History Channel....Forged in Fire

I like it and think it will bring more people into the craft and at the same time increase awareness there are knife makers out there earning a living making knives. The more people that know about custom knife making, the more custom knives get bought.
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Dead on accurate....

Andy Dear
Axis Outdoor Products
www.bladebond.com
 
BossDog said:
There are a few, maybe more than a few, guys that flat don't like the format and think it should show more technique and a lot less focus on the weapons emphasis and less time pressure. I'd prefer that myself but that wasn't how it was designed. I'd rather watch this than a cook off show. I have to admit I watch just about all the reality shows that build something or dig it out of the ground and very little else on TV. I was aware of the format prior to it airing so I knew what was coming. Most weren't and were surprised at how the craft was portrayed in an entertainment format and not a documentary or how to format. It's not perfect but it's the best knife making show on TV

I like it and think it will bring more people into the craft and at the same time increase awareness there are knife makers out there earning a living making knives. The more people that know about custom knife making, the more custom knives get bought.
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Well said, it is a show about hand made knives, being made in a competition environment, with chopping and cutting challenges designed to eliminate contestants to produce a final winner on TV. Its going to bring awareness to a community that surely needs it, how can that be a bad thing?

Peter
 
Well, it happened yesterday. I got a phone call from an individual who wanted to order a "chopping knife", and when I quoted him a price, in response I got... " What? Are you crazy!? I saw that show on the History Channel....you can make a knife in less then a day!"

So it begins....the reprecussions of an inaccurate portrayal of our craft.
 
I myself am a complete newbie to knife making even though I have a longer history with general design. But I only saw episode three and was turned off from the show, nothing against the makers on the show I just thought it had unrealistic expectations given the time to make a beautiful functioning knife. I mean isnt the whole reason we do this buy had is to share some sweat blood and tears with the material over a extended period of time and try to improve our work on every blade ? Id much rather spend 20 hours busting my ass on one knife and make something I am proud of then try to make a bullet splitting sword in a rush.
 
EdCaffreyMS said:
Well, it happened yesterday. I got a phone call from an individual who wanted to order a "chopping knife", and when I quoted him a price, in response I got... " What? Are you crazy!? I saw that show on the History Channel....you can make a knife in less then a day!"

So it begins....the reprecussions of an inaccurate portrayal of our craft.
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Ed, I laughed out loud and my wife came into my office to find out what was so funny? I know its not really funny, it just that I was expecting to get a call just like that one after the last Monday show. :3:
 
I suspect that call won't be the last of that type I receive, and suspect many others (knifemakers) are going to be fielding similar calls/requests before this thing blows over.:nothing:
 
It takes me longer to hand sand the finish than it took those guys to make a whole knife.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
As a reality show it was a success.

As a television show to demonstrate technique and the intricacies of knife making it was a failure. Most people who are not knife makers would likely gravitate to the reality show concept and not the techniques of knife making.
understand the concept but did not care for the show. I found some of the tests to be a bit (a lot) silly and not very credible.

FWIW, just my 2 cents.
 
EdCaffreyMS said:
I suspect that call won't be the last of that type I receive, and suspect many others (knifemakers) are going to be fielding similar calls/requests before this thing blows over.:nothing:
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Oleblood said:
As a reality show it was a success.

As a television show to demonstrate technique and the intricacies of knife making it was a failure. Most people who are not knife makers would likely gravitate to the reality show concept and not the techniques of knife making.
understand the concept but did not care for the show. I found some of the tests to be a bit (a lot) silly and not very credible.

FWIW, just my 2 cents.
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Along with cheap, The KILL TEST will get the interest of some really stabile individuals.:drool:
 
In the final analysis, I don't think it will be good or bad for the custom/handmade knife community.

It will introduce a lot of people to bladesmithing,... more enthusiasts, newbie buyers and newbie makers, however misinformed and misguided they may be. However, I don't necessarily think bigger is better. It's really not much different than what's happened on the internet,.. forums, Youtube etc. None of it has made the art/craft of knifemaking better or worse, just bigger,... more good information/representation and more bad information/representation.


