[dramatic music]
- Here in the forge, we have seen hundreds of smiths
Create some of the most feared edge weapons in history.
♪ ♪
Now, in honor of history's miniseries event "colosseum,"
We have decided to transform our forge
Into a roman gladiators arena.
♪ ♪
Over the next few weeks,
We are doing a competition series
Unlike anything you've ever seen.
This is "gladiators of the forge."
♪ ♪
Over the course of the next five episodes
And ten battles, we will see bladesmiths
Go head-to-head in sudden-death competitions.
♪ ♪
The winner will become the gladiator of the forge,
And earn a check for $5,000.
Then they'll have the opportunity to go back
Into the arena and fight again.
Now, if they keep winning,
They will earn more and more money
With bonuses along the way.
♪ ♪
Tonight the battles begin with a lot on the line.
One of these fierce competitors
Has a chance of winning every single one
Of these competitions
And, with that, the most amount of money
We have ever given out in "forged in fire" history...
- Whoo!
- Who has what it takes
To become a gladiator of the forge?
The competition starts now.
♪ ♪
- Hi, I'm alex silverman.
I'm from manchester, new hampshire.
I'm 30 years old, and I've been doing this for 4 years,
About 2 of those full-time.
I do armored combat.
I've got scars to prove it.
So I think I would be a great gladiator of the forge.
If I were to choose a gladiator name,
I'll go by the name I already fight under, thorfin jarnison.
[deep voice] victory will be mine!
[chuckles]
♪ ♪
- My name is kurt. I live in chugach, alaska.
I'm 31 years old, and I am a full-time bladesmith.
I don't know if I could consider myself a gladiator.
The old actual gladiators were terrifying.
[chuckles] but as far as a modern-day competition,
I absolutely feel like I can win.
♪ ♪
- Well, alex, kurt, gentlemen, welcome to the forge.
This is a competition we are calling
"gladiators of the forge."
♪ ♪
We're gonna start off today with the two of you
Going head-to-head in a forging competition,
Where you'll be building a blade from start to finish.
Now, when the time runs out,
You're gonna turn those blades over,
And they're gonna be put through a series of tests
By our esteemed judges.
Now, at the end of that testing,
One of you will be chosen as a gladiator of the forge.
♪ ♪
Now, this is where things get exciting.
We have ten rounds in this competition,
And for every round that you win
Will come with a check for 5 grand.
If you win 5 times in a row,
You will earn a bonus of $10,000.
But if you choose to continue on and win all of the battles,
You'll earn a total bonus of $25,000.
That's a total of $75,000.
- Holy balls.
There's a lot of money on the line.
I really want that.
- All right, we got to figure out
What you're both gonna be building
From our wall of roman weapons--
All featured in history's miniseries event "colosseum,"
As well as the forge-welding technique
That you're both gonna use.
And we're gonna leave it up to a coin toss.
Now, gentlemen, this coin comes from the roman empire,
And it dates back about 2,000 years,
And it's gonna decide which one of you gets a choice first.
Alex, if this coin lands on heads,
You get to pick either the weapon you want to build,
Or you choose the forge-welding technique.
Kurt, if it lands on tails, you choose first.
Now, whatever aspect of the challenge
Hasn't been chosen by the first smith,
The other guy's gonna get the choice.
Here we go.
♪ ♪
All right, gentlemen, it landed on heads.
Alex, you get the choice. Do you want to pick the weapon
That you guys are gonna be building,
Or do you want to go with the technique?
- I'll pick the weapon. - All right.
We've got ten weapons here on the wall of roman weapons.
Make your choice.
- I like the look of that falx.
That looks like a fun build. - Falx. All right.
♪ ♪
- The falx is a fierce first-century weapon
Used by dacian and thracian warriors--
Enemies of rome hailing from modern-day eastern europe.
This unique sword features at forward-curved blade
Sharpened on the inside
That was designed to deliver deadly slashes and cuts
Upon any enemy in its path.
The falx was so lethal, the romans adapted their armor
To help protect their soldiers from its devastating blows.
♪ ♪
- I've done a lot of work with things of this length
And with curvature in the metal.
So I think it'll be a great weapon
That'll really showcase what I do best as a smith
And might trip up my opponent a little bit.
