WIL WILLIS: David, Todd, congratulations.
Your work has advanced you into this final round
of competition.
Now we're sending you back to your home forges
to recreate an iconic blade from history.
That weapon is the Cavalry Saber.
[music playing]
NARRATOR: The Cavalry Saber emerged in Europe
around the 18th century.
With new developments and battlefield tactics,
cavalry soldiers didn't have time for fancy sword
plate or thrust.
The Cavalry Saber allowed mounted soldiers to attack
with a deadly overhand slash.
It wasn't just the curve of the weapon that
made it a dangerous chopper.
The tip of the blade was thicker than the hilt
adding more power to the swing.
The sword has become one of the more iconic weapons of its time
and was used by Captain Jack Aubrey in the film
"Master and Commander."
Though lethal enough to cut off an arm with a single swing,
the admin of gunpowder saw the Cavalry Saber relegated
to ceremonial purposes.
Good luck, bladesmiths.
We'll see you in five days.
Yeah, let's do this.
[music playing]
TODD BITLER: I'm back at my forge, happy to be home.
My design will actually be off from the original.
The blade will have a fair amount of curvature.
It'll be beautiful and functional.
I used coal my whole life.
That's how I started out.
Everybody complains about coal.
Oh, it's hard.
Oh, I can't keep the fire hot.
They just don't know what to do.
[music playing]
Now, here's where you gotta watch.
You don't want to overheat--
your metal.
I make my blades the old way.
I forge them by hand.
I use all hand tools.
It takes me a little bit longer, but it
shows in the finished product.
It's not really cheap.
It's learning how to do things and I'm a kind of guy
who wouldn't pay a penny to see a pissing in a bale of hay
on a Sunday.
So I can fabricate just about anything.
I can do custom cars, bikes, rehab houses.
So they want the sword, they're going to get a sword.
[music playing]
DAVID MOONEYHAM: And away we go.
We're here in Oklahoma City in my home shop.
Behold the mess.
My shop is just very bare bones.
I've got hammers, fire, and a grinder.
No turning back now.
My experience with swords is mostly
fantasy blades like katanas, the pirate cutlass,
that sort of thing.
So I've never tried to forge a blade that large and never all
on one forging session.
Here's where that power hammer would come in real handy.
Every heat, it's inducing a little curve or a little twist.
It's such a long blade.
I correct one little war for one little band.
There's another one beside.
It gets a little worse.
If I'm heating, I'm hammering.
I'm heating, I'm hammering, and hammering, and hammering.
[music playing]
This thing is a monster of a blade.
[music playing]
TODD BITLER: Day two, and I'm feeling good.
I really want to make this blade superb, so I pound the edge in.
Takes me a little bit longer, but it's worth the time.
See that edge on that?
I'm basically right down the sharp.
Best case scenario is tomorrow, I
get this blade quenched and start
on the guard and the handles.
And see what I've got?
Oh, and I see the burnout.
[bleep]
The thing with coal is you cannot see the color.
When you're trying to guess what the heat is,
just half a crank can burn it up.
The blade is junk.
[bleep]
I'm kind of PO'd.
I just spent almost two days making this blade.
But when the going gets tough, the tough get going.
I'm going to start another blade.
DAVID MOONEYHAM: Finally, I'm done
with all the rough forging.
About ready to heat treat.
The sword is a beast.
It really is.
If this quench goes poorly and I have to start over,
it really could jeopardize my ability
to turn in the finished blade.
Hold on to your butts.
[music playing]
This baby is hard like trigonometry.
Just look at it.
Spring!
I'm going to go ahead and take some of these warps
out with a torch, and move on to grinding.
[bleep]
Every bladesmith knows this sound.
It's the dreaded ping of death, and I
really don't like that sound.
I forgot that when you dip it in water,
build a bunch of stress--
son of a bitch.
Caused it to crack.
Can't even explain how disappointed I am right now.
Half the time is gone, and I gotta start over completely.
TODD BITLER: Yesterday, I made another blade.
So I'm going to really move on this thing.
I got less than two days to make this handle great.
The handle is going to be made out of bird walnut.
It'll be filed in a spiral.
So your fingers feel really comfortable.
I'm using my secret magic potion.
Makes it look 200 years old.
Fine details really show up in the end, so it's tedious.