Sometimes I really miss the way it was back in the good old days before all the mass media hype and BS. It was kind of cool being one of the few professional bladesmiths in the USA, and that no one knew anything about it. Most people didn't even know that making a knife by hand was possible, and/or that some makers were actually elevating it to an art form. That was part of the charm and attraction to it for me. It's amazing that we've come so far since then, but it hasn't made things any better, or worse,... just a lot different. I think there is a limit to how big it will or can get though, and I don't think we've hit the turn around point,... yet. At some point there will be a mass exodus from it. The bubble will eventually burst when it becomes oversaturated and the vast majority of serious knifemakers won't be able to make a living at it, and the vast majority of collectors won't be able to sell their knives for what they paid for them in any reasonable amount of time, or at all. It will become more of a hobby than anything else. This is the direction we're already heading in. It will probably be bad for most full time professionals, but may be good for the few left standing,... in real life.
 
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I think the general public has caught on to reality shows. (there will always be outliers- people who simply can't get past the surface of things)

I'm hoping people will appreciate the drama and take it for what it is. To me, it's like the non-stop barrage of survival shows. Why in God's holy name does every survival show need a Navy Seal / SOCOM guy? Anyone with a little bit of common sense knows that Navy Seals don't spend a whole lot of time in the bush making campfires and building log shelters. Now, if the show was about helocasting in, killing bad guys quickly, and running out to a waiting recovery team for extract, then by all means let's ask the Seal's opinion on how to do it. Bushcraft guys hate these shows for good reason, but the reality is that without some degree of promoting general badassery, it makes for a fairly dry show geared towards people who basically don't need to learn from a show.

I can only speak for myself, but I know I'm a wierdo. I LIKE to watch forty minute videos of guys grinding bevels in hopes of learning something. But that's what YouTube is for.

I wish the show followed a several day process so that these bladesmiths could really showcase their skills. For some reason the producers went for the uber-stupid "Chopped" format that every show on Food Network follows where the winner is the one who fails the least.

I only saw one episode. The challenges were beyond asinine. Some nebulous guidelines about blade length. Then the makers learn that the blade had to chop an ice block. What?! Why not just tell them that the point is to make a ten dollar Home Depot hatchet. Then some martial arts guy has to embarrass himself on national TV by pretending that he's a trained killer and cut a pork roast in the most dramatic way possible. THEN, they throw the knife away completely and are given five days to make something completely different with zero relevance to the blades they normally make. 'Now, go make a flying frisbee blade' which the producers used a skeet thrower to shoot it at some sugar cane. Okay, I could have sharpened a hub cab if that's what you wanted to do with it.
 
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Once mainstream American pop culture gets a hold of something like this,... it's just never the same. Whether it's good or bad, just depends who you ask, I guess...

... It wasn't/isn't a matter of "if", but "when"... and *WHEN* is still the question??? LOL :)
 
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EdCaffreyMS said:
Anybody else watch "Forged in Fire" on the History channel last night? I was contacted to do the show, but turned it down....and now I'm glad I did turn it down. While its nice to see other makers I know getting some TV time, I found myself shaking my head through most of the show. 6 hours to produce a usable knife? Come on, that is just totally unrealistic. :rolleyes:

I have to wonder how many knifemakers are now going to have to deal with perspective clients asking..... "Can I punch one of your blade through a steel drum?"..... "Will it split a bullet?" Not to mention "What do you mean its going to be XXXXX until my knife is done.....they did it in 6 hours on TV!"

Maybe I'm being overly critical, and while its nice to see our industry getting some "public" time, I was seriously hoping for something more educational, with more substance.....and a little less drama.

On the "up" side, I bet Matt Parkinson gets some "katana" orders! :)
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Ed,
Several of the things you've said here are some of my concerns as well,
I think one problem they're having i finding makers that are willing to go "under the gun'',
to make a usable Ht'd knife in that time frame, as one guy said, "To make knife is 3 hours is just plain Nuts!"
I do not know if they're testing these guys out before hand to see if they have any idea how to build a usable
knife within that time limit, or if they are just taking people that say they can, not to mention, once you add
lights, camera, folks buzzing around all over the place trying to get all the footage needed to cobble together
a show that "look" like it was done in one single take, is enough to get anyone off their game! I don't know
how many of you all have ever had one of those big cameras shoved into your face and then your asked a question,
when it happened to me, I felt like I was talking gibberish, I got that wide eyed look, and honestly didn't know what I'd
said until I saw it on TV, it makes you contentious of your body of your movements, then you start thinking you ARE looking like a dufuss! And that was because I WAS! The reporter guy there told me I did great, while the cameraman was rolling his eyes, I said no, that pretty much sucked! He said, the camera loves no one, its up the individual to love the camera! That made complete sense to me, and since that time, I have forever steered clear of them.
The other thing I think they either will change or at the very least a re-format of their expectations. I think this mondays show, they will have 2 blades at the end of the judging that are equally terrible, and worthless as a blade. It almost happened last week, the guy that won it, I really don't think should have, but I am not there, I think the judging should be based on the knife as a TOOL and for them to stop calling it a friggin' weapon!!! That part id riving ME NUT'S!

