FORGED IN FIRE KNIFE SET TV

Unanimously, those interviewed who appeared on FIF maintained that the contestants should be better paid. вЂњWe didnвЂ™t have to become enemies!вЂќ Josh emphasized. вЂњThe clock provides the drama that they need instead of drama between the contestants.вЂќ He added that Mareko Maumasi, his competitor and winner of the вЂњJudgesвЂ™ PickвЂќ special episode (season four, episode one), is now a good friend.

FORGED IN FIRE KNIFE SET TV

вЂњEverybody needs to realize that theyвЂ™re trying to make an entertaining TV show, and I think they do a good job,вЂќ Smith explained. Thankfully, according to Josh Smith, a two- time FIF contestant and the youngest person ever to earn an ABS master smith stamp at 19 in 2000, it didnвЂ™t include any typical reality-show-style infighting on the set. One way to achieve вЂњgood televisionвЂќ is to introduce drama. Though none had the proverbial sour grapes about their FIF experience, the recurring caveat was that good television producers have one goal in mind, which is producing good television-and that doesnвЂ™t necessarily translate into total satisfaction for the contestants. вЂњThe badвЂќ is definitely part of the mix, according to the storyвЂ™s sources who were contestants. вЂњThereвЂ™s good and bad, but the good outweighs the bad.вЂќ вЂњWeвЂ™re still gaining members, though,вЂќ he allowed. He added that the ABS has also seen a lot more turnover lately, with people joining up for a year only to never be heard from again. вЂњItвЂ™s not a spike-IвЂ™d call it a steady rise in membership since the show started.вЂќ An ABS journeyman smith and treasurer of the ABS, Bill Wiggins said the ABS has enjoyed a steady rise in membership ever since FIFвЂ™s debut episode seven years ago. вЂњI donвЂ™t know what to call it,вЂќ he pondered. Such interest has had a measurable effect on ABS membership, according to ABS journeyman smith, board member and treasurer, Bill Wiggins. вЂњPeople like me hold fast to it, and I want to share it as art.вЂќ вЂњItвЂ™s important in our culture,вЂќ Knight added. He agreed that the showвЂ™s primary value lies in inspiring its audience to appreciate, and perhaps pursue, a craft that ties together history, art, science and technology from an ancient world. Hughes Award winner and guest FIF judge during portions of seasons three and four. вЂњThe men and women who compete on this show are engaging in an arena of gladiators,вЂќ described ABS master smith Jason Knight, B.R.

At left is вЂњDan the cameraman.вЂќ (Tammy Randall image) Randall holds his spadroon sword, the one he made to win the International Competition episode of FIF. For them, witnessing the process of manipulating steel into a knife, sword or axe using fire, a hammer and other assorted machinery and instruments, while facing the adversity of time constraints and random surprises, is at once exciting and inspiring. Indeed, the fiery furnaces easily translate into a burning interest among many of the showвЂ™s viewers. вЂњIt appeals to a lot of people because itвЂ™s an old craft, and itвЂ™s been brought back, in a sense.вЂќ вЂњItвЂ™s brought the publicвЂ™s awareness around to hand- crafted items, and thatвЂ™s a good thing,вЂќ Randall observed. Randall, veteran ABS master smith and winner of FIFвЂ™s 2017 international championship (season four, episode 19). More important is the awareness such publicity has brought to the craft, according to J.W. While its list of participants is far from a comprehensive WhoвЂ™s Who of bladesmiths, one would be hard-pressed to spend more than an hour at the next BLADE Show without encountering a first- person recollection of pounding steel on the small screen. For starters, it has introduced the general viewing public to a cast of characters that constitutes a realistic cross section of the knifemaking community.

The long-running TV competition undoubtedly has been an asset to the forging community. At 19, Josh Smith was the youngest smith to ever achieve ABS master smith status when he did so in 2000.

And ask we did-two contestants, a former FIF guest judge and a member of the board of directors of the American Bladesmith Society-with the goal of shedding light on where the hit show lands on the spectrum between the two. Be that as it may, History ChannelвЂ™s hit show, Forged in Fire, has been on the air for seven seasons, which proves its staying power.ДЇIF is characterized as both inspirational and gimmicky depending on who you ask. Such treatment has ups and downs regarding its effect on the knife industry. THOSE WHO KNOW DISSECT TVвЂ™S LONG-RUNNING FORGED IN FIREД«ladesmithing enjoys the same treatment as motorcycle building got in the mid- 2000s-that is, it has become a well-established reality show competition on cable television.

Forged in fire knife set