Ron, Jesse, we're sending you back to your home forges
to recreate this iconic weapon from history--
[music playing]
--the Inigo Montoya-inspired rapier.
You know the guy. (SPANISH ACCENT) You killed my father.
Prepare to-- forge, all right?
[chuckles]
Today we are pre-testing the Inigo Montoya-inspired rapier.
This is a version of the Inigo Montoya rapier
that I love from "Princess Bride."
So many people are inspired by pop culture,
by seeing different blades and different weapons from movies.
Now to actually see a version of that, that's amazing.
Now, guess what, Doug?
You get to test it.
Yes.
WIL WILLIS (VOICEOVER): Considered one
of the greatest swordsmen of his generation,
Inigo Montoya is a fictional character from the cult classic
"The Princess Bride."
According to the story, this famous blade
was the finest sword ever crafted by his father.
In parallel, Spanish swept hilt rapiers of the 17th century,
featuring a diamond cross-section
and a complex elaborate guard.
Intended for dueling, rapiers are lightweight and feature
a narrow point, allowing for quick cuts
and deadly, accurate thrusts.
One of the most recognized sword fights in pop culture,
Montoya infamously uses the weapon
against his father's killer, fulfilling
his quest for revenge.
When you think about the rapier
and how people wore it in those days,
and thinking about the movie, it inspires
you to try to move like them.
One thing that I love about this is the posture of the way
you wield the weapon.
If it was like a dance--
the dance of balance, the dance of posture--
and to be able to move and to wield
one, but at the same time, be like this very proud man
that Inigo Montoya was.
The unique feel of the rapier is that is a sword for dueling,
mostly for dueling one on one.
So by having something that light,
and you pull it out, you should be able to wield it nicely,
move around, not lose balance.
Some weapons you see out there, you can tell,
these are just butchering weapons,
I mean, for mass meleeing and fighting.
But you can see also that there's some weapons
that are created for finesse.
Sometimes they say, sometimes you're a butcher,
sometimes you're a surgeon where everything you do
is with a light touch, but just as deadly as one that is very
wide in its chopping motions.
Good luck, bladesmiths.
We'll see you in four days.
JESSE (VOICEOVER): I'm about to start building a Inigo
Montoya-inspired rapier.
There's not a whole lot of room
for error, so slow and steady will be the name of the game.
But I would really like to be through with the blade today.
The guard is very intricate, and it's going to take
a lot of attention to detail.
And the sooner I can get on it, the better off I'll be.
Here in a minute, we're going to start getting
ready for the heat treat.
I'm really worried that a blade this long
is going to come out warped.
This is the make or break moment.
So we're kind of at a mystery place.
We don't know whether it's hard, and we don't
know whether it's straight.
I noticed that there was just a slight little yaw in the edge.
Fixing to take all that out in grinding today.
Next, I'm gonna move on to the hilt.
I'm planning on forging all the parts
for the hilt out of an old wagon wheel
that my grandfather used to own.
I'm going to try to make up a little time.
I'm going to go ahead and forge out a knuckle bow.
And hopefully, by lunchtime, we can start fabricating the hilt.
This hilt's been pretty demanding.
There's about six different pieces here.
We spent a lot of time trying to make sure everything
was dialed in.
My hilt all came together pretty nicely,
just pulled it out of the etch.
Everything looks good.
My boys have popped in to see us.
MAN: Daddy, he's the one that's taught us everything we know,
so.
That-- you'll never hear that again.
That's the only time they'll ever admit that.
[laughs]
[iron clanking]
RON (VOICEOVER): I am almost positive that they're
going to do some kind of a flex test, so I'm choosing ADCRB2.
That should help with that.
The hilt is one of the more complex pieces here.
I'm actually going to use some really old wrought iron.
RON (VOICEOVER): One of the really
nice things about wrought iron is that it's beautiful.
My plan is to acid up so you can see
the lines around this thing.
I'm working on my normalization.
This is make or break.