- Your blade length, measured from tip
To where the cutting edge ends in a straight line,
Needs to be between 23 and 25 inches.
Your blade needs to have a depth of curve
Of at least 3 inches.
You need to have fuller on both sides of your blade
And a handle that includes a pommel.
Now, alex, you got to choose the weapon.
Kurt, that means you get to choose
The forge-welding technique that you both must use.
- I don't do a whole lot of long blades.
So I want something that I'm comfortable with.
- What do you got? - Let's do a twisted damascus.
- All right, twisted damascus.
♪ ♪
All right, gentlemen,
You will only have eight hours of forging to complete this.
At five and a half hours into this competition,
Your forges will be turned off.
Now, at the end of the day, gentlemen,
One of you will be chosen
As the first gladiator of the forge
And get a $5,000 check.
♪ ♪
Good luck. Stay sharp.
Your time starts now.
♪ ♪
We've got $75,000 on the line for these guys right now.
This is intense.
Eight hours might seem like a long time,
But, you know, these guys are building the falx.
- I think ben and I would tend to disagree with you.
Eight hours does not seem like a lot of time.
- No. No, no, no.
♪ ♪
- I've never done twist damascus before,
But I'm pretty confident I can handle it.
- All right, guys, vote of the thumbs--
You guys happy to sit and make damascus...
With a twist.
[laughter]
♪ ♪
- I really want to have a vibrant pattern,
And I find that super-high layer counts
Have this tendency to not show up super well.
So I stack my steel--
Two 15n20, two 1095, et cetera, et cetera.
And what this does is it lowers my layer count.
- You can do a low-layer twist,
And it can be bold and really cool,
But when it's that wide,
A low layer twist just kind of looks
Like a couple of stripes going across it.
- As a queer gentleman,
A big part of coming here for me
Is showing the world that it's cool
To be a flamboyant queer who pounds hot steel
And then goes home and paints your nails,
Does your makeup, and, you know,
Enjoy some of the delights that the world offers.
♪ ♪
- My plan for the billet is to start with 20 layers,
Cut the billet in half, so I can get to 40 layers.
That will help me really make the blade stand out.
- You guys happy with the decision to make the falx?
- Yep. - Oh, yeah. I like that.
- One, two. Doug?
Three thumbs up.
♪ ♪
- I joined the military in 2011,
And my experience under pressure in the army
Really taught me how to deal with stress,
Taught me time management, and that's really going
To help me out through this competition.
$75,000 will be fantastic.
I'll be able to do a lot with that.
[laughs]
♪ ♪
- It's really important
To get up to a proper welding temperature,
'cause if you're too cool when you forge-weld,
It's gonna splay apart,
And you're gonna end up with a banana at the end.
And nobody wants that.
That's what I'm looking for.
This is the big harrowing moment.
I'm worried about shearing a weld
Because it could blow apart on me.
- It looks like alex's billet
Is starting to consolidate and his welds are sticking.
- [bleep], yeah.
I've got the weld set.
I'm drawing things out.
Oh, beautiful. Beautiful, bro.
I'm feeling pretty good.
- Never heard of gladiators dancing before.
- [chuckles]
- It looks like the forge welds have taken.
I'm extremely happy.
So now I just need to begin stretching this billet out.
Pretty is not a parameter.
However, I think alex is gonna turn in a very good blade.
So my only hope is that having the 40 layers
Instead of the 20 layers
Is what ends up winning this competition.
- You know, I love to see the smiths go above and beyond,
But adding an extra forge weld
Could be that straw that broke the camel's back
And throws him out of the competition.
- Yeah, you don't want to go
Above and beyond the time limit.
- Yeah. - Yeah.
- Welding!
- All right, bladesmiths, you have six hours left!
- Whoo.
So now I'm ready to twist.
This is a real do-or-die moment.
Every single one of those forge welds
Has the chance to just burst apart at this point,
And there's nothing really you can do other than start over.
Oh, [bleep].
Why do they not bolt this vise to the floor?
It's moving all around.
It's really hard to get a purchase on.
The twist is one of the parameters.
If I don't get the twist done, I could be going home.
- That twist damascus is a big hurdle,
'cause to end up with a sword, you need to have a big billet.
So twisting a big billet is a pain in the neck.
