On Episode 665 of The Knife Junkie Podcast, host Bob DeMarco welcomes David Baker, the historic weapons recreation specialist, bladesmith, and longtime Forged in Fire judge who has spent decades building some of the most accurate weapon replicas on television. Before he ever touched a forge, Baker was dancing in Grease 2 and acting in Hollywood. A knee injury, a stage combat class, and a chance to watch the legendary Jody Samson at work eventually pointed him toward the craft that would define his career.

Baker walks through his early years building stage swords in Burbank, the Spanish TV production Queen of Swords that launched his professional weapon-making business, and how he landed on Deadliest Warrior before eventually becoming a fixture on Forged in Fire. His job on the show went far beyond judging. He was the one building the example weapons, often working under a 10-hour deadline, sometimes in the early morning before the crew arrived, and sometimes late at night after everyone had gone home. He shares the lessons that experience taught him, including the clever salt trick one colorblind smith used to time his quench.

The episode shifts to Baker\'s new project: a self-produced motorcycle travel-and-historical-weapons show called Baker\'s Blades. The concept is simple and compelling. Baker rides his 2016 Indian Vintage motorcycle to locations across the United States associated with historically significant blades, researches the weapon\'s history, gains access to original or related artifacts, and then recreates the piece in his shop. The pilot episode was filmed near the National Museum of the United States Army. A sizzle reel is already live on YouTube at @BakersBlades.

Baker also opens up about why studying original weapons in person matters so much. His four benchmarks for any blade are weight, scale, edge geometry, and balance, and he explains how handling actual historic pieces at museums around the world has shaped everything he builds. He talks about the small details that most people never see: the angle of a basket hilt, wear marks from resharpening, and even file marks left by craftsmen hundreds of years ago. Those details, he says, are a direct connection to the makers who came before. Baker also shares the story of watching veterans and first responders find something powerful at the forge, channeling anger and tension into a piece of steel and coming out the other side holding something they built with their own hands.

To learn more about David Baker and see his work, visit davidbakerknives.com. Follow him on Instagram at @bakerblades, connect on Facebook, and subscribe to Baker\'s Blades on YouTube before the full release.

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David Baker: The Knife Junkie Podcast (Episode 665)