Exclusive Interview with Clay Unruh of Iron Born Forge
Welcome to the latest installment of our series of interviews with the best bladesmiths in the world. Recently, we had a conversation with Clay Unruh of Iron Born Forge. With appearances on Forged In Fire and Last Blade Standing, Clay is quickly standing out as a major force in the bladesmithing industry. Let’s get right to our conversation with Clay.
(Image credit: A&E Television Networks)
Hi, Clay, how are you? Is it a beautiful day in Kansas?
Hey! I’m doing great. It’s a pretty nice day here. A little chilly, but I’ll take that over the heat we usually get.
Glad to hear it! Well, let’s dive into it.
Great, I’m excited!
Tell us how you got into forging and blade smithing.
Well, I've always been really into the fantasy movies like Lord of the Rings and that kind of stuff. They always have such great swords and weapons, but I knew the way they were portraying all that probably wasn’t right. There is a disconnect between Hollywood and actual smithing techniques, and I wanted to learn more about it. One thing led to another, and here we are!
Did you take any classes, or are you self-taught?
I am totally self-taught.
Wow, that must have been a challenge.
There are obviously pros and cons to everything. You know, I think there are a lot of pros to taking classes. But I think there are pros to teaching yourself. You learn a lot from making mistakes!
Yes, I’ve talked with several people who said they’ve learned more from the failures than the blades that went smoothly.
Yeah, for sure. I've learned a lot from all of the mistakes. A lot of stupid mistakes, too! But sometimes, I learned the best lessons from those.
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How long have you been forging?
Five years. Maybe closer to six. It seems like it was yesterday I started, though, really. Time flies!
Do you have a home forge, or do you have a shop somewhere you work out of?
I have a shop at my home. I live out in the country and have a shop here where I can work and not bother anyone too much.
I looked over your Instagram, and you make some really neat things. Do you have a specific style that makes your blades unique?
I really appreciate that, thanks. I try to be unique. I love it, and I like creating things.
My style is all over the place! I do a lot of chef's knives. Not necessarily because that's my style, I do like them, and I enjoy doing those, but they seem to sell the best.
What was the process like for getting on Forged in Fire? Please walk us through it.
(laughing) It was weird, really. Somebody messaged me on Instagram, and I thought it might be a scam, but I went ahead and followed through with it. Then I had a phone call with them, and some paperwork to go through. Finally, I had a Skype interview, and one thing led to another, and I ended up going out to film.
When you arrived at the studio, was there anything you were concerned about them throwing at you to make?
Oh, man, you know, it's just the “Wild West” in there! You really don't know. You have no idea what they're going to throw at you. I went in pretty hot, though. I wasn't very nervous. I was pretty cocky, really. And then we started, and when they turned those cameras on, that’s when the nerves hit me.
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“It’s just the “Wild West” in there! You really don’t know. You have no idea what they’re going to throw at you.”
I mean, the size of everything we did is what really made it hard. It wasn't the most difficult challenge, but the size made it difficult. There were a lot scarier things they could have thrown at us. So, at first, I thought, oh, man, this can be a cakewalk, but I hadn't realized the details of working with something so large!
What did you think when they unveiled the supersized coils? I can only imagine being in the forge and seeing it firsthand.
(Image credit: Clay Unruh)
Immediately I was like, where do you even begin with that thing?
I knew when they said it was part of their little supersized series that it would be something big, but I didn't expect that. I've never seen a coiled spring like that before. In fact, I've been trying to find another one that size, because I'd like to redo it in my home shop for fun or sentimental reasons. I may not be so clumsy here. I can make something that's a little prettier, maybe. But I'm having a terrible time getting my hands on one. I think they came off freight train cars. And there are no railroads around here. I'll get my hands on one eventually, though!
I can only imagine the stress with the time crunch they give you. It seems like a short time to make anything, much less something supersized. How was that for you?
Oh man, that clock is for real! They're not playing around with that clock. In the end, I beat myself. I was just so clumsy when I dropped the whole knife in the quench. There were a lot of issues that were time-consuming. I mean, not that the other guys didn't deserve it. They absolutely did! But I beat myself, really. But I had fun! And I'd never even been on an airplane before, so it was all new to me. It was great.
Where did you go to film the show? Where was the studio?
(Image credit: Clay Unruh)
We flew into LaGuardia, but honestly, from there, I’m not really sure. It felt like we traveled so much after the plane ride, but it was probably only thirty minutes or so. People ask me that question all the time. I have no idea where I was, actually. It was a lot to take in, and I didn’t pay much attention to where we were. I’m just a small-town Kansas kid who showed up in the city! That was all new to me.
I bet it was nice to be back home then! How many days were you there shooting?
In total, with traveling and taking some time to do some other stuff, I was out there for about five days.
“I was so lucky with everything in my experience because the other guys they brought were just the best group of guys.”
Were there any behind-the-scenes experiences that surprised you? Or anything about filming that you want to share with readers that they might enjoy?
You know, I've never done anything on TV before. Everyone acted how I thought they would based solely on what I'd seen of them on TV. But it was really surprising just how nice everybody was!