It takes a lot of time.
But I think my skills show that I'm ready for any challenge.
Yep, she's sharp.
Just keep on going.
DAVID MOONEYHAM: Last day, and I'm quenching a new blade.
If I don't get this right the first time,
I won't have enough time to finish it.
Well, no tings.
Slap a handle on it.
Call it good.
I have no idea how to finish this handle.
I think I'm just going to go as fast as I can,
but this D-guard is completely new to me.
I'm just going to have to make it up as I go along.
Worst case scenario, I just make something ugly.
Seriously no bueno here.
No, dammit.
Be a handle.
Not a piece of art, but it's an instrument of destruction.
DAVID BAKER: The Cavalry Saber was
a weapon that dominated the battlefields of Europe
for almost 200 years.
So to test the sharpness of your blades,
I'm going to take three cuts against our bag here.
Now, Dave, you're up first.
Are you ready?
Let's do it.
[music playing]
DAVID BAKER: Going about 3/4 of the way through--
the curvature of your weapon and the fact
that it is as sharp as it is really did a nice job on that.
Interesting shaped guard, but to quote a friend of mine,
this will cut.
All right, Todd, you're up.
Are you ready? - Yes, sir.
I'm ready.
[music playing]
DAVID BAKER: All right, Todd, right off the bat,
we've got a bit of a loose handle right there.
You can see that it cut the bag nicely.
It is sharp, and it will cut.
So well done on that.
DOUG MARCAIDA: Place bits.
To see what kind of lethal damage your saber can do,
I will take your sword and deliver multiple strikes
on the ballistics dummy.
Dave, you're up first.
Are you ready?
Let's kill that dummy.
DOUG MARCAIDA: Let's do it.
[music playing]
Dave, your blade is razor sharp.
On the initial slash, you can see
how much it lacerated through.
Second one made it all the way into the bone,
and even on the thrust, with the way your blade is angled,
you can lacerate and gut everything that's in there.
This, sir, will kill.
Good job. - Awesome.
Thank you.
Todd, you're up next. Are you ready?
Yep. Let's do this.
[music playing]
DOUG MARCAIDA: OK, Todd.
On the horizontal slash with the movement, it dug in nicely.
You've got a good configuration with your blade here.
This weapon will kill.
Awesome.
DOUG MARCAIDA: Good job.
Thank you.
DAVID BAKER: Gentlemen, to test the edge of your blade,
we're going to take your swords, clamp them in a vise,
and fire a ball at them.
Awesome.
DAVID BAKER: Dave, you're up.
DAVID MOONEYHAM: Tear it up.
DAVID BAKER: All right, guys.
3, 2, 1.
Fire!
[gunshot]
[music playing]
Yup.
Split it.
DAVID MOONEYHAM: I'm just super relieved when I see those three
holes appear in the backdrop.
Dave, you can actually see the two
points where the hollow point bullet hit this blade.
Other than that small deflection right
there, blade's held up nicely.
Sweet.
DAVID BAKER: All right, Todd, are you ready for this?
Yes, sir.
DAVID BAKER: All right, gentlemen, in 3, 2, 1.
Fire!
[gunshot]
DAVID BAKER: Oh, yeah.
That's split.
[music playing]
So that bullet split nicely on your sword.
There's a little bit of edge deflection, but very little.
Still straight.
Hardly affected the edge at all.
Nicely done.
Thank you.
All right, gentlemen.
You've both done fantastic work.
However, in this arena of competition,
there can only be one "Forged in Fire" champion.
[music playing]
Dave, congratulations.
You are the "Forged in Fire" champion.
Todd, please surrender your weapon.
TODD BITLER: I'm very proud of what I've done.
To make a blade, it doesn't matter whether you've
made hundreds or one.
Things can happen at any time, just like life.
I'm just going to move on and do better, and continue to make
what I make, and do what I do.
[music playing]
WIL WILLIS: Dave, congratulations,
you are the new "Forged in Fire" champion
and will receive a check for $10,000.
Good job.
Thank you.
DAVID MOONEYHAM: I'm in total shock over this.
I don't think any of this is going to sink in until my feet
touch down in Oklahoma again.
I'm a hobbyist against a bunch of full time bladesmiths.
I'm going to be talking forever about this.
I'm very happy and excited.
[music playing]