The 2022

[@wayneheitz8390]

Happy making to all competing. Thank you to all the sponsors and thank you Sam for all of your work on this. 🤞👏👏👏

[@SamTownsBladesmith]

Thankyou for your consistent support and positivity in this community Wayne 😊

[@brickroadbladeworks4630]

This has peaked my interest, necessarily for the prizes but for the challenge of something new and exposure. 🤔

[@krissteel4074]

I kinda want to, because I have a cool idea, but I also want to eat so I also kinda also going to need to make a lot of knives on the run up to xmas. Will try to find time, can't promise anything- if its as awesome as last years its going to be pretty special

[@SaintGalganoArmory]

Good luck everyone! I look forward to seeing everyone’s work and feedback!

[@xaviersonntag4302]

last year I was a bit afraid to enter since i had only a couple months of knifemaking experience.....but this year I'm definitely joining the beginners in this challenge and have a couple Ideas....now just to get it on paper and start working away!

[@NordicEdge]

You have made me want to try now and I have only ever made one bowie! Can’t get my head around this sparring bar thing and how to attach it but sounds fun to try

[@SamTownsBladesmith]

Haha you should!

[@laughingfishforge3592]

I was looking at the sparring bar and thinking how cool would it be if it was Friction fit into the handle but then, semi permanent came into it haha I can't wait 😀

[@Kat_Van_Forge]

Good luck to everyone! And yeah, Björn and Ryan are the BEST!

[@andrewhahn1983]

Excellent challenge Sam! Good luck to all the entrants, can't wait to see what you all pull out of the fire!

[@FeatherHorseforge]

Maybe I’ll have a go next year🤔 what an awesome comp Sam🙂

[@geemoney5467]

I'm gluing up my first bowie rn hope I can still enter

[@SamTownsBladesmith]

The blade needs to be made between This video and November 30, so unless you have been working really fast, you will need to do a new one, and put your best effort in!

[@thomasrigney6837]

#21 has my vote. Excellent work as always from Wliam Thorne!

[@mickeygauche720]

I'm in. Heard about it just a little late last year to join. Awesome challenge.

[@SamTownsBladesmith]

Excellent! Welcome aboard!

[@KeithBair]

I think I'll give it a shot. If anything, just for the fun of trying a sparring bar lol. Like I said on your Instagram post, I'm a hobby smith and have only made a handful of knives, maybe one or two a year, but I'm gonna try to make all the requirements to run with the big dogs 😅

[@SamTownsBladesmith]

Sounds great! I look forward to seeing what you come up with 😁

[@TraditionalToolworks]

Just wanted to say thanks for the inspiration. I have forged a few knives in the past and have one patch knife to handle, as well as a larger knife I started in S7. Even with 2 strikers we finally gave up at about 3/4 completion, and that was after several hours...since S7 work hardens it's like pushing an elephant uphill. The patch knife I have is already tempered, just needs to be sharpened. Anyway, your videos have inspired me to make another knife and I'm gonna try grinding one from a ground steel blank...dare I say...I've mostly forged with coal and done my HT/temper in old oil...the patch knife was made from a section of coil spring...but coal is pretty filthy. Anyway, not to digress, I don't have my smithy setup and trying to get a new shop built to retire to, but thought maybe I should just grind that S7 knife I started. I would send any alloys out for HT, even A2 is probably beyond me...not too many people that forge knives these days, seems like everyone has a grinder...thanks for the inspiration!👏

[@Anderson-HandForged]

hi sam love your channel i started making knives around june of 2020 have never made a Bowie b4 can i enter in beginner bracket? thanks Mark i actually wanted to do it last year but couldnt iwant to try this year for sure thank you again

[@SamTownsBladesmith]

yeah mate, you can join the beginner bracket, I look forward to seeing what you get up to!

[@TheJallejulle]

Holy hell... This sounds like a LOT of fun... Is it allowed to film the process? Thinking on uploading it after the competition in that case :)

[@SamTownsBladesmith]

Yeah of course, feel free to advertise it anywhere! The whole point is to get the word out 😁

[@brysonalden5414]

Sparring bar, huh? You've given me something else to think about. How to attach it if you don't have a mill?

[@SamTownsBladesmith]

I give several ways you could haha, and they didn't have easy access to mills back in the days of Jim Bowie either 😁

[@brysonalden5414]

@@SamTownsBladesmith Yeah, but I want to think of a different way to do it. Not better, probably, just different.

[@TRichardsBlades]

Is there a minimum length on the sparing bar?

[@SamTownsBladesmith]

Nope! But design flow is important, so make sure it fits well with the design

[@paulorchard7960]

Maybe?

[@jessedunn6169]

I'm 8 months into this sickness think I'm on the right track love to join but don't have Instagram do I need to go ahead do that to join.

[@SamTownsBladesmith]

Haha instagram isn't necessary, but it helps provide a platform to share your work.for the competition you only need provide the photos when done, though if there aren't any others elsewhere I would like to see a few work in progress shots as well 😁

[@jessedunn6169]

@@SamTownsBladesmith that you do great work by the way guys like you have gave me youtube confidence lol I'm working on basic things trying to improve 😅

[@defazioknives6108]

With the sparing bar, if you were to attach it before heat treat, how would you then grind the knife without grinding into the sparing bar?

[@SamTownsBladesmith]

Very carefully haha, if you had a hollow grind it would be easy, but you might instead pre grind close enough to finish that you can go straight to hand sanding. Not ideal, and that's why I listed several other options haha

[@paulwheeler4893]

✌👍