History's newest competition show ... challenges smiths from across the country to, in the first of three rounds, forge a sturdy, deadly knife under a strict time limit. Following rigorous testing and an elimination, the smiths must then create a suitable hilt for their knife. Finally, when only two smiths remain, they have a week to replicate a particular historical weapon that not only retains its edge and cuts clean, but is period-accurate. The winner of each episode walks away with $10,000.
The show's three judges determine whose steel is most worthy of the prize. Baker, a veteran of Spike's Deadliest Warrior and Hollywood prop man, is the authority on historical accuracy and aesthetic beauty. Mastersmith J. Neilson examines the technical qualities and tests the durability of the swords, while martial artist Doug Marcaida determines how effective the weapons would actually be in their natural habitat: combat.
Stirring the pot is Wil Willis, a former ranger and pararescueman ...
There are some cool photos of forging and some of the contestants' blades with the PM article, and it looks like you can watch the full episodes at the History Channel's site.
4 comments:
SBG often links history and other videos about steel work and weapons. Not always useful or accurate, but entertaining at least.
Differentially hardened steel doesn't seem as stable compared to mono steel hardened versions. I haven't done a 1 to 1 comparison, it's more like a 50% comparison, but the harmonics from the force feedback takes more techniques to sink and bleed off in the blades hardened with different HRC components.
I watched the Viking Battle Axe episode on my DVR. It was interesting, but three hours to forge a blade seems to me not enough time to really test their forging skills. It was almost completely a race against the clock. I don't think they are really looking for historical accuracy per se either- I think it's only in so far as what you make qualifies as being a legitimate interpretation of that weapon, so in the case of the Viking battle axe, that it be long handled, have a broad blade and a hook. The guy that lost basically lost because he apparently didn't know much about using an axe- round handle makes indexing the blade to your hand a visual exercise, and he put pigskin wraps on the handle which inhibited the natural hand slide in the downswing. I think I'll try another episode and see if I still think it's worth watching- I learned a lot about forging by seeing the kinds of mistakes they made, as opposed to the usual reading or watching something that tells you the right way to do it.
Facebook and other Leftist controlled mouth pieces, are banning advertisement for swords, it being under "weapons".
Something that happened before the Left ordered the banning of the General Lee's flag.
I'll have to carve out some time to watch the Viking axe episode.
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