Forged in Fire (2015–…): Season 9, Episode 3 - Forged in Fire - full transcript

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- My name is brett self.
I'm 40 years old,

And I've been blacksmithing
for about five years.

I am a full-time police officer.

I don't really use
a whole lot of bladesmithing

In my line of work,
but I have made knives

For everybody on my shift.

It's a good break
from my day job.

- My name is anthony brogantic.
I'm 46 years old,

And I've been bladesmithing
for about ten years now.

I have two daughters.
They're six and eight,

And they're big fans
of "forged in fire."



They're worried about my losing,

But I told them it's not
a loss, it's a lesson.

- You ready to go?
- Yes, sir.

- My name is dave bartley.
I'm 44 years old.

I sell sweet dreams
for a living.

What I mean by selling
sweet dreams

Is I sell mattresses
and bedding.

I'm here today
so I can bring home 10 grand

So I can buy a forging press,
thanks to my loving wife.

- My name is jason floyd.
I'm from amarillo, texas.

My friends would probably
describe me

As pretty soft-spoken,
really hard-working,

And really family-dedicated.

I'm here to forge some steel.



- Welcome to the forge.
It's good to have you guy.

You're all here to test
your skills against each other

In three intense rounds
of competition.

At the end of each one
of those rounds,

We're gonna ask you
to present your work

To our panel of expert judges,

Who will then make
an elimination,

Those judges are blacksmith,
bladesmith,

And two-time
"forged in fire" champion

Ben abbott, historic weapons
recreation specialist

Dave baker,
and edged weapons specialist

And kali martial artist
doug marcaida.

Now, bladesmiths,
you guys aren't just here

To show your skills.

You guys are fighting
for the title

Of "forged in fire" champion

And a check for $10,000.

- You guys ready to go?
- Yeah

- You guys nervous?
- Eh.

- Ehh.
- A tiny bit?

- I'm awestruck with the stars
on the stage. I apologize.

- Now guys, today in the forge,

We are gonna be paying tribute
to some shadow warriors

Whose history is shrouded
in a bit of mystery and legend.

I'm talking about none other
than the ninja.

Now, the ninja is known
in pop culture

To be masters of martial arts,
be deadly warriors,

And operate at a high level
with an arsenal of weaponry.

In this first round
of competition,

We want you to make
a blade using these.

- Wow.

- What we want you to do
is make a blade

Using at least
two of these weapons

For your high-carbon steel.

We have throwing stars,

We've got sais,
we have grappling hooks,

And we've got the nunchuk.

Now, when you're building
your ninja blades,

We want you to build something
a little bit like this.

What we have here is
a skeletonized ninja blade.

Now we're not asking you
to build exactly this.

We want to see your version

Of the best ninja weapon
out there.

But make sure it falls
within these parameters:

Your blade length,
measured from tip

To where the cutting edge ends,
in a straight line,

Must be between
12 and 14 inches.

You need to be set up
for a through

Or a hidden tang construction.

And because a ninja weapon
needs to be lightweight,

We want at least six inches of
that blade to be skeletonized.

- I'm in trouble.

I've never done
skeleton construction.

I may have bitten off
more than I can chew.

- To keep things interesting,

We're gonna put a little bit
of a twist on this first round.

Ninjas need to be
lightweight and fast,

So whichever one of you
goes into the second round

With the lightest blade

Will have an extra
20 minutes added on.

But don't go too slim,
because your blades

Are gonna go through
some serious testing.

The judges are gonna check them
for strength and durability

In a kendo stick chop.

Then they're gonna check
your edge retention

In a sugar cane slice.

All right, bladesmiths, you've
got three hours on the cloc,

So good luck.

Your time starts now.

What would you guys
be going for?

- Me, I'd be going for
the grappling hook and sai.

Cut that up, cannister,
ready to fly.

- As a kid,
I was all in ninja stuff.

I had throwing stars, nunchuks.

Whatever you could think of,
I had it.

I'm going to take
the grappling hook

To make cannister
damascus from that,

And then the sais,
draw them out flat,

And then sandwich it together
to make a san mai.

I'm choosing to make
san mai steel

Because I have to make
a japanese blade,

And it should be great
for a ninja weapon.

- The ninjas were basically
the mercenaries of their day.

They we're hired as spies,
and also a kill-for-hire,

Because they dealt in doing
everything stealthily.

- I'm using wite-out.

It's an easier way to peel
the can off, basically.

- The first thing I'm grabbing
is one of the sais

And the pair of nunchuks.

I'm gonna trim them up
as I need to

And start getting them hot
in the forge.