- [grunts]
So the second time around,
I know where I need to put my foot
So it doesn't just walk around on me.
And I'm able to get a nice full twist in there.
- Now, execution of the technique--
You guys happy with what alex did?
Ooh, general consensus said no--why?
- That was, like, what, one and a half twists?
- Yeah, it was a bare minimum to get a twist in there.
- Then by the time you draw it out,
The twist is gonna disappear.
- Take a look at kurt.
I think he just got three full turns on this one heat.
- I love it.
- I want to get enough twist that you really get
To see that nice twist pattern.
However, if I twist too much,
There's a chance that I end up cutting the billet in half.
- Kurt did a lot more twists than alex did
And has more visible layers than alex.
So I think you'll get a much more vibrant pattern.
- Now I can start working on shaping the blade.
- Bladesmiths, we are officially at the halfway mark!
You have four hours left!
- There's a clock ticking, and I got to go.
I'm working on bringing the thing into shape.
I'll strike the edge of the blade over my anvil horn.
Just keep working it until I have it at a point
That I'm happy with it.
Yeah!
So now it's time to quench.
- Keeping that long thin curve evenly heated--
Quenching's gonna be tricky.
- This is the time that so much can go wrong.
Maybe there's an inclusion that I missed
Or a cold shut that could blow apart.
If something does go catastrophically wrong,
I don't know if I have the time to fix it.
♪ ♪
- Alex quenched.
- Nope...
♪ ♪
My heart sinks.
If my blade isn't hardened, it's not a blade
And it doesn't meet parameters.
Gonna have to requench, just the way it goes.
- Apparently he's not happy with it,
'cause he is back in the forge again.
- One side's heating up differently than the other.
- Every time you quench a blade,
You increase the chance
Of warping, twisting, delaminations, cracking.
But I really don't have a choice.
I hope this works out.
If this goes wrong, I could be going home.
- Guys, we're in the first-ever
"gladiators of the forge" competition.
We're seeing that we've got two very talented smiths
That are fully capable of turning in strong falxes
For these tests.
It's a nail-biter. - Yeah.
- One of them is gonna get a chance at $75,000.
Alex was able to get his blade quenched,
But apparently he's not happy with it
'cause he's back in the forge again.
- I have to quench again. I am very nervous.
If this goes wrong, I could be going home.
Here we go.
- All right, alex just quenched for a second time.
- Oh, yeah. Much better.
[shouts operatically]
Now I've got a hard blade.
♪ ♪
- So now that I have the billet drawn
To a length that I'm comfortable with,
I begin putting that curve in the blade.
I'm flattening the blade out and moving that curve in.
Alex picks a blade that's curved in a straight forge,
And it just makes everything more challenging.
Hey, alex, next time
Can you pick something that fits in the forge?
- [laughs]
- It's just interesting to have a curve on the inside.
A lot of smiths will pre-curve their knives like that
And then hammer the bevel in,
Curving them back straight again.
- Oh. - So it's gonna be interesting
To see if they can maintain that opposite curve.
- Good.
It looks like it's within parameters.
So get ready for heat treat.
♪ ♪
- Kurt is in the oil.
Now we have two quenched blades.
♪ ♪
- So now I've got a hardened blade.
I start work on my handle.
My plan right now is a two-piece handle construction,
Because the example had a two-piece handle,
And I want to put a nod to that.
This is so sloppy.
As I'm getting everything fit up,
There's gaps in some spots and hang-ups in others,
And I'm just thinking to myself,
"man, I would never sell this."
But there's a clock ticking, and I got to go.
Hopefully I'll have enough time left to make it pretty.
But right now it's about getting a weapon
That can be tested.
♪ I'm peening in the rain ♪
- After the quench,
I start working on the finishing profile
Getting everything to that final shape.
[bleep].
I notice some cold shuts.
That's a weak point,
And if this blade gets hit hard against something,
It could very easily break.
I need to fix that.
The only way is to fully grind this cold shut out,
And hopefully they don't go too deep.
- The last thing you want to have on an edge is a notch.
Every place that that delamination crosses the edge
Is a potential weak spot.
- Some of them I am able to grind out,
But there's a couple on the edge
That I can't seem to get out,
So I'm just gonna leave them.
I'm hoping that it's just a cosmetic flaw.
- Bladesmiths, you're down to the final 30 minutes!
