Forged in Fire should take a clue from Netflix show "Blown Away"

AVigil

AVigil

Adam Vigil working the grind
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I discovered the Netflix show "Blown Away", it is a show featuring glass blowers.

The show is set up so the glass blowers can show their best work with good materials and equipment. The Glass workers do not have to start with garbage or do stupid reality show gimmicks during the contest.

They are giving a theme and each has a chance to do their best.

I wish Forged in Fire did the same, give up the dumb antics of using lousy materials and give them the time to work on their blades instead of fooling around with the dumb pinball machines, cars etc.

If you have not seen Blown Away, check it out and maybe the producers of Forged in Fire can learn something from it.
 
Thanks for the heads up.
I watched an amazing glass blower do a demonstration in my state last year and will definitely check out the show.
 
Like it or not, the antics are why one show is on network television and the other is a Netflix show. The general public likes the antics, and at the end of the day, a tv show is going for entertainment over education or skills measurement. FiF was made by the same people that made the show Chopped where chefs have to make food out of a box of secret ingredients where there are always some crazy ingredients. I’m sure there are chefs who think that’s silly just like many knife makers think FiF is silly, but it is also a successful show.
 
lanternnate said:
Like it or not, the antics are why one show is on network television and the other is a Netflix show. The general public likes the antics, and at the end of the day, a tv show is going for entertainment over education or skills measurement. FiF was made by the same people that made the show Chopped where chefs have to make food out of a box of secret ingredients where there are always some crazy ingredients. I’m sure there are chefs who think that’s silly just like many knife makers think FiF is silly, but it is also a successful show.
Click to expand...

History channel is not "Network" it is cable and Netflix is killing cable TV and Networks with their programming and has 60 million subscribers.
Spectrum in contrast only has 26 million
 
Avigil- I watched Blown Away with my kids. I totally agree with you.
 
When people talk about FIF do they say how awesome the antics and garbage material draw them to the show, or is it the actually knifemaking forging process?

I have yet met a person whose favorite part was the junk steel selection over the making of the blade.
 
I don't mind the material salvaging. After all, forging isn't strictly necessary to make a knife unless you want integral components, extreme shapes, pattern-welded steel, or *material reuse*.

In the 2019 season, they seem to have reduced forging time to 2hrs and final challenge to 4 days?? Maybe that's just for the military branch tournament, and I haven't watched past that yet. I think that's really pushing the limits time-wise.
I like seeing more of the process.

Blown Away is cool - I've done some glassblowing, so have a frame of reference. But there are SO many competitors in the hot shop, at least early in the season, that they don't focus enough on each maker's individual process. I would like to watch more process. But since they aren't all trying to make something similar, you lose the ability to make direct comparisons. At least FiF sets a "standard" for each stage. Blown Away's judging is super subjective by comparison, since there aren't any applicable performance criteria. Just an observation - not sure one should be like the other.
 
Not talking about a copy of the show, but more about letting the makers use good material and instead of wasting time with salavage material use that time for actually making something of quality rather then most looking like a rat chewed on them
 
I don't care much for Forged in Fire myself. However a local smith I know says it's been excellent advertisement for his business.
The people I've talked to about FIF seem to think the sparks and flame are cool, but don't seem to understand what the smith's are really doing.
 
I would like to see J. what ever his last name is be one of the four competitors. He seems to have so much fun trying to destroy the knives, I think he should make one and then watch someone else destroy it.
 
I watch it. Some shows are ok and some are not. I don't really care to see someone have to spend an hour cutting junk up to try to find a good piece of steel.

I like the episodes where they are given reasonable stock to use and all build the same style knife.
 
I guess the could do a show about knives where you get a month to make your best knife, and the big test at the end is everyone looks at it. Sounds exciting.
 
I thought that more time would be better presentation of what the smith can do, but then, more time and you probably end up in a 4 way tie, the time limit adds that pressure that when the 'judges' evaluate the work presented to them, often there is one that stands out as not quite there and most will agree that one is the one to go. If they had the time they usually spent on a knife, then it would be so minute as to the differences between them, it would be tough to say yes to one and no to another.

One thing I think Forged in fire might want to include when they introduce the contestants is to have them bring a knife that they had made in their shop, just as an example of their craft and what they normally make. It would let the audience see that these folks really can make a quality knife, as opposed to a time crunch they are pressed into from the show.

G2

edited to add haven't seen that Glass Blowing series as I dropped Netflix a while back but I live just outside of Corning NY and they have a very cool/hot Glass Museum which also has live glass blowing there and it's really a work of art that they do ! I recommend anyone passing through to take a tour if you can spare a few hours.
 
I'll have to check that one out.

My favorite part of Forged is when the finalists get to go home and you see at least some bits of reality, their shop setup, etc. "Reality" TV is pretty annoying with all the scripted BS. I can barely (and rarely) stomach any of it. All of these shows would be infinitely better if they were done true documentary style. I don't know if that's harder to pull off, or if producers just think the sheeple are too dumb to be entertained by something real vs fake.
 
Blown away felt like a play on FiF to me. It's an interesting art but the show felt a bit pretentious - IMO. Especially that the contestants require assistants but it's supposed to be a competition where 1 person wins lol

But I definitely see what you are saying. It would be nice to see the bladesmiths on FiF given a fair play. Not 'here's some fishing hooks, ball bearings, and a car! '... Using the canister Damascus technique create a blade capable of surviving a nuclear blast while also having good edge holding for an apple slice!'
 
I watch Forged in Fire for the entertainment value. If you want to see processes and best case scenarios, youtube is your friend. Plenty of excellent videos from from people with all different skill sets and equipment set ups.
 
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