I'm gonna make
a three-layer san mai.

If I make it to round two,

I wud love to get
the extra 20 minutes

And pay attention
to the finer details

And give the judges
something worth testing.

- I'm gonna choose the sai
and the grapple hook,

Just because I know
I can cut those down,

Put them in a cannister,
fill it with powder,

And I'll be off and running.

- We didn't say they have
to peel a can,

So they could just leave
that can on.

But brett is putting wite-out
into a cannister right now.

- Buying himself another
20 minutes.

- I'm gonna set it up
on top of the forge,

So that the heat from the forge

Will help the wite-out
dry faster.

- That's a fire.
- That's a burnout

On a wite-out.

- And now it's soaking wet.

- Mike tyson said everyone
has a plan

Till they get punched
in the mouth.

I had a great plan in place
until my can caught fire.

There is no way
I can use that can,

So I've got to start over
with a canoe

That's sitting
under my work station.

- Cannister is probably
gonna be the quickest way

To get to the blade
that they want.

The first thing that I see
that I want to use

Is the throwing stars.

They're flat.
They're easy year-old cut up.

Then I see the sai
that I know is straight,

Be easy to clean up,
put in the cannister.

- So, it looks like jason
is also gonna go

With a cannister damascus.

I don't see any wite-out,
so he may not go with that.

- I fill that cannister
with 1095 powder

And get it in the forge.

- You have two hours remaining!

- If you want a steak well-done,

You have the thermometer
that tells you that it's at 150

And the steak's well-done.

Same thing with the steel.
You want to make sure

That it's cooked
at a certain temperature,

So when you press it,
it doesn't crumble inside,

And you have a big mess.

- When these guys go to set
that first weld,

Those billets should look like
a melting stick of butter.

- I'm gonna take two passes
in this first heat.

Run through the press
the second time,

And I could tell the billet's
set and I'm good to go.

Now I have to make the blade
to proper length.

- To make my san mai,
I'm trying to work

With three pieces.

As I'm working on one,
I got two heating up

In the forge.

- He's chasing this width,
and it's just not there.

- I'm gonna change my game plan.

I cut them and stack them

Just like
a normal billet for damascus.

- Dave has to get them all even,

Because he risks delaminations
if they're all uneven pieces.

- Yeah.

- I'm gonna dub this dave mai...
Patented.

- The first forge welds
going really well.

Luckily for me,
it seems as though it's solid.

Once I put the wite-out in,
it has to be peeled off.

My plan to cut the can off
is to use the chop saw

To cut off the two ends,
and then just chisel it off.

Come on!

- Brett's struggling
to get his can off.

- If I can't get this can off
with the hammer and chisel,

Plan b is scrap the whole thing
and start over.

- By eliminating the wite-out
step,

You're eliminating the need
to take the can off.

- Finally, I realize
the post vise is shorter,

So I can get better leverage
if I go over there.

I'm ecstatic
that it's finally out.

It is a solid billet.
I'm good to go.

It's time to get to work.
Whoo!

- I just finished
my second pass on the press.

Everything's compacted
and looks good.

I cut off about two inches,
and I see inside the cannister,

Make sure everything
is welded up,

Everything looks solid.

I decide to start
stretching this thing out.

- Jason, who didn't use
any wite-out,

He's already got
a billet formed out.

- He's gonna have a lot
of grinding to do, though.

- I come off of big blu
for the second time

And I see something
that I'm not really happy with.

It looks like the cannister's
trying to delam

From the billet a little bit.

I was concerned that it might
affect all the steel

On down from the delam.

I didn't want it
to cause any problems,

So I made another pass
on big blu.

I come off the hammer,
and everything looks like

It has closed up,
so I'm really relieved

And ready to start
forging the tip end.

- All right, guys, you have
one hour before your critique!

- Finally got this can open,

And I'm ecstatic
that I can go to the next step.

And then I still have to make
a san mai, press it out,

And then shape it into
some sort of a knife.

- Anthony, can he get
mild steel and jacking it up,

And just expose the high-carbon
like a san mai,

Like a taco san mai?

- No, because anthony only put
the grappling hook

Into his cannister.

He needs two of the weapons.

What he should have done
is put the sai in there too.

Then he wouldn't have to worry
about the san mai.

It's just a whole extra process

That's not necessary
in a timed competition.

- I have to use three pieces
of steel welded up.

I gotta do it. I'm gonna
press them all together,

So all three pieces
weld into one solid billet.

- Ow.
- Boy!

- Aww.
- That don't look good.

- It's not sticking.

