Forged in Fire

In this first half of a two-part Road to Redemption competition, seven past competitors who fell short return to the forge for a second chance at glory and redemption.

In the second half of the Road to Redemption competition four former smiths remain, each competing for a second chance to become a Forged in Fire Champion.

Four bladesmiths honor some of the greatest Americans of all times -- the Presidents. First, competitors pay homage to famed adventurer, President Theodore Roosevelt.

For the special 100th episode of Forged in Fire, four bladesmiths are tasked with forging a chopper and must choose from a mammoth pile of metals and materials from all previous 99 episodes.

Four smiths must think outside the box when tasked with using the dreaded canister method to forge a signature blade. Welding failures and abandoned canisters leave some of the competitors scrambling.

Four bladesmiths plunge into the first round of competition where they must forge a blade using steel harvested from a vintage pinball machine. There's no playing around as the smiths aim to get to the next level before the clock runs out.

The wheels start turning when four bladesmiths must forge friction folders from a rusty pickup truck. The salvaged steel proves temperamental, causing a few of the blades and smiths to crack under the pressure.

Four bladesmiths take a stab at history when they are tasked with recreating an iconic fighting knife from the 20th century: the Fairbairn Sykes. However, replicating the blade is only half the challenge.

Four bladesmiths must forge signature blades from different sizes of spring steel. Competitors toil with the canister Damascus technique with varying degrees of success, and one smith sets a Forged in Fire record.

In a special five-part competition, top bladesmiths from each branch of the US military - Army, Air Force, Marines and Navy - compete to earn a spot representing their branch in a battle for our biggest prize ever: $50,000.

In Round Two of the Battle of the Branches Tournament, four airmen from the US Air Force must forge a Bolo knife using the San Mai technique to combine high carbon steel with helicopter parts.

In the third round of the Battle of the Branches, four Marines are tasked with forging one of the most versatile, and iconic combat knives in history: the KA-BAR.

Round Four of the Battle of the Branches sets sail as four Naval officers must forge a multipurpose Naval Mark 3 Dive Knife with metal from a giant anchor chain. It's sink or swim as delaminations and forge weld failures plague some of the bladesmiths.

In the final round of the Battle of the Branches the winning Soldier, Airman, Marine and Sailor return to the forge for the ultimate showdown.

After a severe round of testing, the two remaining smiths have only four days in their home forges to recreate one of Japan's deadliest swords: the Nagamaki.

Four bladesmiths aim for the stars when they are tasked with forging fantasy blades from a meteorite. Forced to use the canister method, the smiths battle difficult forge welds in order to create their one of a kind blades.

Four bladesmiths fight fire with fire when they must dismantle a forge and use that steel to construct a blade. The competition gets heated as the smiths struggle to salvage enough material to create a san mai billet.

Four bladesmiths face triple the challenges when they must forge a canister Damascus blade from three different steels using three separate cans.

Four bladesmiths are dispatched to the snowy winter tundra to forge a kukri with steel harvested from an old snowmobile. Provided with no power tools, the smiths might fight to forge their blades with just hand tools and the dreaded coal forge.

It's anyone's game when four bladesmiths are tasked with forging blades from old toys using the san mai technique. The smiths realize playtime is over as the pressure of the competition heats up and they experience difficult delaminations.

On the 50th anniversary of the first steps on the moon, four bladesmiths compete to recreate a space-age M-1 NASA Survival Knife out of ball bearings.

It's a battle royale for four bladesmiths when they are tasked with forging signature blades with an integral knuckle duster from a steel cage and barbed wire.

Four bladesmiths are given a special assignment when they are tasked with forging Doug Marcaida's favorite blade: the Karambit. The competitors are in for twice the challenge when they must create a matching pair of the lethal knives.

Four bladesmiths must scavenge a construction site to salvage their own knife-making materials. The smiths are then presented with an additional physical challenge when they are required to use a hand-cranked coal forge for the first round.

The odds are stacked against four bladesmiths when they must each forge a chopper in a distinct Damascus pattern. The ladder to success is full of twists as they struggle to achieve the specific look of each pattern.