♪ ♪
- Now that my handle's fit up,
It's time to start getting a real edge on this thing.
I glance over at kurt,
And he's made this beautiful damascus blade.
I'm gonna need to make sure that I come out swinging,
Pun intended, with a really good edge geometry.
I'm not sure how well I pull it off, but we'll see.
I think my blade will make it to the end.
- At this point, I can really do some finish work.
I spent a lot of extra time to get the 40 layers.
So I want to make sure that the pattern is clearly visible.
Perfect.
I am really happy with the pattern,
And now I just have to add the handle.
- How cool would it actually be to be in the colosseum
When the gladiators were just fighting to the death
With these kind of weapons?
- It'd be cool if we were in the same position we are now
And not down in the arena. - Yeah.
- I chose the name flamma for my gladiator name
Because his name means fire.
He was also a soldier in syria.
So me being in the military and forging blades,
You know, have a few things in common.
So that's the name that I went with.
- Five, four, three, two, one.
Bladesmiths, turn off your machines!
Put down your tools!
The first round of our gladiator competition is over!
♪ ♪
- I am really proud of what I accomplished.
I'm there to win $75,000.
I really got to make it all the way.
♪ ♪
- Bladesmiths, welcome to our strength test--
Our gladiator armor chop.
Alex, you're up first. You ready to go, man?
- For honor, for glory, and for advancement
In this bladesmithing competition, lay on.
- I will do that.
♪ ♪
- My heart's beating hard.
This is gonna be a brutal test.
I'm hoping that it'll make it through.
♪ ♪
- Nice job, alex. - Thank you, j.
- Your blade's still straight.
I love twist damascus,
But the problem is you can't see it at all on your blade.
You got a couple little rolls on the edge--nothing major.
Everything's still tight.
You do have a bit of an offset on your tip now,
But for a beating like that, that's not too bad.
So, overall, good job.
- Thank you.
- All right, kurt, how you feel, man?
- Uh... [stammers]
Go for it. [laughter]
- I can do that.
♪ ♪
- J. Neilson scares me.
He's going to just smash my blade into this armor.
I'm already worried about those cold shuts,
And it could crack.
I have no room for error in the strength test.
- J. Neilson's going to just smash my blade
Into this armor.
I'm already worried about those cold shuts,
And it could crack.
I hope my blade holds well.
♪ ♪
[exhales deeply]
- All right, good job, kurt. You survive.
First off, love the damascus pattern.
This came out very nice.
You've got several delaminations,
But nothing came apart.
You got some dings and some dulling.
Right in here, that sweet spot,
Is where it took most of the abuse,
But, overall, it stayed together.
Nothing came loose. Nice job.
- Thank you.
♪ ♪
- All right, bladesmiths,
This is the sharpness test-- the fish slice.
Alex, you're up first. You ready?
- Lay on.
- All right.
♪ ♪
- [chuckles]
♪ ♪
- All right, alex, let's talk about your falx.
Your blade's a little bit offset from that strength test,
But your edge is sharp.
It's got a nice feel to it, and, overall, sir, it will cut.
- Thank you, doug.
- Kurt, your turn, sir. You ready?
- Slice some fish. - Let's do this.
♪ ♪
All right, kurt, let's talk about your falx right here.
It's got a wider blade here.
It actually helps support the edge when I'm cutting.
I can feel the push in through the cut.
You still have those delaminations,
But they were not a factor in cutting the fish.
Overall, sir, your weapon... It will cut.
- Thank you, doug.
♪ ♪
- You guys, congratulations.
You made it through both the tests with flying colors.
Now the time has come for the judges to decide
Which one of you
Is gonna be the first-ever gladiator of the forge.
So, while they discuss, I'm gonna ask
That you both please step off the forge floor.
♪ ♪
All right, guys, we're at the end of the first battle
Of a series of ten.
You guys have a difficult decision to make,
'cause we got two blades in one piece.
I want to hear what you think about 'em.
- Well, both blades performed
Almost equally on the sharpness test.
I mean, the inward curve that they have there,
That's designed to cut, and it did just that.
- Kurt's blade was beautiful.
It had a great damascus pattern,
And the overall profile of the blade
And the cross-section of the blade
Were both ground very well.
There is an issue with delaminations.