At this point,
I know I'm not gonna be able

To make a san mai billet.

- It looks like anthony's
gonna abandon that san mai,

Which is a really smart idea.

He's got one side
at least welded,

So he's gonna make parameters,

Because he's got two weapons
in the billet.

But he's got to move on
and make that knife.

- I decide to rip that piece off

And just go with the flow,

'cause I knew
the other piece was welded,

And just try to get every
millimeter out of the steel

I can, to make parameters.

- After I get the tang drilled,
I start to make the skeleton

In the spine of the blade
with a bigger drill bit.

- The other thing that would be
a smart thing to do

Is to use a round file
to do your finish work,

'cause those rounded holes
are gonna be stronger

Than the square holes,
which give you

Multiple stress values.

- My design is to make
two oblong holes,

And then I want to incorporate
some round holes.

That'll give it
a little bit of flair.

It'll also take off
some more weight.

- It's taking too long.

- I hope these smiths
don't underestimate

The amount of time

This skeletonizing
is gonna take.

- I get it to a knife shape,

And now it's back to stuff
I've never done before.

I have never made
a skeletonized blade.

I'm just doing my best

To make it as close
to the example,

With putting
my own little spin on it.

- So, brett has
one long rectangular hole.

- The idea of skeletonization
is to have some skeleton.

So, just one hole doesn't
really give you the lines,

The skeleton part.

- It also doesn't give you

The support that
skeletonizing should give you.

- I finally get to six
and a half inches,

And I say that's it,
I'm moving on.

- I typically make hunters
and bowies.

So, I'm drawing a 13-inch blade

With kind of an upswept tip

And a little bit of a swayback
in the design,

Just for a little bit
of design flare.

- All right, jason's going
for his skeletonizing

With the angle grinder, too.

- I get the second slot cut,

And drill out the corners
of those holes,

And get them rounded out,

That way I don't have to worry
about a stress crack.

I'm ready to start
getting everything shaped up.

- All right, guys, you've got
30 minutes left on the clock!

- I finally get that
skeletonized hold,

And I eyeballed it.

I think I got a little bit
more than six inches,

And I move to the grinder

To get this thing
looking like a knife.

The blade I'm making
is a tanto knife.

I made a smaller version
of one of these

For my daughter in the past.

At the grinder, I'm like, wow,
this thing's

Actually taking shape.

But I have to quench this,

'cause we're running
out of time.

When the blade's this thin
and it has one piece

And san mai on the other side,
pulling it after you quench it,

You're kind of destined
for warp.

- All right, anthony's quenched.

- And of course there's a warp.

I'm gonna put it in the vise,

And hopefully
that straightens it out.

I'm able to get
the warp out somewhat.

I move to the grinder.
And I think it has a chance.

- I don't want to quench when
the blade is bright yellow.

I want to avoid fireballs
at all cost,

'cause I need this beard.

It's part of me.

- Dave quenched a little
on the hot side.

- Yep.

- When I pull it out,
my heart sinks.

And it's warped.

I put it in a vise
with some angle iron

And give it about 20 seconds,
and it's all good, man.

I'm at the grinder
feeling really good.

I kind of look down
and I noticed

That the blade's warped again.

I got some of the warp out,

But there's still some
to take out.

- Jason just quenched.

- But he does not have
a straightening jig set up.

He's just going straight over
to the vise.

- The knife looks fantastic.

I kind of get
everything centered.

I'm getting the edge closer
to where I want it.

And I go in to the acid etch,
and I hear a ping.

The blade's cracked.

It's about an inch and a half
from the tip, and I'm sick.

There's really nothing
I can do about it

But roll with what I've got.

- I pull it out of the oil.
It's got a slight warp to I,

So I have to go in
for a second quench.

- What happens when you do
a lot of quenches

Is you start
growing you grain size,

And it just gets
a little worse every time.

- The warp is somehow
gotten worse.

- If it doesn't work
the first time,

Chances are it won't work
the second or the third.

- I really, really,
really don't want to do it,

But I'm gonna have to go in
for a third quench.

I come out the third time,
it is full-on banana,

And I've got to go back in
for a fourth,

Because I gotta get
a straight blade.

- Ohh.
- Back in the fire for brett.

- Whoa. What did he do?
- What is brett doing?

- He's got two
and a half minutes.

- Whatever happens
on this one happens.

I am absolutely terrified
that I'm going home.

Ah.

- Five, four, three, two, one.

Put down your tools!

This round is over!

- I look down,
and this crack is bad.

That was not a small mistake.
I'm devastated.

