Forged in Fire

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KodyL

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Jul 14, 2016
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I enjoy watching anything to do with knife making and watch "Forged in Fire" when ever I get a chance. One thing that bothers me is there has never been any mention of tempering the blade. I suspect it has to do with time limits of the program and it is just edited out. What do you folks think ?
 
I heard the show is a joke and laughingstock and that they actually don't temper at all. Apparently this show has about as much to do with forging in fire as Survivor does with surviving
 
IIRC, Walter Sorrells said, on his youtube channel, that the staff did all the tempering.

I really like the show as well and I was surprised to see Walter on there, just because I have been following his channel for awhile.
 
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There is/was a thread in the knifemakers forum with some of the contestants weighing in; they have stated that the tempering is done after recording or overnight.

I do watch it, as does a guy I work with. I like seeing the smaller technical skill stuff and he (never had made a knife* nor even being a "knife guy") only really watches for the making of the flashy knife and tests of the last round.

* I am not saying that you need to make a knife to enjoy the show, just that it can yield a little more info for those starting out.
Basically, just another layer to the onion.
 
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The show is great entertainment. The cast and contestants are genuine and sincere. Sure, there are things done for effect but that is how it has managed to stay on for 4 seasons so far. You can learn a lot from forged in fire but ultimately, it is a game, so you need to view it as such.

Season 4 has James Helm (Storm Crow) in the melee!

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I've watched it several times, but don't care for it. I don't think it is a fair assessment of the smith's work given the strange conditions, time limits, etc. Fun to watch sometimes, but not realistic IMHO. I suspect most of the smiths can do excellent work.

Rich
 
I like the creativity and design part of the show,
Seeing the Smith's work.

I can't stand the "game show" aspect of the judging with the over dramatization of the judges during the testing phases...
 
I know nothing about knife making, so I don't know what steps are missing. To me I would think that a contestant would get a lot of business after their epesode aired win or lose. I have personally looked up a few makers after seeing them on the show.
It is TV and it's the only knife related show on. How would you feel if there were some knife related commercials tossed in? Spyderco, Benchmade, or even Knicecenter or BHQ- I bet sales would increase.
For now I will keep watching.
 
I like the show.

It is like the cooking show CHOPPED but with knives.
 
I like the show. The basis is interesting and there's no drama between contestants. I can understand not showing the tempering stage. It's a static process that wouldn't do anything to move the show along. It would be nice to see a couple side notes or pop ups during the course of the program that outlines any important steps that aren't included.

The important thing to remember when approaching these shows is that they are filmed to get ratings and to entertain people. If I want to watch a full blown forging process then I'll go to YouTube.
 
It's to knifemaking what "Chopped" is to cooking. Strange conditions/time limits/odd ingredients... This is not a test of skill but how you play a game. It is no more a test of how good a knifemaker you are than "Chopped" is for chefs. As long as you get that it can be entertaining.

Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk
 
while sharpening a knife a few weeks back, flipping through the channels i came across the show. they were doing damascus from raw steel - it was pretty interesting to watch the bends and folds, etc. i watched for a couple more episodes but it got late.

haven't searched it out to watch it again, but will watch if it jumps out in front of me. its like the gold rush show, its an interest of mine, but they show part of it puts me off a bit
 
I enjoy watching Forged in Fire from an entertainment point of view. It gets a bit tedious when the contestants are told: "You have three hours to forge your knife out of the items in front of you - a leaf-spring from a wagon, a monkey wrench, and a hockey puck."
What I do like about the show is the judges are interesting to listen to and learning about the history of the different blades that the contestants must forge for the final prize. The cutting tests are really suspenseful, love it when they hack a pig carcass in half!
I am not a knife maker so it gives me a really good appreciation for all of the hard work involved in creating a edge weapon. Also enjoy when the last two contestants go home to their workshops to forge their final blade, how the blade-smiths tools vary so much sometimes.
 
My wife and I both enjoy and watch the show. Many years ago, I worked with an SCA armorer that forged blades in a coal forge, and most of the time it's pretty boring to watch (or crank the blower for the forge, and I've done a LOT of that), until the steel comes out of the forge and the artistry of moving the metal happens.

It's a contest show that's purely entertainment, but it's the ONLY show with knife content out there, so I'm a supporter.
 
Its good entertainment, and one can learn a thing or two. I'd like to see them given more time by increasing forge time from 3 to 6 hours, and also have two cutting tests. One before and one after to better compare the edge quality. Some advice to the viewers, this show must be watched on a PVR or streamed given the tasteless placement of advertising that poorly conflicts with program content, a sad reality for many of these shows.
 
crom said:
THIS, will kill...
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I think u ment to say Keeeel. I and my girl look forward to new episodes. Yes there is some "not real life in the show" But it does have KNIVES and some members of this forum on it! I dig the show!
 
I wish in round 1 judging , they'd say turn in your 'tool' but oddly they say, 'surrender your weapon'. This might make sense in the final round when they are actually doing that but in Round 1 it's always a camp chopper or some form of utilitarian fixed blade.

While I'm at it, lemme say those tests where the purpose is to bash pottery with an edge weapon are ridiculous. I saw the one guy smash a pot with the broadside of a sword, then blamed the sword when it bent.

That said, it's fun, knife-flavored-reality-fluff. Doug keeeeeels me!
 
I don't understand folks who complain that the show isn't realistic or that they intentionally make it harder for the smiths to do their best work. THAT IS THE POINT! If you want an all-inclusive, start to finish program, buy one of the many Knifemaking instructional videos out there to help support your favorite maker.

Do you realize how boring the show would be if it was a true, real-time representation of bladesmithing? .... "Season 3, episode 1: Clocking the Mosaic Pins."... It would be 4 seasons till we see a sharp edge.:p
 
Lapedog said:
I heard the show is a joke and laughingstock and that they actually don't temper at all. Apparently this show has about as much to do with forging in fire as Survivor does with surviving
Click to expand...

Well, the Smiths who have been on, include some supremely talented makers have enjoyed the experience.

I've enjoyed the show.

No, they do not skip tempering, they just don't show that multi hour, non exciting step.

There are issues with the show that do irritate me (like obviously blown cuts again and again) but overall I enjoy.


The show is designed to take makers out of their own elements. Made more stressful by time deadlines, and unknown equipment.
 
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