American Farmers: Facing a Cutoff at the Start

The registration requirements are listed in bold black font in the center:

Eligibility requirements: Must be 18 years of age or older, a lawful U.S. citizen or green card holder.

Work Showcase: Upload 5 high-definition photos of different types of works. Those who attach performance test videos will be given priority.

Video interview: You will need to record a 2-minute self-introduction video, showcasing your training environment and personality.

Time: Filming will be conducted in Brooklyn, New York, in a closed setting, in accordance with the production team's schedule.

Disclaimer: Dangerous machinery may be used during the recording process; a personal safety waiver must be signed.

Registration deadline: December 31, 2014.

"Five different types of knives..."

Fett closed his notebook, shut his eyes, and the knowledge in his mind began to spin rapidly, with countless blueprints of cutting tools flashing through his mind like slides.

He needs to demonstrate the most comprehensive technical features in a short time and with limited materials.

To win the qualification for the sword forging competition.

The money in my card isn't enough to buy finished steel products; I need to think of other ways.

The next morning.

The bedroom, which was deliberately left open without drawing the curtains, was illuminated by the pale winter sunlight.

A thin layer of frost flowers had formed on the windowpane, refracting the outside world into a bizarre and surreal spectacle.

Fett huddled under the covers, watching the white breath coming out of his mouth and nose, and resolutely threw off the warm wool blanket.

The cold air felt like needles pricking my skin.

He quickly put on his clothes and socks, and stepped out of the bedroom onto the cold floor.

The kitchen was also cold.

Fett opened the refrigerator, took out a can of raw milk that old Fett had squeezed the night before, which was somewhat separated, and poured it into a small saucepan.

Turn on the electric ceramic stove, and soon the aroma of milk wafts out along with the rolling white foam.

Fett quickly turned off the heat, afraid that the milk would burn.

He took out a few slices of toast and skillfully used a knife to cut off the edges of the bread completely, circling along the edges.

The soft center of the toast was spread with dark red cranberry jam, and Fett ate it while starting to fry an egg.

Heat a frying pan, drop in a small piece of butter, and it melts with a "sizzle".

Fett placed the square bread edges he had cut into the pan, then picked up an egg laid by one of his own chickens and gently tapped it on the edge of the pan.

"Click."

The eggshell is very hard, and the yolk that flows out after cracking is an enticing orange-red color, like the rising sun.

Only chickens that grow up eating insects and grains can lay eggs like these.

The egg mixture fell precisely into the center of the bread pan, making a pleasant sizzling sound, and at the same time, a fragrant aroma wafted out.

Although the egg yolk smelled delicious, Fett still didn't want to eat it fully cooked; he always felt that the yolk was a bit too dry.

He quickly scrambled the egg yolks, sprinkled on a few grains of salt, and flipped them over.

Two minutes later, the egg-stuffed bread crates with their dark brown color came out of the oven.

Fett took a bite.

The bread crusts were crispy and crumbly from being fried in butter, while the egg in the middle was tender and smooth, filling the mouth with a rich aroma of egg mixed with the wheat.

A sip of warm, slightly sweet milk is enough to dispel the chill of the whole night.

After breakfast, Fett picked up the cowboy hat hanging on the coat rack, put it on his head, pushed open the door, and strode into the cold morning wind.

"Moo—"

In the nearby cattle pen, Spot poked its head out of the fence, exhaled a puff of white vapor, and barked at Fett.

"I want to go to the farthest place—with you..."

Fett ignored it, humming a song, and turned to take a can of cat food from the shelf on the side of the porch, pulling the tab with a "snap".

As soon as the sound rang out, a small orange-white shadow darted out from the cotton pad.

Rosie couldn't wait to stick her head into the food bowl.

"Wait, Rosie."

Fett reached out a hand, pressed down on the back of its neck, and gently pushed it aside.

With his other hand, he lifted the lid of the large plastic bucket next to him, scooped out two large spoonfuls of dry cat food, poured it onto the canned meat, and then mixed the meat paste and dry food together with the spoon.

"Eat."

He let go.

Rosie plunged headfirst into the basin, letting out a satisfied snoring sound.

After feeding Rosie, Fett went straight to the farm's storage shed.

Pushing open the creaking wooden door, the air was filled with a mixture of rust, machine oil, and old wood smells.

This is the graveyard of the farm, and also the treasure trove of the knife makers.

The wooden shelves on the left side of the warehouse were piled high with obsolete farm tools: several shovels with broken handles, rusted disc plow blades, and several rolls of barbed wire that looked like snakes coiled together.

Spiderwebs hung between these stationary metal pieces, swaying slightly with the airflow.

Fett crawled into the pile of junk on the right and began rummaging through it.

He has selected four knife types: Bowie knife, Western kitchen knife, camping fixed knife, and folding knife.

Searching with a specific purpose makes things much easier.

He first dragged out half a thick, round saw blade from under a pile of rotten wood in the corner.