I had high hopes for this show, but I think the one thing that is missing that THEY want, that they "think",
they need, so much that I fear they may introduce it into the show, and that is another thing Ed mentioned,
and that's DRAMA! There isn't any, and if they add it to it somehow, it will be what it is, FAKE!
I too feared that after I saw that, customers would start having unrealistic demands, but one of my friends and a past
customer came to me the next day, and said, "make a blade in 3 hour?" Are they crazy!"
I asked him that if they can do it, why didn't you expect that of me, why didn't you ask me if I could,
he said, the information I gave him about the process I take to make a knife, the time put into a blade is nothing
he would ever question, because he was very happy with the results he got,
"time should not be an issue when you make stuff by hand ", that was him throwing my own words back at me!
The publicity this gets will be one thing, whether it be good or bad, I just don't know!
In Hollywood, there is no difference between good or bad publicity, they do not see one or the other as being negative,
because its all publicity! That's all they care about!
What they need to understand is that we do care, I don't want them up there cutting a body that reflects a human body,
making knife makers "look" like we all create deadly weapons, while the vast majority of them may be deadly, a knife has save many
lives, yet I haven't heard that on there at all, why can't they test it under the ABS guidelines? That shows toughness, as well s cutting ability, I'm sure they could come up with a dramatical scene for that!
Just my 2cents worth, we have a show on TV that could be huge for knife makers overall, if we all stood up and demanded
that they make some changes, it might make a difference!
Rex
 
I watched the Forged in Fire show again the other night and really it is just a T V show but I kindly liked it. Shows a little about forging ( I know very little) but it gives people a little insight about the workings of making a knife. I don't rally like the weapons terminology to it all but in todays society with all the Zombies on the loose I guess you may need a weapon. Anyway it is something to watch and that is all you can expect of a TV show.
 
I threw my T.V. away nearly 15 years ago and don't miss it one bit. Thanks for the updates. More proof that I made the right decision......
 
I figured this show would be pretty unreliable, there are misconceptions about knifemaking in any media, newspapers, tv shows, wherever. I think the best thing I can do about the situation is educate people on the truth of what we do. I honestly have been avoiding watching it, but now I probably will, so I can correct the misconceptions that I will undoubtedly hear in the upcoming months.
 
Well I have now watched 4 episodes and it is a lot what I expected. Every episode there is the person they try to make you believe is going home and then they are saved by someone else going home instead. I enjoy watching it, however I also can see through the television drama. Most tv shows are "produced" and they already have the story line made up ahead of time.

I will continue to enjoy it for the entertainment aspect.

Here is my first email from the show :D

I watch Forged in Fire and i am so enthused.But i love the show.I was wondering how much it would cost to make a small fishing knife ,as a collectors item from a real forger.I dont kow if i will use it ,i just want the chance to own something original that i could show off and appreciate.I appreciate things that are hand made and was just wondering if it can be done,not for a elaborate price.Which is i know really impossible.Just thought i would inquire.
Thanks for your time.
D.C.

I just replied with my price on custom knives along with the lead time, I really doubt I will hear back :biggrin:
 
MT Knives said:
Well I have now watched 4 episodes and it is a lot what I expected. Every episode there is the person they try to make you believe is going home and then they are saved by someone else going home instead. I enjoy watching it, however I also can see through the television drama. Most tv shows are "produced" and they already have the story line made up ahead of time.

I will continue to enjoy it for the entertainment aspect.

Here is my first email from the show :D

I watch Forged in Fire and i am so enthused.But i love the show.I was wondering how much it would cost to make a small fishing knife ,as a collectors item from a real forger.I dont kow if i will use it ,i just want the chance to own something original that i could show off and appreciate.I appreciate things that are hand made and was just wondering if it can be done,not for a elaborate price.Which is i know really impossible.Just thought i would inquire.
Thanks for your time.
D.C.

I just replied with my price on custom knives along with the lead time, I really doubt I will hear back :biggrin:
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Hey at least he contacted you, he might not be able to afford one of your customs but who knows he might seek out a new maker that he can afford and help a new guy out. Seems to me it has already sparked new interest in custom knives from people that had no idea about it.
 
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