If it works well, I'm all set.
I grab hold of it with another pair of tongs and go for it.
I am very pleased right now to have, at the end of day one,
a quench blade ready for temper.
But my goal is to actually get done with the blade today.
It leaves me two days to work on all of the embellishments.
I may get into doing some of the hilt work today.
I want to see how it goes with the grinding.
If I overgrind, I could completely destroy the blade.
There's a reason that it took Inigo Montoya's father
a year to make this sword.
There are so many pieces to this.
Now I can focus on getting that really complex
handle and hilt all together.
I'm forging out these bigger rings that
are on the side of the hand.
That's eventually going to become
this really complex basket.
Not perfect, but for day four, I'll take it.
Regardless of the outcome on this thing,
I've had a blast making this.
Win, lose or draw, it's just been so much fun.
Good job.
Thank you.
All right, Daddy Bladesmiths.
My name Douglas Mercaida.
I will kill the dummies.
They are prepared to die.
[chuckling]
To find out what kind of lethal damage
your weapons will do, I will take your rapiers
and deliver some thrust and slashes
on this ballistics dummy.
Ron, you're up first. You ready for this?
Absolutely.
Let's do it.
[music playing]
All right, Ron.
Let's talk about your rapier here.
It is a little bit on the heavier side,
but it's wieldable.
And with a nice swish of a slash, it cuts deeply.
Overall, sir, your rapier, it will kill.
Good job. - Thank you.
All right, Jesse. It's your turn.
You ready, sir?
Yes, sir.
[music playing]
All right, Jesse.
Let's talk about your blade here.
It's about the same weight.
The thrust penetrate all the way,
and to slash, well, deep cuts.
Overall, sir, your blade will kill.
Thank you, sir.
That's what I came to hear.
DAVID BAKER: All right, gentlemen.
It's time for the strength test.
And yes, I am going to torture your blades.
Ron, you're up first.
All right.
[thump]
If you haven't guessed already, it's a flex test.
[music playing]
Good job.
OK, Ron.
That's a brutal test, and he did really well.
If you look at your blade, there's
the slightest of bend in one direction, barely noticeable.
The dimensions of the guard are spot on.
And it's definitely a strong blade.
Nicely done.
Thank you very much.
Jesse, you ready for this?
'Bout as nervous as a long-tailed
cat in a room full of rocking chairs, but go ahead.
[laughs]
[music playing]
[exhales]
First things, Jesse, the guards in the proper scale--
really nicely done.
Issue is, you picked up a bit of a bend.
Still completely functional, usable blade.
Well done.
Thank you.
Bladesmiths, this is the sharpness test.
This is all about how sharp your blade is
and what it does to this dummy.
Ron, you're up first. You ready for this?
Yes, sir.
Let's do this.
[cracking]
All right, Ron.
Let's talk about your edge here.
This cut through the clothing and right into the foam.
And of course when thrusting, it goes deep.
Overall, sir, it will cut.
- Thank you. - All right, Jesse.
It's your turn, sir. You ready?
Yes, sir.
Let's do this.
[cracking]
All right, Jesse.
I can still see the little bend it took at the tip.
But the edges are razor sharp.
On the thrust, it goes deep.
It will cut. - Thank you, sir.
[music playing]
Ron, Jesse, you guys have turned
in some really quality blades.
This is a difficult decision for us to make.
And our Forged in Fire champion is Ron.
Congratulations.
You are the new Forged in Fire champion.
Jesse, please surrender your blade.
JESSE: Not being the "Forged in Fire"
champion is kind of-- it's not what I was looking for.
But if I made this blade again, I
would have took a little more time on my heat treat,
made sure I had it perfect.
Ron, congratulations.
You are the "Forged in Fire" champion.
You've led your family to this position,
and you'll be taking home a check for $10,000.
Good job, brother. - Thank you.
[applause]
It feels spectacular.
From beginning to end, this has been a great experience.
So the Hardman house is getting the "Forged
in Fire" Championship.