- Bladesmiths, this is the strength test.
To test the strength and durability of your edge,
I'm going to chop into these bones six times each.
This test is all about what the bones do to your blades
and not what your blades do to these bones.
Brian, you're up first.
Swing hard.
I know no other way.
BRIAN: I'm just worried.
They're pretty big bones.
And anybody that watches this show
knows that edge damage or blade breakage gets
you sent home pretty quick.
Well, Brian, your edge held up perfectly.
Awesome.
Other than a whole lot of bone dust on here,
I don't see any issue with the edge.
It still seems very sharp.
Very well done.
Thank you.
Matt, you're up next.
Are you already?
I'm as ready as I'm going to be.
MAN: All right.
MATT: Bone is nasty.
I'm nervous about the epoxy I put on the blade.
I'm just hoping this knife's going to hold.
Well, Matt, the epoxy stayed on.
Good deal.
[laughter]
There's some chipping that happened up here at the edge.
But the whole thing held together.
Well done.
Thank you.
Tyler, you're up.
You ready?
I want to do it.
But I'm ready.
TYLER: I think that my knife's going to destroy the bone.
Fragments are going to fly everywhere.
I'd swing at those bones till either I broke down
or the blade broke down.
I was hoping it would cut all the way through it.
Well, Tyler, there is some chipping along the blade
here from the bone.
And the handle is very round.
It just wasn't super duper comfortable in my head.
But overall, well done. - Appreciate it.
Thank you.
Up next is the sharpness test.
And for that, I give you to Dave.
All right, gentlemen, to test the sharpness of your blade,
I'll be slicing into those ropes three times.
Brian, you're up first. Are you ready?
Let's go. DAVE: OK.
All right, Brian, it's a very sharp blade.
And they cut the rope pretty cleanly.
But it wasn't able to cut very deeply because that edge
geometry is very stout.
As far as the feel goes, it's a little bit square
on the back of the handle.
Right here, it'd be nice to see that rounded over.
But it's definitely a cutter.
Thank you.
DAVE: Matt, you ready?
Let's put it on the floor. DAVE: OK.
- Yes! - Good job.
[clapping]
This fix you came up with was ingenious.
I call that epoxy Damascus.
DAVE: [laughs] Your edge is extremely sharp.
I mean, you can see it's cleanly cut.
Nicely done.
Thank you.
Tyler, you ready?
Yeah, I'm ready.
OK.
Tyler, you can see, your rope, it's cut.
The issue I have is with this handle.
I had to adjust after every hit.
Every time I hit, that knife would roll in my hand.
There's just no contouring to it.
It makes for a very difficult knife to control.
Bladesmiths, the judges have completed their deliberation
and they've made a final decision.
It's time for another elimination.
Tyler, your blade did not make the cut.
Tyler, we've always said that the handle is what connects
the end user to the blade.
Your handle was a little bit on the cylindrical side, which
makes it hard to hold on to.
And your blade took some damage.
And it just wasn't the sharpest out of your competitors.
For those reasons, we have to let you go.
All right, Tyler, please, surrender your blade.
TYLER: From the damage that was done from the bone,
it dulled the piss out of it.
But I've learned more in the past few hours than I have
since I've started bladesmithing.
And I believe it will make me a better
bladesmith in the future.
[music playing]