As smoothbore said, a meaningless display of sub-standard results. Examples are a broken blade, multiple cracks in 2 blades, and a tester that refuses to test the blade due to defects, and the blade that does not meet the original specifications it was to match when finished.

I did notice touchmarks were not included on any of the items.

I do not place touch marks on any of mine unless they are  first rate either, I do not blame them for leaving those off, I am impressed in what they could do given the limited time to work.

As smoothbore said, a meaningless display of sub-standard results. Examples are a broken blade, multiple cracks in 2 blades, and a tester that refuses to test the blade due to defects, and the blade that does not meet the original specifications it was to match when finished.

I did notice touchmarks were not included on any of the items.

Agree with those remarks Glenn.  Noticed that they were working under tv lights which have a color temperature of daylight.  No wonder they had problems.  The Katana looked very nice and better than I would do these days but I've never been a Cutler.

Edited June 23, 201511 yr by Charlotte
Typo

I absolutely respect the opinions of everyone posting. I don't agree with all of them and don't expect them all to agree with me. Just ask that thoughtful consideration be given to any point I try to make based on fact or logic (as I try to do for others') instead of off-hand dismissal. 

While the show does appear to be useless as an instructional course on how to make a quality blade, it could be used in parts as examples of what not to do, and as Steve posted... examples of what can be accomplished within a limited time.

The one fellow had a very good looking blade given the small about of time. His knife he made in a few hours look better than any I've made and they took at least four times the amount of time that he had. Then on the other hand there was a guy there who managed to make what looked awful and I cannot blame mr nielson for not wanting to stab a steel drum with it. Those stress fractures could've given upon impact with the drum and them the pieces cause him physical harm. If his hands got messed up he couldn't make his blades, if he can't make his blades he's not making money. I doubt the show is paying him enough to compensate for months of lost production.

I have to agree with Ronin, while I HOPED for more time watching smiths forge I expected a lot more contrived drama. What I discovered was Chopped (The cooking competition show) for bladesmiths. A chef isn't going to walk into a kitchen cold, be given a basket of ingredients, half an hour and produce a high end dish. I don't expect a smith to either, blade or whatever smith.

I fell asleep and missed the final cut but at least they gave the final contestants 5 days to produce a katana. I wish they'd had film crews on scene to show the process.

It's not like I tuned in to learn to forge a blade, did YOU?

It wasn't bad for what it was. How many of us spend hours doing demos and produce a high end product? I'm sure a lot of you do and I don't produce something junky just for show but it's not my best work. I'm keeping what I'm doing on display so I'm not set up to work efficiently. I only have SOME of my tools, I'm talking to people, answering questions and generally be entertaining, etc.

This was an entertainment show based on bladesmithing as much as "Chopped" or "Cut throat Kitchen" are based on the chefly arts. I'd agree it'd hold my interest better if I'd turned the volume off had I done that though I would've missed the blade breaking in the quench, I heard the TIK and knew exactly what'd happened.

Wanna bet they put a mic on the quench tanks next episode?

So I'll probably watch another episode maybe more at least till a contestant breaks into tears because it's just too unfair. Next week there should be 5 new makers. Seeing as I'm not tuning in to learn to make blades I'd like it to be more entertaining. How about the oil being too shallow in the quench tank so a quench generates a really BIG fireball and singes the hair off everybody on stage?! How about this, a contestant drops a blade and pins someone to the floor!   OH, the competition gets so fierce a red HOT knife fight breaks out!

Now THAT'S entertainment!!!

Frosty The Lucky.

My biggest issue was all of the emphasis on killing.  Cutting fish in two, cutting a dummy so as to show what it would do to a person.  We have enough problems with the issue of knives as weapons rather than as tools.  We must have organizations like Knife Rights to do battle with the state and federal government getting bad laws and bad prosecutors (Cyrus Vance, etc.) to accept that knives are valuable tools just like hammers and screwdrivers.   

My biggest issue was all of the emphasis on killing.  Cutting fish in two, cutting a dummy so as to show what it would do to a person.  We have enough problems with the issue of knives as weapons rather than as tools.  We must have organizations like Knife Rights to do battle with the state and federal government getting bad laws and bad prosecutors (Cyrus Vance, etc.) to accept that knives are valuable tools just like hammers and screwdrivers.   

but those tests were done on the swords. The kind of testing to differentiate between functional sword and wall-hanger. Swords are not tools unless your task is killing.

The tests they performed with the knives were functional usage tests I have seen before. Puncturing metal and slicing rope... tool functions.

Edited June 24, 201511 yr by LastRonin
Clarification

At least they didn't make the contestants make Big Giant Swords, 

I enjoyed it not as educational material but for entertainment.

