Engineering undergraduates raise their swords in new TV series

A team of University of Wisconsin-Madison engineering undergraduates is featured in the new competition series “Cast In Steel,” debuting on YouTube on July 9, 2026.

The series follows some of the 54 teams competing in Cast In Steel 2025, a national competition sponsored by the Steel Founders’ Society of America that challenges university teams to design, cast and test a fully functional metal tool or weapon crafted entirely from scratch. Student teams work independently on their designs throughout the academic year before coming together to test their creations in a series of physical and performance challenges judged by a panel of expert metallurgists and bladesmiths, including some from the History Channel show “Forged in Fire.” Teams can win awards for performance, casting, design and process, authenticity and video production, as well as a grand prize for the all-around best creation.

Though Cast in Steel began in 2019, the 2025 competition was the first documented for a reality TV-style show. Teams were tasked with creating either a replica of one of George Washington’s swords or designing a new sword based on Washington’s known specifications. Performance testing was done in qualifying rounds, culminating in a grand finale showdown between the finalists of each round.

The UW-Madison team, the Blazing Badger Bladesmiths, is featured in episode 2 of the series. The team members included materials science and engineering undergraduates Ivan Cermak, Marisa Holding, Dominic Chione, Laney Zuelsdorff and Cole Rabe with Kyle Metzloff, the Endowed Chair for Metalcasting at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, serving as their advisor. The team also partnered with Waukesha-based MetalTek International–Wisconsin Investcast as their foundry partner and New Berlin-based Thermtech as their heat treatment partner.

The team chose to cast a replica of George Washington’s silver lion-headed cuttoe, the sword he likely wore during his famous crossing of the Delaware River. The students chose a 17-4 precipitation hardening stainless steel alloy for the blade, using the investment casting technique. The team created four blades, choosing the best for final shaping. They then added a hand-forged mild steel guard and pommel, a white ash handle and a copper knuckle chain to complete the replica. The finished product was 35 inches long and weighed about 2 pounds.

How did the Blazing Badger Bladesmiths fare? You’ll have to watch the show to find out.

But it’s likely they will get a lot more screen time soon. In 2026, UW-Madison fielded two teams in the Cast in Steel competition, including most of the members of the 2025 squad, taking first and second place in the competition. That epic championship run will be featured in season 2 of the Cast in Steel series, currently in production.

Cast In Steel 2025

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