Black smithing and sword making were once a noble professions where time and effort was a paramount, and patience was very crucial. These idiots have made it a stupid game with an unheard of time limit. Craftmanship has been totally dismissed for the sake of TV ratings. What an ABOMINATION!!
shareI disagree since like any competition it's showing what masters of a particular craft can do even under pressure and strict time limits.
shareYou still don't get it do you? How about if they get three surgical teams together and see which one can take out a kidney from a patient the fastest.
shareDo you usually cry this much over a tv show?
shareMoronic comparison. These guys making a knife in hours to show off their skills isn't going to cost anyone their life. Obviously these guys would take great care and time when making a blade for sale or for a client. The fact that they can make a working blade in that amount of time shows you how good they really are.
shareOn the contrary. The couple of shows that I have seen, the judges have made comments that make reference to blades that were not good enough for sale or for a client. I think some of those judges are just trying to knit pick.
shareI guess I missed the part where the stuff they are making is for sale. Look, obviously the blades aren't going to be perfect, as I stated.
shareMy comparison may have been a little over the top, but making the content of the show a race is wrong. Each show should be a condensed version of one person working on a single project. I guess they just wanted a show with drama brought in at a low budget price.
shareThese kind of time limits are typical on all these type of shows. A professional designer doesn't have to make a gown in 24 hours in real life, but in Project Runway they do. Professional prosthetics aren't designed and made in 2-3 days, but on Face Off they are. Its a test of pressure as well as creativity.
shareno one's life is at stake on forged in fire, and it is probably inspiring thousands of people to take an interest in blacksmithing and blade crafting
"Insults are the arguments employed by those who are in the wrong." J.J. Rousseau
I know no one's life is at stake, I was just being sarcastic for effect. I was just pointing out that forging a blade can be just as delicate and time consuming. I also agree that this may inspire others to take an interest in blacksmithing or blade crafting, but putting an almost unrealistic time limit on these contestants to complete a task does more harm than good.
I would rather watch a blade crafter work on something that maybe some of his (or her) best work than watch three people work at a breakneck pace in order to create something that is probably not up to their own standard of work.
it's more competitive with the time limit, and it shows how the contestants can think on the fly, adapt, and improvise. The contestants know what they are in for, yet they still volunteer.
"Insults are the arguments employed by those who are in the wrong." J.J. Rousseau
Please feel free to watch it at your hearts 's content, but trying to convince people that they are there to win is unrealistic. I believe their only reason for being there is to get noticed.
shareBlack smithing and sword making were once a noble professions where time and effort was a paramount, and patience was very crucial. These idiots have made it a stupid game with an unheard of time limit. Craftmanship has been totally dismissed for the sake of TV ratings. What an ABOMINATION!!
They always speed up the time in these Reality competition shows.. 2 days to to design, sew, fit Original dress, Create an original studio quality makeup in 3 days, Redecorate a room in the day. Cook this or that in 30 Minutes.
shareEver watch Face Off? Three days to create a camera-ready make-up that should take three weeks......
Yeah, and they do a pretty good job in the time they have. The makeups are rarely perfect or camera ready but considering they only have 3 days and basically no room for mistakes makes it all the more impressive.
share60 minute makeover!
1 house
1 hour
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Someone is taking themselves a little to seriously. I thought the time they gave us was rediciulous and would never make a customer a knife under those circumstances, or use some of those tools they gave us. I can't wait to see what spins off from this.
Since this aired I've had several people want to try and forge their own blades and let them use my shop and forge their own blades. Two have since joined the ABS. It's entertainment not a documentary.
I am glad you got a good response from the several people, but how do you put up with those pompous judges? Sometimes I think they expect something like EXCALIBUR from you guys. Maybe they will follow one of you guys around while you work on a project for a spinoff. That I would definitely watch!!
shareHonestly other than Jay I had never heard of the judges before. I knew of will from his other tv shows. We never got to interact with the judges except during eliminations. They had a job to do and so did we. I didn't take anything personal. No one I know that was on the show would have made a knife like that under those conditions. It's entertainment.
Right now I'm filming a documentary on what it takes to get my JS stamp at blade show next June.
Has your documentary been picked up yet? Please let us know. I enjoy watching a master craftsman at work, whether it's a woodworker or a weapons master.
shareThey are still noble professions. Turn off the tv and go outside and play, there is a whole world beyond the boob tube.
|Statistics show that 100% of people bitten by a snake were close to it.|
??? It's still a noble profession. I don't think it becomes diminished by this show in any way. It was never unclear to me that these craftsmen are laboring under time constraints that are simply unheard-of in their profession. I think the general public, at this point, is essentially aware of the machinations and limitations of "reality" TV, and that History, Discovery, etc are far more about entertainment than education.
It may seem unfair to subject these men to these limitations and then judge their blades under harsh criteria, but *that's the point* It's to see how well these instruments can come together under a set of criteria that allows for an entertainingly edited pace.
That said, I certainly wouldn't mind a disclaimer displayed at the outset of every episode explaining the years of apprenticeship, training and practice, as well as a sense of the real timeframe that it takes to make an axe, sword, or knife that's good enough to sell.
...and Mrs. Taylor sure seems to use a lotta ice, whenever he's away
I thought it was interesting at first, but when the judges criticize, chastised, and sometimes insult the craftsmen. That is when I stopped watching the show. It's like watching "Nancy Grace" (which I don't anymore). When she invites a couple of attorneys on and ask them how they would defend the accused, she berates them just like these judges.
shareOh please. Criticism is key to shows like this. It helps the viewers understand why they choose one contestant over the other. Besides, the things they are criticizing are things that should not be happening when the person has as much experience as the contestants.
Besides, ALL of the contestants are working under the same conditions. So if 3 of them can create a workable blade and the other one can't, that person deserves any criticism.
It's just plain cheap attention getting like all these reality and professional contestant shows. Trying to create fake drama does service to no one. Giving these guys (craftsmen) a short time limit to create quality work is just plain stupid to any layman. Most people would like to see a craftsman's work (especial their best work), but not under these extreme conditions. I would rather watch one craftsman work on one project for a half hour (condensed from a few hours of quality work). Everybody wins, an artist creates something he (or she) cherishes, and the audience gets to appreciate a master at work.
share