 

Edited June 26, 201511 yr by syfiguy99

Swords are tools as these two clips demonstrate their valuable use in evolution in action!

https://vid.me/zK3f     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KAxqOi-WIVU

 

Swords are tools as these two clips demonstrate their valuable use in evolution in action!

https://vid.me/zK3f     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KAxqOi-WIVU

 

Touche Sir Thomas. I guess you could even use that mindset to do the same for guns and bombs... shoot, ANYTHING typically classified as a weapon. 

Why oh WHY did I watch the clip Thomas posted 

Gee THANKS Thomas, I really needed to watch those clips. I think I'll leave my sabre buried in the basement!

About the evolution in action thing. I don't think either of these . . . CLIPS diminished the participant's ability to pass on the stupid gene. Well, maybe the women folk were watching and have some sense.

Frosty The Lucky.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=vdXNKYX3CXU

Another similar to Thomas'.

A couple of Darwin Award recipients to be sure! 

I should've taken the hints and not clicked on those videos but I didn't  I really like the one Ronin shared since I have a habit of watchin that crap when I can't go to sleep. Can't imagine how well I'd sleep if that happened while I was watchin at two am lol.

Just wondering if anyone really expected this show to be of an instructional nature. Imagine the liabilities involved

I was watching when it happened. Thought "That can't be real."

My biggest issue was all of the emphasis on killing.  Cutting fish in two, cutting a dummy so as to show what it would do to a person.  We have enough problems with the issue of knives as weapons rather than as tools.  We must have organizations like Knife Rights to do battle with the state and federal government getting bad laws and bad prosecutors (Cyrus Vance, etc.) to accept that knives are valuable tools just like hammers and screwdrivers.   

How weird that any one would test weapons by their ability to cut and kill...   next thing ya know someone will want a hammer to drive a nail  lol

Apparently you missed the whole point of my post.  Knife Rights has been battling federal, state and local governments to protect us from over zealous prosecutors and politicians.  Knife Rights has been showing that knives are tools, not necessarily weapons  that should be banned and that the possession of such should not be criminalized.  The show could have shown knife making using knives for other purposes such as kitchen knives, skinners, hunters, folders, etc.  The show does not need to add fuel to Cyrus Vance's ill advised crusade. 

Apparently you missed the whole point of my post.  Knife Rights has been battling federal, state and local governments to protect us from over zealous prosecutors and politicians.  Knife Rights has been showing that knives are tools, not necessarily weapons  that should be banned and that the possession of such should not be criminalized.  The show could have shown knife making using knives for other purposes such as kitchen knives, skinners, hunters, folders, etc.  The show does not need to add fuel to Cyrus Vance's ill advised crusade. 

No Wayne, I did not at al missyour point. I highly respect your knowledge and skill, so do not take this as sarcastic or negative. I believe you missed the point of my post. They did not show the knives being tested as weapons. They showed them being tested as tools, puncturing a metal drum and cutting rope. It was only the swords tested as killing weapons, and I don't think Knife Rights even tries to say swords such as katana are tools. I fully agree and Support Knife Rights. I just think you are extending the argument to the entire show whereas it shouldn't apply.

I see the point in worrying a little but as Ronin points out the only kill tests were done on the swords so I'm not too worried. I doubt we will go back to carrying swords daily as we (people in general) did once upon a time. As far as knife carry goes, last I saw, it's pretty much illegal (by my understandin of the law) to carry any fixed blade here in Alabama. They're all lumped into one category, fixed blade=weapon. I find that a little upsetting since I like to carry a good fixed blade seeing as it's more useful on occasion then most 'pocket' knives are.

On a different note has anyone else noticed the influx of new members wanting to make swords over the last few days? I wonder if it's in any way related to this show? lol 

I was just thinking the same thing.  *sigh* It would be nice to at least see them want to make a functional item.  I've been wanting to make a head knife (round bladed skiving/cutting tool for leatherwork) for the last couple of months now.  I just have so much other stuff to do.

Most people will never try to make a blade, I find 10% of those that come to my, or the local groups shop, ever return the next time after finding out how much work smithing it.  While many wont even take time to read the threads we point them too. there is the remaining  percentage of people that get on fire, and its one that can not be put out,   I like shows like that much better that the survivor type reality shows.  Much was not shown, but they did air the real work, and why some of the details they wanted had to be 'trimmed' for the time left. It was not a showing of people being upset, or arguing with others crap.  They made usable items, not a fire breathing dragon sword. 

I just feel that anything that can give people a positive interest in working the smithy is a good thing.