Although the serrations are severely worn, the steel plate itself remains flat.

This is L6 tool steel discarded by an old sawmill. It has a high nickel content and will show a beautiful bright silver color after polishing. It also has excellent toughness.

Fett weighed it in his hand, nodded in satisfaction, and tossed it onto the open ground in front of the warehouse.

This saw blade is perfect for making a Western-style kitchen knife.

If forged properly, it can be used to make slicing tools that are as thin as cicada wings yet full of elasticity.

The ability to forge thick steel into a thin, non-bending shape, and to control warping during heat treatment, best demonstrates a knifemaker's basic skills and level of heat treatment expertise.

We have the materials for the first knife.

He continued to explore deeper, his gaze settling on a piece of tarpaulin covered in dust.

Lift a corner of the cloth to reveal a spiral-shaped piece of metal.

Fett reached out and grabbed that end, pulling hard.

Not moving.

This thing is much heavier than I expected.

He had no choice but to put down his hands and carefully remove the broken tires and old chains that were pressing on top of it, revealing its true nature.

This is a huge helical spring, its surface covered with a layer of dark brown rust, clearly having lain dormant here for many years.

Judging from the size, it should be the shock absorber suspension of a heavy tractor or an old truck.

This is the most standard 5160 spring steel.

This type of steel is naturally designed to withstand impacts and torsion.

It's perfect for making a camping straight knife; just screw the auger back on, and the heat treatment is complete.

Even if it is clamped in a vise and forcibly bent at a 90-degree angle, it will spring back like a bow and will never break.

This is also a requirement that must be met for the JS-level swordsmith assessment.

We have the materials for the main blade.

Fett slammed the spring on the ground a few times to shake off the dust, then dragged it with some effort to the warehouse door.

He stood up and glanced at a dilapidated wooden frame behind the door.

On the top shelf, several forgotten old files lay quietly in the dust.

Fett's eyes lit up, and he reached out and grabbed a handful.

Although the anti-slip texture on the surface of the file is somewhat worn, it still feels heavy in the hand.

This is W2 or 1095 high-carbon steel.

This type of steel has an extremely high carbon content. Although it is brittle, it can be forged into blades with amazing hardness after annealing.

What's even more amazing is that this file, once forged, can be burned with very clear and beautiful blade patterns.

These files are not very big; they might be a bit too big for a hunting knife, but they would be more than enough to forge a fine folding knife.

Unlike a large knife, a folding knife does not require chopping, and its short blade does not require high toughness.

The key is the precision of the mechanical structure, such as the tight fit of the pivot, the crisp engagement of the locking plate, and the smooth feel when opening and closing.

Using this high-hardness steel, which can be burned into beautiful patterns, to make blades perfectly embodies that sense of small yet exquisite sophistication.

Fett put the files in his pocket and plunged them back into the pile of junk.

After rummaging through the pile of junk for a long time, most of what I found were low-carbon steel items such as angle iron, rebar, or door handles.

These things are fine for making handguards or handles, but they're not hard enough for making blades.

Currently, we've only managed to gather enough material for three knives: a kitchen knife, a camping knife, and a folding knife.

Two more rounds to go.

Especially that Bowie knife.

In this country, if a knifemaker doesn't have a decent Bowie knife on his display table, it's like a cowboy going out without a hat—he'll be laughed at for not knowing the rules.

These giant knives, representing the pioneering spirit of the West, have extremely high requirements for the size and quality of the steel used.

It requires a single piece of material that is large enough, thick enough, and free of internal cracks.

Fett picked up a rusty motorcycle chain from the corner, weighed it in his hand, and then helplessly threw it back on the ground.

Clang.

If his skills were a level higher, he could easily stuff these chains into metal cans, heat them until red-hot, and forge them into canned damascus steel; or fold and weld several small steel plates together into one large piece.

Although his mind was filled with videos of three-piece swords and various Damascus steel swords from the "Sword Forging Competition," Fett knew that his novice forging skills were not up to par.

He is now highly skilled at handling single types of steel, but when it comes to delicate work that requires high-temperature fusion, if he doesn't control it properly, the steel will separate and crack like a wafer.

"Now is not the time to hone our forging skills. Let's forge some knives from single steel first to solve our immediate problem."

With his left hand carrying the heavy half of the circular saw blade and his right hand dragging the sluggish shock absorber spring, Fett walked out of the dimly lit warehouse.

As soon as I stepped outside, I saw a figure hanging on the wooden fence not far away.

The man was struggling to climb over the fence, which was more than a meter high.

She had already stepped one leg in, her upper body leaning on the crossbeam, preparing to bring the other leg over as well.

In this pose, the view under her short skirt was completely exposed, and her thick black stockings were stretched to their limit, perfectly outlining the curves between her waist and hips.

Looking at that exceptionally perky, elastic, and rounded curve, Fett squinted his eyes.