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I Forge Iron

Blademithing series on History channel


Frosty

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I finally got to see the show and I enjoyed it very much. I was actually able to watch it with a room full of my extended family and everyone seemed to enjoy it. That doesn't happen often.

I liked the contest aspect of it. Interesting to see how people with a lot of skill and talent deal with guidelines and the equalizer of the clock. Even pros make mistakes.

I ditched my dish a while ago so if its not free on one of the streaming Roku channels I have to buy per episode or season, this first episode was good enough for me to consider buying the next one and possibly the season.

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I liked the guy that said, "I have made over 6000 knives and have a distinct advantage over the others!" Maybe not the actual quote, but close. Then his knife broke when he chopped on the vise and he was kicked out after the first round.   :unsure:

I liked him too. When I saw his design drawing at the beginning, I turned to my wife and said "if he can pull off what he drew... it'll be awesome"

The thing I liked most about him was that he didn't bad-mouth the judges or other contestants when he was eliminated. Just admitted that he messed up and moved on.

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I liked this evening's episode more than last week's.

I'm glad I saw your post Anthony, I'd forgotten. I managed to catch the later airing and agree this was more technically interesting. A lesson for everybody who wishes to make a living in this or any craft was evident. If you wish to succeed you must make what the judge/customer wants, NOT what you like or think better. If the customer wants a Chakram, making a pretty disk harrow isn't going to get you paid OR return patronage.

The customer IS the judge awarding the ultimate prize, your fee.

I'm really hoping the series continues to improve even if it doesn't even pretend to be instructional. You can buy books, DVDs or take classes for instruction. What little "drama" there was simply showed the maker's egos, the good and bad without the contrived spitting, scratching, hair pulling, name calling fights of the normal un-reality shows.

Frosty The Lucky.

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I just finished watching the first two episodes.    I am glad to see a few faces I recognize.  Mareko Maumasi  shows up in the previews but was not on either episode so far.  I am really looking forward to seeing how he does.   Super talented kid, He is going to be a  rock star in the knife world some day

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 I'm not a knife guy but I caught a knife making competition on cable.   The first part involved 5 smiths making knives of a given length within a short period of time.One of the knives broke and another didn't have the prescribed number of serrations per inch.  The two winners advanced to the Katana stage where they roughed out swords as prescribed and then returned to their own shops to finish their swords for presentation and judging the next day. My 'viewer' rating was a 2.  With poor production values, it felt like a ripoff and i just don't see knife making as a competitive sport.

Actually there were only 4 smithing not 5, and they went home for 5 days to make their sword not just one. and there is also has been an existing thread on this already, I will merge it.

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Oh, knifemaking can be competitive.  You have an object that can be tested against standards.  It has to be made withing a time limit.  Personally, I'd love to be on that show.  Why?  That's the way I work. 

On the second episode, the two guys grabbed the bearings.  I knew they were out before it started.  That steel is far too fickle to be worked that fast, not to mention the heat treat.   The guy who used the crow bar, he was out too as that steel isn't suitable for a knife.  That just left the file, in the junk steel knife world, for a knife within the requirements it was the best steel choice (given it wasn't case hardened).  I would have grabbed the cable, but I'm crazy that way.  lol. 

I'll agree with territorial in the production value isn't that good.  I hope it gets better and the challenges get more interesting.

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after watching the two episodes its clear to me that there is a real lighting problem.    There have been 4 smiths end up with cracked blades in two episodes.      There is simply no way I can accept that experienced smiths would have that level of failure.    The only reasonable explanation is that the lighting they use for filming distorts the color of the hot steel.      The thing is that the contestants from each show are on there own and dont have the benefit of seeing what others have done until months after filming.     I was on a Discovery Channel show and can tell you that there is a ton of stuff going on behind the scenes and that for the most part everything is staged.     The show I was on was just as "reality" as this and they would do crazy stuff like "do all that over, we didn't get the angle we liked"        It was like "are you kidding me?  We are in a timed competition and you want us to stop and start over to do something that is already finished?"    But its not about the competition, its about TV entertainment and the costs involved in production are astronomical.    I got to be pretty good friends with one of the production managers on our set and he layed out what some of the stuff costs.    There was a easy 5 million in equipment on our set and it took a crew of around 50 people.   Not to mention the 40,000 sq foot warehouse they had to lease for filming just outside of Los Angles.    All of the episodes are filmed in one shot.   Since the part filmed on set is a single day I would not be surprised that they filmed all 10 episodes in less than 2 weeks and then sent one or two person crews out to film the home shops of the contestants

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 I'll bet you're right about the lighting messing up the smith's heat treating. Production costs are undoubtedly the main cause for the smithing value lack. I'm sure it wouldn't be more than a detail level problem to adjust lighting so both sides could work. Unfortunately I bet the entire series is shot and edited with room for final editing to "enhance" the series as it airs.