But then when I look at alex's blade,
It not only took edge damage,
But it did take a little bit of a set in the strength test.
- The problem with alex's is,
The only reason we know it's twist damascus
Is 'cause we saw him do it. - Mm-hmm.
- You can't see it at all on that blade,
And the blade is off, as far as symmetry and evenness.
- So you guys have a difficult decision to make.
Ben, have you made yours? - I have, yeah.
- J? - Oh, yeah.
- What about you? - Yes, I have.
- All right, gentlemen, we'll call 'em in.
♪ ♪
- Well, bladesmiths, you guys
Gave a very difficult decision to our judges
Because both your blades were great,
But they made a final decision.
The first-ever gladiator of the forge,
Taking home $5,000 is...
♪ ♪
Kurt. Congratulations.
- Congratulations, man. - Thank you.
- You deserve it. You did an awesome job.
- Now, alex, we want to say thank you so much
For coming out and fighting hard,
But, unfortunately, your blade did not make the cut
And j's gonna tell you why.
- Alex, I commend you both for your choice of weapons
And the hard work you put into it.
During the testing, you both pretty much performed equally.
So we had to look at the finer details,
And, honestly, your competitor's blade
Was more refined and more symmetrical.
That's why we're sending you home.
- Completely understand.
- Well, alex, there's no doubt that you're talented smith
And you deserved every second you spent in this forge,
But, unfortunately, it just didn't make the cut.
And at this time, I'm gonna have to ask you
To please step off the forge floor.
- Thank you.
I absolutely agree with the judges' decision.
My fit and finish
Just wasn't at the same level as kurt's.
Being in the first
"gladiators of the forge" battle
Was such a unique opportunity,
And I am really proud of what I accomplished.
To kurt, you better not go out like a chump, man.
♪ ♪
- Kurt, you are the first gladiator of the forge,
And you've got to check for $5,000 coming your way.
Congratulations.
- Thank you.
I'm officially the gladiator of the forge.
- Now, the fun's not quite over.
You got a difficult decision to make.
Are you gonna take your sword, lay it down, and go home
With the title and the check,
Or are you gonna pick up a hammer
And head back into the forge? - I'm going back in the forge.
- Fantastic.
Well, congratulations for being
The first gladiator of the forge.
We're excited to see you work again.
For that, man, I'll see you on the forge floor.
- Now that I've tasted that little bit of victory,
I can't wait for more.
I feel confident
That I'll be able to take this all the way to the end.
♪ ♪
- My name is bryan ledford. I am 51 years old.
I live in los angeles, california,
And I've been bladesmithing part-time
For about seven and a half years.
If I had a gladiator name,
It would be flavius crispus gallus--
The blonde curly-haired rooster.
- Kurt, welcome back.
And, bryan, welcome to the forge.
Now, you just stepped into the colosseum
For the second battle in our
"gladiators of the forge" competition.
Now, this is gonna consist
Of eight-straight hours of forging,
Where you're gonna go up against your competition,
Building a blade from start to finish.
Now, kurt, you're the reigning champion here.
You just came out of the last competition
Against alex winning $5,000
And getting your first title of gladiator of the forge.
Now, you're here to defend that title against your competitor.
Now, if you win, you'll rack up another $5,000,
Another gladiator of the forge title,
And still stay in the running for $75,000--
The most money we have ever paid out
In "forged in fire" history.
Now, the choice as to what you're gonna be building
Will be left up to you.
If it's heads, kurt, you get the first choice.
You know how this works.
You can choose either the weapon
Or the technique that you'll both use.
Now, on the other side of the coin,
If it lands on tails, bryan, the choice is yours.
You guys ready to go?
- Ready. - Ready.
- All right, leave it up to chance here.
♪ ♪
We landed on heads.
♪ ♪
Kurt, you get to choose first.
You want to choose the weapon,
Or do you want to choose the technique?
- I'll choose the weapon. - All right.
So we've got nine weapons here on the wall of roman weapons.
Pick your poison, bud.
- I'm looking at the wall, and I don't know what to pick.
The falx curve in the first challenge
Was difficult.
I don't want to fight another curve.
I'll feel a lot more comfortable
Working on a straight blade.
Let's go with that spatha.
♪ ♪
- The spatha was a vicious weapon
Used by roman cavalry during the third century.
