Sisters smith competes in show

Zack Gulick loves making knives.

The 2018 Sisters High School graduate's passion for bladesmithing has landed him a slot on the hit reality TV show "Forged in Fire: Knife or Death." Gulick will appear in Season 2/Episode 6 of the show, which airs on Wednesday, November 7 at 7 p.m. and again at 10 p.m. on History.

Gulick is working at Ponderosa Forge in Sisters until he heads out to horseshoeing school in February. He applied to be on the show on a whim, not thinking he would be selected.

"I put in just for the heck of it," he said.

Though he's been bladesmithing for just two years, he's already made some 40 knives, and he's learned how to make them tough and durable. He made a khukri out of 5160 steel for a test video that became part of his application. The khukri is a traditional Nepalese blade with an inward curve famously wielded by legendary Gurkha warriors, fighting men who have served with distinction in the British Armed Forces since the mid-19th century.

The khukri is a powerful chopper, and Gulick showed off its "chops" on a course he set up in his backyard. The test included chopping through sheet metal. The Sisters smith thinks the video probably stood out against traditional submissions showing blades slicing watermelons and cutting through water bottles.

In any case, he got the gig, and was flown from Sisters to Atlanta, Georgia, for the filming of the episode. He said he spent 10 hours on the set, which was in "a very hot warehouse." He said going from Sisters to the heat and humidity of a forge in Georgia was a shock.

"Forged in Fire" has become a big hit for History. It is a competitive format, which puts contestants' blades through brutal, relentless testing.

The show's promotional materials provide a description: "The country's most experienced bladesmiths, martial artists and knife experts slice, stab and chop their way through a blade-shattering gauntlet for a chance at winning a $20,000 grand prize."

Gulick told The Nugget that he enjoyed interacting with his fellow contestants, who included bladesmiths of decades experience, mixed martial artists and survival experts.

While Gulick made a big khukri for the show, his specialty is hunting knives and everyday-carry knives.

He said he's always been interested in blacksmithing and bladesmithing, ever since he was a little kid. He got his first forge and anvil two years ago and has been hammering away at the craft ever since.

While he plans to become a farrier, he acknowledged that being on "Forged in Fire" has whetted his appetite for more competitive bladesmithing.

Gulick may be contacted through his Facebook page or on Instagram, where he posts photos of all of his knives and of the process he uses in crafting them.

Author Bio

Jim Cornelius, Editor in Chief

Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.

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