Review of Forged in Fire

Forged in Fire is a good show. fun to watch and enjoyable, The judges are characters and their weapons expert Doug's signature "It willl keeelll." catchphrase is meme able. The challenge to forge against the clock is BS but adds drama and some reasonably talented craftsmen have appeared on the show. But don't be fooled, hard skill and science is glossed over on this show, Making a blade in the fashion shown on this show will not be a good idea, unless you like broken blades. That or massive sections of time are missing, essential techniques like annealing steel, tempering and thermocycleing are missing, and the common point down quench is frowned on by real smiths as it bends the blade, Key tools are missing and for a show with Forged in the title most of the blades are rough shaped and then stock removal to complete. The trash challenges are a bad idea. most real smiths wont make a knife out of steel they cant verify, real "junk" used by knifemakers; leaf springs, coil springs, disker disks, files, chisels, wrenches, cable, ball bearings. That is the kind of stuff most smiths forge into a knife that will last, not garden shed crap. The show puts a lot of glory on Damascus steel and folding, a process not needed with modern metals, its just looks cool, but it has the potential to fail in a heart beat with one open weld. The heat of the forged on set is at issue as the steel should never be heated yellow or white unless welding as it burns out the blade.

A great way to pass an hour on a Tuesday and see some skilled and semi skilled people work their craft, don't look at it if you are an actual smith unless you like yelling at the TV (I do so I watch..)

Nice to have history make a show that does not have Hitler or a pawnshop in it for once.