Featuring a long double-edged blade,
The weapon allowed soldiers
To deliver devastating slashes and cuts from horseback.
This blade was featured
On two previous "forged in fire" competitions,
Where smiths struggled
With its length and its medial ridge.
- By the end of the eight hours,
Make sure that they fall within these parameters.
Your blade length measured from tip
To where the cutting edge ends in a straight line
Needs to be between 26 and 28 inches.
Your blade must be double-edged
And have a medial ridge.
Now, as far as your hilt goes,
You're gonna need a wooden guard
With a metal plate at the top and also a round pommel.
Now, bryan, that means that you get to choose
The forge-welding technique that both of you guys must use.
What are you thinking?
- I really want to do something a little bit different
With some really interesting patterns.
I'm gonna go with go mai.
- Gentlemen, you will both only have eight hours
To build this massive spatha in go mai.
Now, when the time runs out,
We'll go directly into the testing grounds
And decide which one of you
Is taking home the title of gladiator of the forge
And getting a check for $5,000.
So good luck. Stay sharp.
Your time starts now.
♪ ♪
So this is kurt's second time
Battling it out in the gladiators competition.
He's already got five grand. He's already got one title.
Ben, you've done a lot of competing in here.
How does it feel going right up again
And having to battle it out?
- It makes you question your motives.
[laughter]
♪ ♪
- I feel like I am much more prepared this time
Than the previous challenge,
But every challenge is a new challenge.
$75,000 will be fantastic.
I'll be able to get my own press,
My own power hammer, have all those tools
That I've been wanting for years now.
- Now, they've got to do go mai.
- The tricky part about this is getting that forge weld set
And making sure you have enough material
To stretch it out.
- I've done san mais, and I've done damascus billets,
But I've never focused on a go mai itself.
So that's a challenge
That I'm gonna have to try to overcome.
I know that I want to go with a 1095 for the core
With nickel in the middle and mild steel on the outside.
Welding!
I've never worked with nickel,
But I know that it's going to look pretty cool.
♪ ♪
- What I'm bringing in this competition is me
At my most competitive.
I pick 1095, the nickel, and the mild steel.
♪ ♪
So my strategy is,
Knowing that there's gonna be a medial ridge,
Is I make a very, very thick core of 1095.
Welding.
So I don't have the mild steel on the edge.
Let's go.
- Whoa, bryan's got a lot of steel there.
I think bryan's got enough steel to make two swords.
- Getting this sword done in eight hours
Depends entirely on getting it right.
Really don't have a lot of time to start over.
♪ ♪
- Now, kurt here--he actually has home-field advantage.
- Yeah. - 'cause he already knows
The setup we have from his previous competition.
- Absolutely.
- I'm going to get the welds nice and set.
If the welds start opening up, forge scale can get in,
And then when I draw out the billet,
I'm gonna just have a nightmare of a time.
So I want to make sure that I go nice and slow
And get these forged welds right in the beginning.
The welds are holding.
I'm very happy with that.
♪ ♪
If it wasn't for me going in the military,
I probably would've never gotten into bladesmithing,
Because you need to have a fixed-blade knife.
Well, I couldn't find a knife that I wanted.
I picked up some steel, and I fell in love with it
After the first knife that I made.
♪ ♪
- So my steel comes up to temperature.
This is the point where I start to feel confident
That it's time to take it to the press.
- That's nowhere near hot enough to forge weld.
- Looks like bryan's go mai is becoming an "oh, my."
- [chuckles]
- [bleep] and a half.
I start to notice that the welds are starting to fail.
- Oh! - Uh-oh.
- Now, is there any saving this billet right now?
- Given where he is right now, I'd start over.
- So I'm looking at this billet,
And it's only the ends that aren't sticking.
I don't have a lot of time to start over
So I can get a little bit more flux in there.
I just hope it works.
♪ ♪
- This thing's a lot longer than I thought it was.
[laughs] - a little bit, yeah.
- Do you guys approve of the spatha
As a choice of weapon to build?
- I do. - Yeah.
- I like it. It's probably the largest blade
We have on the wall of gladiator blades.
Kurt's got the lengthy ones.
Now he's on big blu working the tip in.
- I just put a quick tip on my billet,
And then I can focus on forging the tang.