- All right, bladesmiths,

In the first three hours
of this competition,

You guys took your
throwing stars,

Your sais, your nunchuks,
and turned them into blades.

But the time has come for the
first critique and elimination.

Dave, you're up first.
Please present your work.

- All right, dave,
I like the profile of it.

Looking at your welds,
it's good and solid,

So I think you did a good job
with those welds.

Your skeletonization
is good-looking,

And also it works.

This is a nice, light blade.

Nice job.
- Thank you.

- All right, jason, you ready?
- Yes, sir.

- Please present your work.

- All right, jason.
Cool profile.

You're skeletonized.
You got this kind of

Trailing point to it.

But there's a couple issues
going on.

You have a decided warp.

And then up here at the tip
you've got a crack.

Got plenty of mass here
to deal with, which is grea.

So, those two items
are your big issue.

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

- Please present your work.

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

I like the profile
that you have going here.

Now you quenched
about what, four times?

- Yeah.
- In that last-minute quench,

You had us going over there,

But you were able to do that.

But what gives me pause
is this area

Where we skeletonized that.

Because we test hard here,
you should think about giving

Some kind of support
in this area,

Because this is the area where
the impact's gonna happen.

But good job.

- Thank you.

- Anthony, you're up next.
You ready?

- I am.

- Please present your work.

- All right, anthony,
this is a really light blade.

But there's some issues.
There's a decided warp.

I'm looking at
your skeletonization,

And I gotta check... oh, man.

You're only at about
5 1/4 inches.

You came in short
on this parameter.

- All right, anthony,
you were able

To ultimately turn in a blade,

But unfortunately you did miss
the length

Of the skeletonization
we were looking for.

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

To please step off
the forge floor.

- Understand.
Thank you very much.

- Thank you, anthony.
- Awesome effort, anthony.

- I thought it was six inches.
I just measured it too quick

'cause I was running
out of time.

But it's all good.
Even though I'm going hom,

I was able to turn
in a functional blade.

As a lesson to my kids,

Never give up,
and do what you love.

- Gentlemen, congratulations.

The three of you guys made it
through the first round.

Now you're going to the second
round of our competition

Where we're gonna ask you
to add handles to your blades

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

The pantry is open for your
handle material, but we ak

That you add a skeletonized
circular guard to your blades.

As you guys know,
the lightest blade

Going into the second round
gets an extra 20 minutes.

The time has come to find out
who that is. Brett, you ready?

- Ready as I'm gonna be.

- Put it up on the scale, bud.

You are at one pound,
two ounces.

Dave, you're up next.

All right, you are
looking at 10 ounces.

You are current leader.

All right, jason, you're up.

You think you can beat
10 ounces?

No.

- Let's find out.

You are also at one pound,
two ounces.

Well dave, you came in
at 10 ounces, which means

You are the lightest blade
coming out of the first round.

You just got yourself
20 minutes on the handle round.

- Winning the 20 extra minutes
is like having

A second helping of food
when you're not quite full yet.

You know, you're ready for more.

So I definitely felt
a little bit of pressure

Off of my shoulders.

- When this round is complete,
the judges are gonna check

For strength and durability
in a kendo stick chop

And then check
your edge retention

In a sugar cane slice.

Dave, you're up. Ready?
- Yep.

- Your time starts now.

- It's like brett and jason
are put on time-out.

- My game plan is to go directly

And get all the material

That I think I'm gonna need to
make the guard and the handle.

All right, let's see.

First thing I see
is a piece of round brass.

Good. And a piece of redheart
for my handle.

- What we're looking for
in a guard is something

That's round enough
to cover your knuckles,

'cause if it doesn't
cover your knuckles,

Any of that force is gonna hit
those three spots

With a lot of impact.

- My guard's pretty
much finished.

So I feel like I'm quite
far ahead in the race.

- All right, brett, jason,
you guys ready?

Your time starts now.

- Out of the penalty box
they go.

- That was the longest
20 minutes of my life.

That ought to work.

I find a thin piece of micarta
for my guard.

I hope it's strong enough,
but it's what I went with,

'cause I know
I could form it quickly.

- Is that gonna be as good
or better than the brass?

- It's plenty strong,
and it's lighter.

- In the beginning of this
round,

I'm gonna address the crack.

- Jason especially
has a ton of work to do.

He's got the crack.
He's got the warp.

- The big gap is gone.

I go over to the welder,
get it welded up.

The next thing on my list
is try to get as much of

This warp out as I can.

So, I grab the oxy rig,

I put a wet rag
in the post vise,

Trying to preserve
the hardness on the edge,

And tried to straighten it
as much as I can.

