Matt, Ben, you've been here before.
You know the deal.
We're sending you home to recreate
an iconic weapon from history.
However, there's a twist.
Of course.
You knew there would be.
Because you are both "Forged in Fire" champions,
we have decided to bring back an extremely challenging weapon--
the Scottish claymore.
Claymore!
Yay.
WIL: Enjoy.
This massive, two-handed sword was wielded by Scottish
Highlanders as early as 1490.
Made famous in modern pop culture
by the film "Braveheart," its impressive size and length
made it a fearsome weapon.
The claymore is easily recognizable by its quatrefoil,
crossguard, and angled arms.
Due to its large size, the heavy sword was
usually swung with two hands.
It was so deadly it was nicknamed the "slaughter-sword"
by the English who faced it on the battlefield.
Because of its prowess, the claymore
was a mainstay of the Scottish Army for nearly two centuries.
Good luck, bladesmiths.
We'll see you in five days.
Good luck.
Good luck, man.
[music playing]
Today I plan to get two billets
of Damascus welded up, hopefully twisted,
maybe welded to each other.
It'll be a good day if I can get all three of those things done.
The big forge just wasn't working right.
It was coughing and spitting.
So I had to retire it and just do everything
in the smaller forge.
It's tougher to work with the smaller forge
because it's not as hot.
I'm five hours in.
I haven't even gotten the metal to start
making the sword yet, so.
It's just one of those setbacks that could really bite you.
Plan today-- first thing is to profile it,
grind it, get that thing into heat treat as fast as possible.
I just grind.
I'm grinding and grinding and grinding,
and I'm trying to get as much done as I can.
And then I run into a major issue.
[bleep]
Ugh!
There is a little thin spot that I didn't mean to put in there.
Just chasing it.
It's getting thinner and thinner and thinner.
Just gonna have to go with it, though, because it's
not flexing weird there.
It just looks weird.
But when you're under a time crunch and you rush,
that's what happens.
Let's just say I made that traditionally thin.
BEN: So it's the beginning of day three.
I finally got the blade drawn out
and ready for the heat treat.
This is the largest quench I've ever done.
It's making me quite nervous.
I'm adding salt to make sure it's the right height
when I put the sword in.
My major concern with the quench today, I
have to watch for warping and any kind of twisting.
You know, it's a big, long blade.
A tiny little twist, and you can almost corkscrew the thing.
So I just have to be really careful.
[suspenseful music]
I'm very happy.
The quench seemed to go really well.
Sword is still straight.
It's a good day.
MATT: So yesterday, I got the sword rough assembled.
I got the handle core fit and the guard roughed out.
I'm feeling pretty confident I'm gonna get done,
and I am exhausted.
There's two ways to become rich as a knifemaker,
start with a small fortune and start with a large one.
And I'm not a rich person, so $10,000 would definitely help.
[music playing]
That was me.
So I suck cutting with a two-handed sword.
I think my sword is capable of cutting much better than that.
We'll see what happens.
BEN: It's day five.
At the end of last night, I was very,
very happy with my progress.
Pulling the sword out of the etch for the first time
was one of my favorite parts.
I hose it down, and I get my first glimpse of the pattern
that's in that blade.
Absolutely gorgeous.
And I've got a long list of things that I need to do.
It's just time to get to work.
I kind of feel like a surrogate mother.
I spent an entire week making this thing
and putting my blood, sweat, and tears into it.
But, uh, I think I made something amazing.
Can't imagine what would be in it.
Ben, Matt, welcome to the gun range.
I'm thinking Ben is terrified at the idea of somebody
shooting his sword.
I was the first time, too, so I understand.
As you can see, we've brought back
a test worthy of a champion's blade, bullet splitting.
Each of your blades will be locked into a vise that
will fire a single round at your blades to test their edge
retention and strength.
Your weapons are strong, should split the bullet no problem.
They're not strong, well, your blade could shatter entirely.
Good luck.
Matt, you're up first.
3, 2, 1.
Engage.
[gunshot]
[bleep] yeah!
Nice.
[gunshot]
You got a couple little dimples on the edge there.
It's just a little bit dulled, but
everything held up beautifully.
Good job, Matt.
MATT: Thank you.
Ben, you're up.
Are you ready?
Sure. Let's do it.
You got it, man.
J. NEILSON: Let's get it ready.
3, 2, 1.
Engage.
[gunshot]
MATT: Nice.
BEN: There we go.
Yeah, that sucker just fragmented.
[gunshot]
Well, Ben, the only problem I can see is, uh,
rubbed a little bit of your etch off.
Did nothing at all to the blade.
Edge is still perfect.
BEN: Thank you.
Gentlemen, the Scottish claymore, as you know,
was a brutal weapon on the battlefield.
So to test the sharpness of your blades,
I'm gonna take a single blow through both
these front legs of the horse, simulated with sugar cane.
If your blades are sharp, they should pass right through.
Matt, you're up.
Are you ready?
Yeah.
Kill the horse.
[dramatic music]
Matt, this weapon is so amazingly light
and flexible, as well, that when I hit, there was no resistance.
It literally passed right through the legs.
I was through them before I knew it.
Well done, Matt.
Really well done.
Ben, you ready?
Let's do it.
DAVID: All right.
Let's give it a try.
[dramatic music]
He's still down.
Yeah.
Well, Ben, it cut cleanly through the first leg.
Kind of bogged down on the second leg, unlike Matt's.
And I have a feeling it's the width of the profile
up here just slowing it down a bit.
But I don't think that horse is running ever again.
Nicely done, Ben.
Thank you.
Bladesmiths, this is the kill test.
To see how lethal on your blades are, I will take your claymore,
and I will try to cut through these pig carcasses
with one chop.
As you know, last season, both claymores
suffered catastrophic failures on this very test.
Let's see how much lethal damage your blades can do.
Matt, you're up first.
Are you ready?
Go for it.
DOUG: Let's do this.
[music playing]
It didn't break.
That's a win.
Matt, I love the feel of your blade.
It feels very comfortable in the hands.
It's very easy to maneuver.
It was sharp enough to cut through,
in terms of lacerating, but it's just so flexible,
it didn't go through.
For this test, sir, it will not kill.
I'm pissed at that pig right now.
Ben, you're up next.
Are you ready?
Hope so.
DOUG: Let's do this.
[dramatic music]
[exhales]
Ben, this blade just sliced all
the way through that carcass.
It's flexible.
It's got good feel to the cut.
This, sir, will kill.
Thanks.
DOUG: Good job, man.
Matt, Ben, welcome back.
The judges have evaluated your weapons'
performance and construction.
It was difficult, but they've made their final decision.
Gentlemen, both of your weapons are bulletproof, they're sharp,
and they're deadly.
But today, there can only be one "Forged in Fire" champion.
[dramatic music]
Ben, congratulations.
You are our first two-time "Forged in Fire" champion.
Great job.
Matt, I have to ask you to surrender
your Scottish claymore.
I'm a "Forged in Fire" champion.
That's never gonna go away.
I don't feel like I failed in this.
I don't feel like I'm a loser in this or anything.
I just feel like Ben did slightly better.
And that's awesome.
Ben, you are our first and only two-time "Forged in Fire"
champion.
You will also be receiving that check for $10,000.
Your claymore is a thing of beauty, not only to look at,
but to wield.
[clapping]
- I'm at a loss for words. - Thank you.
DOUG: Great job.
Oh, my God.
I am the "Forged in Fire" champion of champions.
I can't believe it.
The people I was competing against are so good.
To actually have come out and win this thing,
it's absolutely amazing.
[music playing]