How is everyone, figured I would chime in on this thread as I was on this weeks Forged in Fire - The Kampilan, 8-22-17. I am also the weeks champion. I have been making knives for about 14 years, self tought. A decade or so of my experience was spent making pointy metal objects, collecting tools and working on various skills. It seems only in the last few years have my skills coalesced into producing blades I am confident in and very proud of, not at all saying I have mastered the craft but actually feel proficient in it. Reading books and watching videos teach you what to do and how to do it but the technique has to be found through trial and error, have to put on the miles one way or the other. I am a fan of making utilitarian style blades, hefty steel, comfy grips and when you hold it you know it will tolerate a good amount of abuse. Some of my work can be seen on my instagram, the name i am under is bladesmith88.
My experience on the show was great. The crew is very friendly and accomodating. It was stressful none the less and quite exhausting but that is just the nature of the game. Really what made the whole experience so good was my fellow smiths. We all knew it was a competition but that fact never came back with us to the hotel. We all got along and had a great time after the day was over. The time constraints for each round were brutal and left us all feeling unsure at the end. The extra requirements like the metal frame handle and use of a coal forge really made it interesting and required us to use our skill. What also helped was having the support of my fellow competitors, we all just went through the same challenge so having these people around you to vent the days stresses to was invaluable!
The home forge experience proved to be no less frustrating than being on set. Even though I was at home I still felt under immense pressure. The scale of what I had to build and the time allowed to do it was genuinely daunting. In the end I just did what I could and cant say I am disappointed in the result.
I would say anyone thinking about going on the show should just take the dive. Its scary at first, then exciting and then it is terrifying when your laying in bed at the hotel in New York the night before it all starts lol. For me when I woke up the morning of I was just really nervous. Though I knew I had the basic skills required to perform whatever they asked of me, I also knew steel does not always do what you want and that was my biggest worry. So long as I stay on point and do everything as correct as I could I would be able to leave knowing I did my best. So that is the take away advice, just do the right things, dont get fancy unless you have time and dont cut corners for the sake of time. Win or lose, just being on the show is very rewarding and reflects that you have developed unique skills so show them off to the world and inspire others to pursue their craft.
but we forgive him because he's pretty cool as well . Tee hee hee ha haha !