So, I'm gonna stop
where I'm at with the warp,

And I've got to move on

And start getting
the handle mounted.

- I'm trying to clean up
my bevels,

And I feel something
that feels like the belt grab

And kind of yanking my blade
down a little bit.

Oh, no!

The actual blade cracked.

Son of a bitch!

- Oh, my goodness.

- It just broke.

I feel like I'm done.

- Aww!

- Dave's crack, it's all
the way through the blade.

How dangerous is that?

- Dangerous.
- Bad.

- I mean,
that's the impact zone.

- When I was grinding
in the bevels,

Probably just induced
a stress crack,

And then it just compounded.

I know I can weld it.
It is the only solution

At the time.

Welding!

- His only option is either
to open that crack up

And fill it with weld,
or to weld over the top of it.

- Thankfully, I don't hear
any more cracks.

- All right.

Now I've got to address
the giant gaping hole

That is the skeletonization
in my blade.

I grab some rebar
out of the mild steel bucket,

And I cut off
a little piece of the rebar.

It took a couple of tries
to get it to fit perfectly,

But I finally got it
to fit in that little gap.

- Jason just started
working on his handle.

- I get holes drilled
in the top of the wood

And start trying
to connect them.

My blade slides all the way in,
like I want it to,

But I've drilled out
a little more

Than I need to on the sides.

It's a little bit loose,
so my guard could rattle loos,

My handle could come to pieces.

I'm gonna have to just fill it
with epoxy and hope it hold.

- As high as it'll go.
I've made hidden tangs before.

The most tricky thing is making
sure the fit is nice and tight.

Be a little bit faster
if I could just do a burn-in.

- We haven't had a burn-through
attempt in a long time.

Not a lot of successful ones
either, but we miss it.

- Shove it on to the tang,
and I feel it drop down

A couple of millimeters,
at least.

It's not sinking down all
the way and meeting the guard.

So I'm kind of getting worried
at that point.

- The problem is,
as he pushes down on that,

All that ash
just stays up in there.

And that ash isn't
gonna burn again,

So you're just compacting stuff.

- I'm not gonna give up.

I'm going to finish
what I started.

And I just give it one
whack on the table,

And it's really hard to get off,

And that's a good sign.

Who needs epoxy?

- All right, guys,
you're down to 30 minutes!

- I fill the hole stick
my guard on the blade,

Pin goes through.

Everything's working out
like it's supposed to.

I'm not gonna spend
a whole lot of time

Putting
any kind of shape into it.

I just want it to be functional.

- I get the handle shaped up.
As I'm looking down on I,

I see one little spot where
I've ground through the handle.

What else could go wrong?

It's not all the way down
to the steel.

I don't have enough time

To fix the handle.

I'm gonna live with it
and hope for the best.

- Five, four, three, two, one.

Bladesmiths,
turn off your machines,

Put down your tools!

This round is officially over!

- I'm most worried
about my blade breaking.

I'm not worried about hot spots.

I'm not worried about
the pin coming loose.

I'm worried about my blade
shattering in three pieces.

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

It's from for the strength
test: Our kendo stick smash.

So, to test the overall
construction of your blades

And their edge-holding ability,

I'll be chopping
into these kendo sticks.

Brett, you're up first.
You ready?

- We didn't get dressed up
for nothing.

Good answer.

- My heart's racing,
and I'm thinking,

"you quenched
that steel four times."

I didn't see any stress
cracks in it,

But that doesn't mean
they're not there.

We'll find out.

- All right, brett.

There's a teeny little chip
up here

On the tip of your blade.
But your edge is perfect.

Your reinforcement
that you gave right there,

I think you might have
ground through that weld,

'cause it looks like
that weld popped.

But the weight on this
is really, really nice.

It's a very light, fast blade.
Nicely done.

- Thank you.

- Dave, you ready to play?

- Absolutely not.

I'm freaking out inside.

I know the welds
aren't as strong

As a solid piece of steel,

So I'm just really hoping
it's not gonna snap in half.

Wow.

- All right, dave,
I was kind of worried

About those welds
from that crack,

But it held up.

Couple of issues.
1/4-inch chunk of blade

Right there
just chipped right out.

The edge is kind of rolled over
in a couple places.

But it is still in one piece.

All in all,
I think you did a great job.

- Thanks.

- All right, jason your turn.

- Get after it.

I have the crack
that I've had to deal with.

It still has the warp.

I'm thinking, when they go
to chop, it's gonna shatter.

- All right, jason.
Nicely done.

