- Bladesmiths, welcome to our strength test, the bolt baton.
Now what I'm going to do is take this well-used bat,
and I'm going to take your friction folders.
And I'm going to baton the back of your blades
at three different points on those bolts.
Derek, you're up first. You ready?
Uh, yeah, I guess.
Do what you do.
[music playing]
DEREK: J looks like an evil villain ready to do
some serious destruction.
Come on, baby.
Hold together.
[music playing]
[shouts]
- [laughing] - It didn't fly apart.
That's hard to watch.
[music playing]
All right, Derek, first of all,
you did have a little bit of edge damage here.
You got a couple rolls here where I
can actually catch my nail on.
You do still have tension, but the problem
is your blade did shift.
DEREK: OK.
And when I go to close it, now it's catching on this side.
But your edge held up fairly well.
Overall, good job.
Thank you.
Bob, you ready to play?
It's what I came for.
J: All right, let's do it.
[music playing]
BOB: My edge profile might be just a little bit thin
for this test.
So I'm nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rockers.
You got this.
We'll see.
[music playing]
All right, Bob.
The big issue was--
Oh.
--there is no mechanical connection back here.
There's no pins.
When I struck the spine, the shock traveling down that blade
just blew that epoxy apart.
All right, John, how you feeling?
Oh, just ready to get it over with.
[music playing]
Mine has got to be the thinnest blade there.
It's not meant to have this type of abuse put on it.
[music playing]
Little blood this time.
All right, John, we've got a few issues here.
You don't have rolls on your edge.
You have pieces missing.
And though I like the fact you used a steel pin,
it's very small and it didn't hold,
just blew right out of place.
So now your blade just--
your pivot point just didn't hold up.
[music playing]
To see and test the edge of your folders,
I'm going to take your weapon and slice across this ham.
Derek, you're up first. You ready?
Yes, sir. [music playing]
Let's talk about the edge.
It's razor sharp.
All right.
The way I was able to cut through this ham,
it sliced easily and deep.
Your blade will cut.
All right.
All right, Bob, it's your turn.
You ready?
If you're ready, I'm willing.
[music playing]
Very nice.
DOUG: All right, Bob.
We have an issue with your handle here being loose.
But the good thing about friction folders
is it is the hand that holds it in place with the handle,
secure enough to where I'm still able to test with it.
I like the way it feels in the hand.
Your edge is sharp.
It slices easy.
It's light and fast, and it will cut.
Thank you.
Good job.
All right, John, it's your turn.
You ready? - Let's do it.
[music playing]
Nice. Way to go.
Thank you.
Despite having chips on the edge here, as you can see,
it cuts easily into the ham.
It's just this part where you can't keep it
close without holding on to it.
It's lost its friction in that part.
It will cut.
Thank you, sir.
Good job.
HOST: Bladesmiths, the judges' deliberation is complete,
and it's time for one of you smiths to leave the forge.
The bladesmith leaving the forge is--
[music playing]
John, your blade did not make the cut.
J. Neilson's going to tell you why.
J: Now John, I liked your concept,
but that small pin being unsecured and popping loose,
it's no longer a friction folder.
And because of that, you failed to fulfill the requirements
of the challenge.
And that's why we're sending you home.
Understood.