I want to make sure that I have enough tang
That it stays nice and thick so that it's a strong tang.
- It looks like the perfect replica.
- Pretty good
♪ ♪
- Bladesmiths, you only have six hours left!
♪ ♪
- So now I'm on the road to consolidating this billet.
I really need this to work. I don't want to start over.
- Oh, no, guys, bryan's billet's splitting apart.
- For [bleep] sake, dude.
The nickel's not welding.
I don't have go mai. I've got a mess.
One thing after another after another.
I don't know what to do right here,
But I got to think of something fast.
Come on. [bleep].
- This is the second gladiator competition.
Both of our smiths have got to do go mai--
Five different layers alternating
And forge weld together.
♪ ♪
Oh, no, guys, bryan's billet's splitting apart.
- For [bleep] sake dude.
It didn't stick.
I don't have go mai. I've got a mess.
One thing after another after another.
I don't know what to do right here,
But I got to think of something fast.
- I probably would start over.
I think he's just making more problems for himself.
- Yeah, but he's got to make that decision now.
- Come on. Come on.
♪ ♪
So, at this point, I can't make this work.
I have to abandon this.
I keep the 1095 core
And grab some 80crv2 and 15n20.
Welding.
- You think the best move is to scrap the billet he's got,
Start over clean?
- Yep. Bryan having so much steel,
He might end up with a 26-inch boat anchor.
- Oh, yeah.
- But I can tell you it is gut-wrenching
Being out on that floor and starting over.
- Oh, no. What the [bleep]?
I totally taco'd my blade.
I think I'm gonna start over. - Really?
- Oh, I know.
- Moment of truth.
♪ ♪
I don't quit. It's not in my nature.
It's gonna be messy, but by god, it's gonna happen.
- Bladesmiths, listen up! You are halfway through!
Four hours have elapsed! You have four hours remaining!
- Once I have a good shape
That I'm comfortable with on my sword,
It's time for the quench.
I'm very concerned about this nickel.
I don't know how it's going to react in the quench tank.
It could split open.
- Kurt is already thermocycling.
I think he's doing a pretty dang good job.
- The only thing is, kurt's blade is so thin
That as he's thermocycling, it's moving.
It's changing.
- Once I see that the blades all even color,
I move over to the quench tank.
♪ ♪
- All right, kurt's quenched.
♪ ♪
- Good.
♪ ♪
I'm happy with what I have.
♪ ♪
- I know I have too much steel,
But, I mean, it's a sword-like object.
- Bryan is dealing with a billet that's so heavy,
He has to use two hands to hold it.
- I've been there,
But I'm usually making something four times that size.
- That's made to be a two-handed sword.
- Yeah.
- There's always a chance
That something can go catastrophically wrong,
And I can't start over at this point,
And that is terrifying.
♪ ♪
- Bryan has quenched his blade.
- I pull out a good straight, hard blade.
I am really happy about that.
♪ ♪
Now that that's done, I've got no time to waste.
I just got to keep moving.
♪ ♪
- I'm working on the grinder to get that medial ridge
Going down the center of the blade.
- That's four symmetrical grinds you got to do.
- Yeah. - Yeah. Right.
- If I end up winning this competition,
Some of the money's probably gonna go
To visiting family in florida.
Being in alaska,
I just don't get to see 'em as much as I would like to.
So it really means a lot.
- That's fantastic.
- The medial ridge looks good,
But that clock is ticking behind me.
And I got to start working on my handle.
♪ ♪
- Bladesmiths, you have two hours remaining!
- Oh.
- This piece of metal is at least five pounds easy,
And it's got to be down to two and a half, three,
Or it's just gonna be too heavy.
- This sword is kind of forward heavy
Because it doesn't have a counterbalance.
But that's when it has a normal size blade on it.
When it has the blade that bryan's making on it,
It's gonna be so forward heavy,
It's gonna be very difficult to wield.
- We've actually refused to test some blades
Because they were too heavy.
[sighs] the minute you pick up this weapon,
I feel the stress on my wrist, my elbows, and my shoulder.
- Nick, due to the extreme weight of your ikakalaka,
We cannot move forward with testing.
♪ ♪
- Time's running out.
I've got to get it to a more manageable thickness,
But I haven't fit the handle pieces yet.