Your edge held up beautifully.

You had that big crack
that you had to deal with,

And honestly,
that change of profile

Made this
a really sexy-looking knife.

I like that profile. Good job.

- Thank you, sir.

- All right, bladesmiths,
this is the sharpness test:

The sugar can slide.

Brett, you're up first.
You ready?

- Ready.

- All right, let's try it.

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

First up,
it's got a nice feel to it.

Your edge is sharp.
Those are clean cuts.

The wrap you have here
actually feels like

It's absorbing
a lot of the shock.

It feels comfortable
in my hands.

And overall, sir, it will cut.

- Thank you.

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

- Yes.

- All right, let's do this.

All right, dave,
let's talk about

Your skeletonized
ninja weapon here.

First up, your handle.

I really like the way
you put the grooves in there,

And it fits my hand nicely.

I really like the way
you skeletonized it.

And it cuts on the sugar canes.

Overall, sir, your weapon,
it will cut.

- Thank you.

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

- Yes, sir.

- Let's do this.

All right, jason,
let's talk about

Your ninja
skeletonized knife here.

Your handle is smooth,
and your edge,

Those are clean cuts on the
sugar canes it slice through.

And overall, sir,
your weapon, it will cut.

- Thank you.

- All right, bladesmiths,
I want to start out

By commending
all three of you guys

For turning in skeletonized
ninja blades

That met our parameters
and stood up to our tests.

But in this competition,

Only two of you
can move forward.

The judges have deliberated,
and they made a decision.

The bladesmith who's gonna
be leaving the forge is...

Dave.
Unfortunately, your blade

Didn't make the cut,

And dave baker's gonna
tell you why.

- Dave, I like where you were
going with the design or blad,

The skeletonization.

But your blade took more damage
in the strength test

Than any of the other blades,

And that's why
we're letting you go.

- Understood.
Thanks for having me.

- Well, dave,
I want to say thanks

For letting us
watch you work, man.

But unfortunately,
I'm gonna have to ask you

To please step off
the forge floor.

- Thanks again.
- Thank you, dave.

- Thank you, dave.
- Good luck.

- Good job, brother.
- One person had to go,

And that person was me.

I did the best that I could.
I overcame obstacles.

- Dave's crack, it's all
the way through the blade.

- I was super happy
my blade didn't break,

And I'm proud of that.

I'm gonna take a day of rest

And probably get back
to forging.

- Well, brett, jason,
congratulations.

It is now down
to the two of you guys

Battling it out for the title
of "forged in fire" champion

And a check for $10,000.

In keeping up
with the ninja theme,

We're gonna have you guys
go back to your home forges

And build
a historic japanese weapon.

We want you to build this:

A ninjato sword.

- The ninjato sword traces
its roots

Back to 15th century japan.

This short, single-edge blade

Was lightweight
and easily concealable,

Making it a weapon of choice
for stealthy ninjas

To covertly assassinate
a target behind enemy lines.

This iconic sword
of the shadow warriors

Can still be seen today,

Wielded by scorpion

In the 2021 movie
"mortal kombat."

- And when you're building
your ninjatos,

They need to fall within these
following parameters:

You need to have a straight,
single-edge blade

That measures
between 21 and 23 inches.

As far as the hilt goes,
you need to include a habak,

And you need to have a 10
to 12-inch handle

That is wrapped in
a traditional japanese style.

- I've never had a sword
like this in my hands.

I've never seen one
in first-person.

But it's not something
I'm afraid that I can't do.

- All right, guys,
in this final round,

You have four days to put
together your ninjato swords.

So, guys, good luck.
We'll see you in four day.

- Let's go.

- I am back at my home forge,

And I am super excited
to be in round three.

We got to make this
little sword called a ninjato.

Everything looks sweet.

I'm gonna do a damascus billet
with 80crv2 and 15n20.

All right, all right.

So, I'm stretching
this billet out.

I'm trying to move
as far as I can.

End of day one,
we have 125-layer

Damascus sword forged up.

Everything looks sweet.

- All right, we've got
different size

Ball bearings here.

I'm hoping it'll create
a cool little pattern.

I'm planning
to make a cannister.

I'm pressing down
on the cannister,

And my welds fail.
That's not a good sign.

I see ball bearings right there.

So, that end
has not forge welded.

Hopefully the whole billet
doesn't look like that.

We're bordering on panic mode
at this point.

I've just gotta
get something made

So that I can move on
with this build.

Started over
with this low-layer damascus.

I know at this point
I'm in trouble,

And if I continue down
this hole,

I'm going... gonna be going down
a rabbit hole

That I can't get out of.

