about
the color of inside

The forge itself,
that's when I set my welds.

♪ ♪

The welds are
the most important to...

If you're making
any form of damascus,

The integrity of the steel.

Yeah. One more.

I'm really happy
how it's moving.

Looks like the welds
are holding.

As my steel's heating
in the forge,

I decide to clean up
the other steel

And forge weld a stack of steel

In case I need it
just in the off chance

That billet blows up
or something,

I have a standby
and I can go right to it.

♪ ♪

I have ptsd.

And I found just smithing
helped me a lot.

At my forge,

It's called heroic wolves
forge, we teach classes,

Blacksmithing and bladesmithing,

To veterans with ptsd.

You can see that spark
in their eye

And you can actually
see their drive.

You know, it's just great.

♪ ♪

- Bladesmiths, you have
four hours remaining!

- The last time I was here
on "forged in fire,"

We had to do a san mai chopper.

I hadn't had
a whole lot of experience

With forge welding
at that point.

I ended up with a delam,

And then since that experience,

I've worked a lot
on my forge welding techniques.

So I'm hoping my experience
is gonna help me

To perform much better.

It's coming along really nice.

It looks like it's a good weld.

So now I've got to twist it.

♪ ♪

- Joe's twisting his billet
right now

But using the press as the vice.

- Awesome.

- I'm gonna repeat this
process on my second billet,

Then I'll have two of them,
get those two welded together.

- He hasn't shaped anything yet,

But joe is just plowing ahead.

♪ ♪

- What the [bleep]?

Right now,
I can't get my head around

How I'm gonna make
this damn shape.

I want to do the spike first.

I figure out,
"hey, I know what a spike is."

- Dana used about
half the steel we gave him,

And he's already shaping that.

He's not going to get
a layer count

That's gonna actually
give him the pattern.

♪ ♪

- As I start thinking about
drilling my patterns,

I realize the steel is too thin

To be able to get
my raindrop pattern in.

I can't [bleep] do it.

And the actual shape
was not there.

This is a worse turd than the
first one I did on the show.

- Oh, dana.

What is going on over there,
my brother?

- That piece of steel
is 8 inch, tops.

- Yeah, there's no raindrops
coming out of that.

- What the hell?

- He's pacing around
quite a bit,

Trying to figure out
in his head how he's gonna move

That metal into the shape
he needs it to be.

- I mean, honestly,
if I were dana right now,

I might start again.

- Yeah, it would be a good idea.

Well, there he goes.

- So I toss that to the side,
then I start the other part

Of my billet
that I've already forged.

- Oh, guys, dana just scrapped
what he's been working on

For the past 2 1/2 hours.

- So my game plan right now
is to get the new piece,

Start on the spike again,

Kind of like elongate
the center a little differently

And leave it thicker.

I got this. I got this.

- What are you doing, joe?

Joe's at the chop saw,
cut off a substantial chunk

Of the welded portion
of his billet.

♪ ♪

- After I cut the excess off,
I need to draw some width

To it
to get the axe shape to it.

And then I need to pull out
my spike on the other side.

- There we go, look,

We got some shape
happening over here on joe.

- This world war ii
air force axe

Is really designed
to get out of the plane.

The whole thing is designed
to break through a fuselage.

♪ ♪

- Once I drifted in the hole,

I realized that
that cutting edge,

Widthwise, is entirely too thin.

And that's what they're gonna
be hitting that thing into.

- The front of that d-shape

Cools so much quicker
than everything else.

I'm worried that
it's really thin right there.

I think he has another scrap
of the twist that he made.

I would cut that portion

And reweld
a new piece for the edge.

- I think he might
be doing that.

- Yep. Looks like he is.

- I had plenty of damascus
already done up.

So what I'm gonna do
is take this piece,

Make it into a c shape.

Make sure I got long enough
for each side, match it up

To the cutting edge of the axe
and then I'll forge weld it.

I'm feeling pressured.

But I know
I'm gonna get it done.

- All right, guys, you have
two hours left on the clock!

Let's go!

- There's a lot of ways
to get through this thing.

I just don't have a lot of time.

Once I get a basic shape,

I'm gonna head on over
to the drill press

And start drilling in
my patterns.

- Dana is gonna get the raindrop

Damascus pattern going.

- Go.
- Good.

- Can't go too deep
with my drill, deep enough

Where you can actually
have the pattern come out

When you forge it.

And then flip it over,
do the other side.

As you forge those areas,
the metal pushes it down

And it actually puts little
dimples, we'll say, almost.

That's where you get
your raindrops damascus.

Even though the time
is going left and right,

I'm like, I have an opportunity

To possibly turn in something,

I'm going to do my damnedest.
Come on, dude. Make it.

- Joe managed to get
that forge weld good

All the way across that.

- So for the most part,

Time is dictating
what I'm gonna do.

So what I decided I'm gonna do
is weld my handle on.

- He's gonna weld that tang on.

The problem is that
connection point

Is where all the stress goes.

- Every bit of it.
- Yeah.

- I hope it's gonna work.

♪ ♪

- What's going on
with dana's billet,

The whole thing's not but
2 inches wide at the widest.

And he doesn't have
a lot of material

To be able to turn it
into that big axe head.

- I'm really concerned about
being able to make this blade

The shape that's required
for parameters

'cause I don't have
much steel there.

Think, think, think, think.

So I figured all I need is
a raindrop pattern on the edge.

♪ ♪

I'll get some mild steel,

I'll cut off the raindrop
I already have going on,

And I'll forge weld, hand weld
the bit on some mild steel.