So this is where I have
To just concentrate on the handle,
And I'm hoping that I can get it done.
♪ ♪
- Once all the handle material fits on the tang,
I need a mechanical hold.
Otherwise, it's going to come loose in the testing,
And that would eliminate me.
Welding.
- It's good to see that, so far, our current champion,
Kurt, is really doing well ahead of the game right now.
- Mm-hmm.
- That looks pretty good.
I know that I still have a lot of shaping to do,
And I still have to sharpen this entire blade,
But I'm giving it my all,
And I'm not gonna stop till the clock runs out.
- Bladesmiths, you have 15 minutes!
♪ ♪
- No, no, no! [shouts indistinctly]
Clock's ticking. I've got no time to waste.
I've just got to keep moving.
Now6 it's time to glue everything up.
Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah.
- With all the work that bryan's got to do,
He's really got to start kicking into another gear
And get going.
- We're in.
- I've got the handle fit, and it works.
But now I have a major gap.
Worst everything I've ever done.
I know I can't build a new piece for a spacer.
I can't take it apart. The glue is setting.
I don't have any more time.
So I go and run and grab some roman duct tape.
- [chuckles] - gap filler, there you go.
- Hey, whatever works, man.
- C'est la vie, mon ami.
It's done.
♪ ♪
Time's running out.
I've got to get an edge on this.
♪ ♪
- Five, four, three, two, one.
Bladesmiths, put down your tools!
Turn off your machines! This battle is over!
♪ ♪
- I definitely want to win this entire competition.
I would be able to really advance my shop.
The money would help me out. [chuckles]
♪ ♪
- Bladesmiths, welcome to the keal test.
Kurt, you're up first. You ready?
- Let's do it. - Let's do this.
♪ ♪
- If I win this one, I get another 5,000.
But my concern is that thin edge
And the blade developing a warp.
That could send me home.
♪ ♪
- My blade is by no means perfect.
My concern is the blade developing a warp.
Hopefully it holds.
♪ ♪
- All right, kurt, let's talk about your spatha here.
First up, the nickel that you have here
And how you brought that out is eye-catching.
It's almost like you got some lightning
Going on in your blade.
Now, your edge is wicked sharp,
Penetrates very deep into this ballistics dummy
And cuts the bones into that.
Overall, sir, your weapon, it will keal.
- Thank you, doug.
- Bryan, your turn, sir.
You ready? - Absolutely.
- All right, let's do this.
♪ ♪
- I shaved five pounds off of that thing,
And it was still heavy.
So I'm a little concerned with how it will perform.
I'm starting to get nervous here.
♪ ♪
- I cannot, no.
♪ ♪
Gentlemen, I think we have a problem here.
When I'm swinging, all that forward weight is on my wrist.
I can't wield it with one hand safely.
♪ ♪
I have to use two hands.
- Did you do two-handed on the other blade?
- On the last swing,
But on all the moves, single-handed.
♪ ♪
- So there's a vote of no confidence?
- Yeah.
♪ ♪
- Well, bryan, we want to say thank you
For your hard work in the forge.
You have absolutely zero quit in you.
But, unfortunately, due to the sheer weight of your blade,
Doug is unable to safely wield it without using two hands.
So, for those reasons, I'm gonna have to ask you
To please step off the forge floor.
- Fair enough. Thank you.
♪ ♪
Oh, I agree with what the judges had to say.
It was too heavy.
Initially, I thought if I picked something difficult
Like go mai,
It'd be more difficult for kurt, and instead, it bit me.
So I'm not in the competition anymore,
But, kurt, keep it up and give 'em hell, buddy.
♪ ♪
- Well, kurt,
You are a two-time gladiator of the forge.
Now you're at $10,000, going for that $75,000.
Congratulations. - Thank you, gentlemen.
I just won the second
"gladiator of the forge" competition.
- Now we got a question for you.
After two eight-hour brutal competitions,
You think you still have what it takes
To go in for a third battle?
- Oh, I'm going right back in there.
- Oh, absolutely. Well done. - Thank you.
♪ ♪
It wasn't how I wanted to win,
But I absolutely want to make it to all ten challenges
And be the victor of them all.
So I'm absolutely ready for another win.
Get out there and do it all over again.
♪ ♪