- Start of day two,
still feeling pretty good.

A little bit tired.

I've got this little sword
where I want it.

Now it's time to quench.

This is kind of
the moment of truth.

The worst-case scenario,
the blade snaps.

Then I can't fix it,
and I'm starting over.

Okay, get ready.

So, I'm coming out
of the quench,

And I see a huge bend
in the blade.

I'm thinking, crap,

I'm not gonna get
this thing out of here.

If I let the hammer up
off of this thing

And it's still got
a big bend in it,

I'm gonna have to quench again.

Oh, yeah. I think I got it
straightened out in time.

It's got a little bitty
bend to it.

Tiny. Could have been
a whole lot worse.

All reality, I'm really pretty
pleased with where I'm at.

- Start of day two,

I'm going to use
the blue dye on the blade,

And then I'll use my calipers
to mark out exactly

Where I want my bevels to start.

Most of the knives that I build,

I do just by feel and by look.

I don't measure
a whole lot of stuff.

But this is something
that's important.

I need to make sure
that the bevels are even,

'cause I've seen judges
in the past critique people

For their bevels not being even,

So I'm gonna be sure
that these match up.

Success. I'm thinking
I may go ahead and heat treat.

I'm nervous about quenching,

And the fact that I've never
quenched anything this long.

We'll see what happens.
Fingers crossed.

I don't hear anything.
No pings, no tings, no nothing.

Everything looks good.

Came out perfectly straight,
and tomorrow it'll be a sword.

- Day four, got this thing
all cleaned up.

Got a really good pattern to it.

We're gonna polish up
the copper habaki

And do a patina on the guard.

I kind of like
the antique-ish look.

Now I'm doing the part
that I've really

Kind of been dreading
through the whole build:

This traditional japanese wrap.
This is tough.

I'm not real sure how to tie
it off to keep it tight.

I've never done anything
like this.

I'm gonna give it a run and see
how it goes.

Not terrible.

Everything looks
really good with it,

So we're gonna go with it
just like it is

And get ready
to test this thing.

I am finished.
I'm relieved.

- Day four.
My wife and daughter

Came out this morning,
as I was getting started,

To wish me good luck
on my challenge,

And it set the tone for the day
to start smoothly.

I'm not exactly sure what
a traditional handle wrap is,

So I'm gonna go with one
that I think I can pull of

And hope for the best.

Done.
I am excited about the sword.

It was fun to build,
and it was a challenge,

And I'm glad
the challenge is over.

- Well, bladesmiths,
welcome back to the forge.

Guys, it's good to see you.
So, we gave you four days

To work at your home
forges on your ninjato swords,

And they look like
stealthy killers.

But before we get into testing
to find out

Which one of you guys
is going home with the win

And the check for $10,000,
I want to hear about them.

So brett, how'd it go for you?

- It went really well.

I ended up with a low-layer
damascus

Over an 80crv2 core,
brazilian teak on the handle,

Wrapped in
the traditional stingray.

- It looks great. Jason,
how about you? How'd it g?

- It went good.

I did 125 layers of damascus,
80crv2 over 15n20,

Copper habaki
with a mild steel guard,

And bolivian rosewood
on the handle.

- Well guys, we only have
one way we know how to find out

Which one of you guys
is going home with the title

Of "forged in fire" champion
and that check for $10,000.

So, we've got a sharpness test,
we've got a strength test,

And up first, the keal.

Doug?

- Bladesmiths,
welcome to the keal test.

It's time to find out
how lethal your weapons are.

To find that out,

I'll deliver some lethal blows
on this pig carcass.

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

- I'm ready.
- Let's do this.

- That's a really big pig.

My blade could break if I hit
the hard bones in that carcass.

We'll find out.

Nice.

- All right, brett, let's talk
about your ninjato sword.

I like the weight
that you have with your weapon.

With stealth movements,

You need something
that makes you fast

When you're moving around
with that.

I like the wrap
that you have there.

I appreciate the stingray.

But it's a little bit
on the girthier side.

I appreciate the damascus
pattern with a deeper etch,

And every cut was deep.

And overall, sir, it will keal.

- Thank you.

- Jason, your turn, sir.
You ready?

- Yes, sir. Git 'er done.

- All right.
We'll git 'er done.

- My biggest concern is the
fit and finish on the handle.

I know the blade's solid,

But as far as the traditional
japanese stuff,

My skills are lacking.

I know that's the one place
that I can get beat.

- All right, jason, let's talk
about your ninjato sword here.

First up,
the handle construction.