It's not the best thing.
It's not my first choice.

But it's my hail mary.
This is gonna be it.

Right now,
I'm in fight or flight.

I'm really concerned that I'm
not gonna turn anything in.

- That is true survival mode
right there.

♪ ♪

- [bleep] sucks, man.

- It's a rough challenge.

I mean, they're struggling,
but they're not giving up.

They're gonna continue working
till the time runs out.

- So going into this quench,

You know,
there are several concerns.

I've got so many welds
on this thing.

Cutting edge could split
where I welded the layers

On the cutting edge.
There's a lot of things

That could go wrong
at this point in time.

- Joe's quenching, guys.

- My welds appeared to hold.

I think it came out about
as good as can be expected.

♪ ♪

Frickin' edge is hard.

- Bladesmiths, you have
20 minutes left before testing.

♪ ♪

- Dana's quenched.
Not cut it to shape yet,

But he does have
a quenched blade.

♪ ♪

- Skates.

The quickest way to actually
put a handle on this thing

Is to weld
a piece of rebar on the blade.

You guys are gonna hate me
for this [bleep] thing.

I'm not just gonna give them
a rebar handle.

I mean, it's... it's...
doesn't index well.

So I wrap some 550 cord.

- Paracord wrap.
Yes.

- I wrap it as best as I can.

And I say,
I gotta put something else.

So I reached out and I grabbed
blue painter's tape.

- There you go.
- Oh, nice.

- There you go.
That's his trademark.

- The last time I was here,

I didn't have a proper handle
on my blade.

I put some blue painter's tape
on it real quick,

Wrapped it with leather.

It's performed pretty well,
but it was no real handle.

You know, I didn't plan
on doing this, I promise.

Kind of pay a homage
to blue painter's tape.

And the air force and the navy
are blue too.

I would. I would.

- One minute before testing,
guys.

- I have to turn in
a finished product.

It's tough,
but there's no quitting now.

I mean, I came here to do a job,

And that's what I'm gonna do.

So I just go ahead
and go with the cord wrap.

I'm happy with the fact
that I got something done.

It ain't pretty by no means.

But I do believe
it's a solid piece.

- Five, four, three, two, one.

Bladesmiths, turn off your
tools, put down your weapons.

This round is over.

[applause]
- yeah!

- Great fight, gentlemen.
Great fight.

♪ ♪

- It was tough.
I'm not happy with what I have.

I know I'm capable of much more.

But I was able to get it done
and hit the parameters.

♪ ♪

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

It's time for the strength test.

I'm gonna take your axes,

And I'm gonna be smashing
into these helmets

To see the overall construction
and feel of your blade.

Remember, this test
is not about what those axes do

To that helmet
but what that helmet

Can do to your axes.
All right, joe.

Today, you are up first.
Are you ready?

- I'm ready, dave.

- All right.

♪ ♪

- My biggest concern is where
I welded my handle on.

I mean, that junction
is at a critical location.

When you have that many welds
in something like this,

There's a lot of opportunity
for failure.

♪ ♪

[rock music]

♪ ♪

- Well, joe. It held up.

You still got a sharp edge
on this thing.

It's a very obtuse edge,
but so is the original.

You didn't lose
any of those welds.

Nothing came loose.
Handle construction,

It's actually
comfortable to hold on to.

All in all, it held up
beautifully in this test.

So good job, jeff.

- Thanks, dave.

- All right, dana, your turn.
You ready?

- No.

♪ ♪

I don't know what's gonna
happen with my axe.

So many things can go wrong
for my construction.

I'm just hoping that it doesn't

Break apart when he strikes.

♪ ♪

- Guys.

You know,
as much as I'd love to test,

It's just not the axe
we asked for.

- We wanna be fair.
It's not what we asked for.

- Pretty far off.
- Yeah.

And I mean, I'm not even sure
of the construction

And the connection here.

I need to peel this back.
It's not what we asked for.

♪ ♪

Dana, I gotta tell you,
you fought really, really hard.

But in the end, this just
isn't the axe or the shape

We're looking to test.

And it wouldn't be fair to test
this against your opponent

Who actually turned in the axe

That was in the style
that we were looking for.

But, man, I gotta tell you,
there's no quit in you.

And I really do
appreciate that, dana.

- Thank you.

♪ ♪

- Well, dana, I got to start off

By saying you guys had to have
chosen the hardest blade

To build in this competition.
Come hell or high water,

You decided you were gonna
give us a blade.

So we want to
commend you for that.

But unfortunately,
we can't test your blade

Equally against joe's.

And for that reason, your time
in this competition has ended,

I'm gonna have to ask you
to please step off

The forge floor.

- I'm not happy
with my product at all.

Thank you guys
for the opportunity.

You guys are amazing.

It's definitely not a good
reflection of my skills.

But I'm proud that
I actually turned something in.

I have that forge where
I teach veterans with ptsd.

And I'm just gonna keep on
helping others learn the craft.

All I can say to joe is,

"man, I hope you win it
for the air force.

I love you, brother."

- Well, joe,
you know what that means, man.

You've got yourself a seat
in the final round

Of the armed forces
redeployment tournament.

And you just got yourself
a check for $2,000.

Congratulations.

- I'm excited to move on
to the next phase.

It gives me an opportunity
to hopefully be able to prove

What I know
I'm capable of doing.

- How do you feel?

- I wish we could have
tested them both.

- We always wish for it.

- This challenge
was very difficult.

I can only imagine
what they're gonna have

In the next round.