(Image credit: Clay Unruh)
And, of course, when you go on the show, so much is rolling the dice. You have no idea what the challenge will be and don't know who else they have invited or what the challenge will be. I was so lucky with everything in my experience because the other guys they brought were just the best group of guys. I love them to death. But everybody there was fun and so nice to just hang out and joke with. We joked around a lot. And even the judges were giving everybody a little shit and taking a little from us. It was a lot of fun!
It is so much more of a physical challenge than I thought it would be, too. The time limit gets to you, you are rushing, and everything's so heavy. Plus, the heat is so intense. They've got four forges blasting at temperatures of 2,400 degrees. It was so hot in there. When we got done, I was just so exhausted. It’s just three hours, but it was a rough three hours.
Did you interact with the judges after or during filming?
Yeah, after we were done filming. When we first got there, they introduced us to everybody and gave us a little pep talk. Then, when we were done, they let everybody hang out for a little bit. It was really cool. They're shorter than they look on TV!
But the judges, they really are interested in what's going on. It's hard to hear them with everything going on, though. I was excited to finally see the episode and listen to what they were saying. I would get little pieces here and there, but I had no idea what they were saying. Especially in round one, when they had all four forges blast running in one area and with all the work going on. Then the cameras are in your face, and machines are going. That’s the hardest part of the challenge, I think. It's just that you're not in the comfort of your own setup. It’s a whole different environment.
Have many people reached out to you since the episode aired?
Um, yes and no. I mean, I don't feel like I've had an influx of business, but I've had a lot of people reach out and say they saw the episode. That was cool.
When you showed the zombie apocalypse axe with the bat handle, I thought people would be ordering those left and right!
Yeah, they asked me about that when I first got there, and we were doing our little interviews. I was surprised they had even seen it because I had done it so long ago. Another blacksmith on Tik-Tok and I challenged each other to do a zombie weapon in a 24-hour period, and that's what I came up with. The thing about zombie weapons is they don't have to be pretty, so that's a time saver.
Did you know it was a supersized episode when you were going on the show?
I did not know. That was a surprise. And I really didn't even understand immediately because the nerves hit me and took over. I didn't even notice what he said until we got done doing that part, then he mentioned it again later, and I was like, oh!
They were big blades, though. They were like 18-inch cutting-edge blades, which is a pretty big knife. I'm in another competition right now called ‘Last Blade Standing,’ I'm doing season three, and we're doing short swords. Those blades are 19 inches, so one more inch and, I guess, those blades would have qualified as swords.
And then what's cool about ‘Last Blade Standing’ is that one of the judges I had, Ben Abbott, is competing this season. So, there's a chance that, if things go right, I'll go up against him.
So, what do you do when you aren't forging?
When I'm not bladesmithing, which I'm pretty obsessed with, my father and I have a dirt construction company in Kansas. So, a couple of days a week, I go out and help him. Yesterday we tore down and demolished a house. Now, today, I'm going to make knives. It’s a fun little balance. I'm very fortunate. Very lucky to be able to do that.
Do you have advice for other blade smiths?
If you're interested in going on the show, no amount of practice is too much. You have no idea what they're going to throw at you. Whatever the craziest thing you think it might be, it could be something crazier than that.
“It takes time, like anything else. It takes time and experience, and hard work. It’s a lot more work than people think.”
(Image credit: Clay Unruh)
But in general, you know, just stick with it. I see so many guys that get into it, and they get discouraged because they're not making something as beautiful as they've seen other guys make, guys who’ve been doing it a lot longer. It takes time, like anything else. It takes time and experience, and hard work. It's a lot more work than people think. Work ethic is very important; you have to keep after it. Don't give up.
Do you have any regrets about the show?
Yes, the big elephant in the room would be that I dropped my entire knife in the quench! That's the one thing. I don't even know how I dropped it! I thought I remembered hitting it on something, but when I watched it, it looked like it had just slipped right out. When local people tease me about it, I always tell them there was a bee in there, and I got distracted. It’s just a joke, of course. But yeah, I regret dropping it. And honestly, I wish I had gone with a different design. Maybe more flair and a little prettier. Not that it would have mattered much.
Overall, though, I really cherish that experience. It's a once-in-a-lifetime thing.
Maybe they'll call you back for another episode. It's not unheard of! Are you open to that?
Yeah, I would love that. I used to think I wouldn’t want to, but now that time has gone by, I want to get back in there.
When did you actually film?
It was earlier this year, maybe late February. So, I've been waiting a long time. And I tried not to tell too many people about it because I wanted it to be a surprise. It made it so much harder to keep the secret for so long. It was worth it in the end.
Clay, it has been fantastic talking with you, and thank you so much for taking the time to sit down with me today.
It’s been great; thanks so much for reaching out!
To see more of Clay’s work, check him out on Instagram @clay_ironbornforge or on the web at www.ironbornforge.com.
If you want more forging news and interviews, be sure to follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Were you or someone you know a contestant on Forged in Fire? If so, would love to hear from you! Please reach out to us at info@brutedeforge.com or send us a message on our social channels.
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