It is also on the girthier side,

But the wrap that you have here
is smooth.

There are no hot points.

At the same time,
it's easy to control and hold.

Now, I appreciate all those
layers that you have there.

Now, your edge
and tip... razer-sharp.

Very deep cuts on every stab
on this pig carcass.

Overall, sir, your ninjato
sword, it will keal.

- Thank you.

- Next up, the strength test.
Ben?

- Bladesmiths, welcome
to the strength test:

The bamboo forest chop.

Remember, this test is all about

What happens to your swords
and not what happens to bamboo.

Brett, you're up first.
You ready?

- Yes, sir.

- Bamboo is one of the tests

That I was afraid
they were going to do.

I have no idea
if it's going to survive.

- All right, brett,
the edge is just like

When you handed it to me.

The blade is still straight.

The fit up to the habaki here
is not quite perfect.

There's a big,
ol' step down here,

And these really should be
in line

With the habaki top and bottom.

Your handle is big,
but it's comfortable,

Easy to hold on to.
So, nice job.

- Thank you.

- All right, jason, you're up.
You ready?

- Yes, sir.
- All right, cool.

- Very nice.

- All right, jason your edge
is untouched by the bambo,

As is the straightness
of your sword.

It's still dead straight.
Habaki fit-up is mostly there.

Just a little bit
of a shoulder at the top.

Your handle, subtly oversized,

But comfortable enough to swing.

All in all, nice job.

- Thank you.

- All right, bladesmiths,
welcome to the sharpness test:

The banner slice.

To find out how sharp
your swords are,

I'm gonna cut
through this banner.

Brett, you're up.
You ready for this?

- Ready.

- All right, brett, first up,
love the balance.

It is easy to wield,
feels good in the hand.

The edge, it's like
hot knife through butter.

Overall, sir, it will cut.

- Thank you.

- All right, jason, you ready?
- Yes, sir.

- Let's do this.

All right, jason. It's a very
light, stealthy weapon.

It's easy to handle.
And it slices nicely.

Overall, sir, it will cut.

- Thank you, sir.

- Well, guys,
from where I stand,

It looks pretty close,
but I don't make the decisions,

The judges do, and they need
a moment, so gentlemen,

I'm gonna ask you to please
step off the forge floor

And give us a minute.

Guys, from where I stand,

This looks about
as close as it gets.

But you guys do have
a decision to make.

So doug, what do you think?

- Both weapons were executed
beautifully.

They're both deadly.
When it comes to the handle,

Though,
they're both girthy handles,

But I'll have to
give that to brett,

Because I like the craftsmanship

Of the stingray and the wrap.

- Ben, what about you?

- Jason's blade,
the fit of the habaki

Is pretty much in line,
whereas brett's is a huge step

Between the habaki
and the blade.

- Dave, where do you stand?
- Jason's blade,

The pattern that he's got
going down that blade,

The profile...
- It's sexy.

- The entire blade
just has that vibe.

So, brett's blade, he's got
a nice pattern on there,

But if you look at it,

You can see all the sanding
and file marks.

- Dave, you made your decision?
- Yep.

- Ben?
- Yes, I have.

- How about you, doug?
- Yes.

- All right, guys,
we'll call them in.

- They're getting ready
to announce

The "forged in fire" champion.

My freaking stomach
is in my throat.

- All right, guys, the judges
have made a decision.

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

Jason.
Congratulations.

Now, brett,
you made a beautiful blade,

But unfortunately your blade
didn't make the cut,

And doug's gonna tell you why.

- Brett, both of you knocked it
out of the park.

Flawless work on your ninjatos.

But we had to take a closer
look at these swords,

And jason's just has
cleaner lines

From the blade to the habaki,

And it's just that reason
why you didn't make it today.

- Well, brett,
we want to say thank you

For letting us watch you work,
but unfortunately,

Your time in this competition
has ended.

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

The forge floor.

- Good job, brett.

- It came to just losing
to a better smith.

So, no regrets. Made it farther
than I thought I would.

When I go home, the first
thing I'm probably gonna do

Is kiss my wife and daughter
and then probably take a nap.

- Jason, you just won $10,000

And the title
of "forged in fire" champion.

- I'm a cannister
waiting to go off, man.

Man, I just won
"forged in fire."

Thank y'all a bunch.
I had a blast.

Coming from round one,
having a massive failure...

- Up here at the tip,
you've got a crack.

- Being able to come back
and make it all the way,

It's been a hell of a journey.

I'd do it again in a minute.

I can't believe I'm actually
the "forged in fire" champion.