I'm a little surprised Ric Furrer hasn't spoken up, he has at least one, I think maybe two bladesmithing programs under his belt. Then again that may be WHY he hasn't spoken up, he knows the reality of filming and production.

I almost have to laugh in a loud mocking raucus guffaw about bladesmithing not being a competitive activity. :lol::lol::lol::lol: When has ANY human activity NOT been competitive? Not only are there NATIONAL competitive lawn mower races, people have been competing with their gardens and lawns for centuries. That's right humans watch grass grow as a competition!

I just wish the judges had more say in the selection of raw materials. Make sure there are enough scraps suitable for blades but put in some sucker items. Selection is a judgable part of the competition. Pick a RR spike? - score UNLESS the contestant picked picked something for a bit. Then . . . Hmmmmm?

It could be a better show but when have any of us been to any kind of show that couldn't have been better?

I'll be watching the next episode, you betcha.

Frosty The Lucky.

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I have a buddy who just ditched his alcohol fueled racecar.  Now he has a heavily modified craftsman lawnmower that pushes about 100-125 horses out of what used to be a 22 horse Kohler.  I almost forgot that it has Hoosier tires and goes about 80 miles an hour.  How's that for watchin' grass grow.

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I have a buddy who just ditched his alcohol fueled racecar.  Now he has a heavily modified craftsman lawnmower that pushes about 100-125 horses out of what used to be a 22 horse Kohler.  I almost forgot that it has Hoosier tires and goes about 80 miles an hour.  How's that for watchin' grass grow.

Brother that had better be some FAST growing grass!! :o

Frosty The Lucky.

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I have a buddy who just ditched his alcohol fueled racecar.  Now he has a heavily modified craftsman lawnmower that pushes about 100-125 horses out of what used to be a 22 horse Kohler.  I almost forgot that it has Hoosier tires and goes about 80 miles an hour.  How's that for watchin' grass grow.

Sounds like something that could easily kill you and/or those close to you if you're not paying attention!

Sounds like fun! Will you post plans? Details of engine modification etc.?:D

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  • 2 weeks later...

IFIs Very own David Roeder is on this coming Monday,  be sure you  dont miss it.

Cool, I'll be watching anyway but knowing one of the contestants will be even better. Or is he going to be a judge?

Frosty The Lucky.

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We've been talking about it. I enjoy it in spite of the Hollywood aspects. It's good to see a serious competition without the senseless contrived drama.

No, a bullet hitting a blunt edge of steel will splash not be divided. It would indicate a good sharp edge and if it survived it's edge holding ability (at least to a degree).

While it's not as educational as most of us would prefer it's better than most any other "reality" show.

Frosty The Lucky.

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It's high drama tv, and overall, I'd rather watch one as a series by peter ross, with each episode taking 6 hours......but, what the hey. I'd rather watch this stuff than say, TLC anyday. 

For an added advantage that I don't think I've ever seen my wife this excited about forging. Asked me about the advantages of pattern welding and the difference in a nordic axe and a francesca. I had to check behind the house and make sure we weren't being replaced by pod people.

Anyone else notice that the one fellow with the funky antlered axe was the blacksmith's third hand for rivetting guy? :P Had a hard time not giggling through the entire episode. Meh. Gonna go see if I'm healed up enough to hold tongs. All the little blisters are down, the big one's still huge, but I can use my thumb without screaming the lyrics to Sweet Mystery of Life...fire makes everything better.

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my wife has asked more questions about forging in the last 3 weeks of watching this show than she has in the previous 3 years since I started doing this stuff.  I just hope they don't start talking about the cost of all the equipment in the shop:wub:

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  • 2 months later...

Just watched a few minutes of the end of an episode of this show While waiting for the news.  Along with not liking the emphasis on killing.  I watched one of the judges doing something extremely foolish.  While testing the 2 rapiers on his second 35 degree test bend rather than moving behind the sword he leaned over the blade and pushed the hilt over.  If the blade had broken which is a distinct possibility chances are the blade pieces would have flown towards him.   A test like that should have been done with protective equipment being worn and he should have considered where the sharp blade shards would have flown had  the blade broken.  While he was not directly over the blade a failure would likely not have started precisely  in the center of the blade thus the shards would have flown off on angles. 

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