Five Things You Need to Know About Forged In Fire's David Baker

As Forged In Fire enters it’s tenth season, the hit History Channel bladesmithing show has created more than a few household names. One of the biggest names, of course, is legendary weaponsmaker David Baker. A consistent presence on the show, David has been part of the Forged In Fire family since the very beginning. We had the pleasure of speaking with Forged In Fire’s David Baker when he shared lots of details about his career and status as an industry icon. Here are five things you need to know about David Baker from Forged In Fire.

He is trained in theatrical combat and even taught classes in Hollywood

A California kid, David Baker grew up loving swashbuckling action movies. This love of classic cinema led to him getting into the entertainment industry as an actor at a young age. David’s first credited appearance was in the series Call to Glory (1984), and he also saw small roles in St. Elmo’s Fire (1985), The Colbys (1985), and Santa Barbara (1985). Hoping to shift to more action oriented roles, David went on to study fencing and theatrical combat for years. Eventually, David began teaching theatrical combat in the early ‘90s.

He has been making weapons for over twenty years

David’s experience training in and teaching theatrical combat was fraught with one major issue: it was hard to find cost effective, high quality weapons that could stand up to the riggers of the theater. In order to supply his class, he would find old blades at antique stores and use his skills with a welder to repurpose them into functional weapons. Naturally, his historically accurate weapons quickly caught the attention of the larger theater community. Soon, he was getting contacted to build weapons for productions all over California.

Then in late 1999, David was hired to make the stunt swords for a television show called Queen of Swords. After that, David never looked back. He started his own prop company supplying the television and film industry, including the movies Beowulf (2007), Dragonball Evolution (2009), and Duel.

Forged in Fire was not his first show

His current show Forged In Fire may have thrust David Baker into the larger stream of public awareness, it is far from his first foray into weapons-based television. Over the years, David honed his reputation as a historical weapons expert through appearances on More Extreme Marksman (2007) and the hit History series Deadliest Warrior (2009). It was these previous small screen appearances (and the recommendation of stunt professionals throughout the industry) that led to David getting the call for Forged In Fire.

He forges all of the finale weapons for Forged in Fire

Most people don’t know this, but you know all those awesome example weapons they use in the third round of each episode? Yeah, David makes those. During those early days of the show, the very concept of the show posed producers with a significant problem: where would they get historically accurate weapons to serve as an example to the contestants? After all, it’s not like you can just run down to the local store and pick up an accurate, fully-functional halberd or mace. Luckily, the show just so happened to have already engaged the services of a world class weaponsmaker.

From David’s perspective, asking him to create the finale weapons solved another problem. If David was going to judge other smiths on their work, shouldn’t he have tried to do the same thing himself? It is exhausting work, but ultimately serves to only improve the value of the show since David’s critiques are coming from an area of experience.

He is an advocate for the booming bladesmithing community

David Baker has not forgotten those early days as a maker struggling for success in Hollywood. Now, having earned his world-renowned reputation as a weapon maker and recreationist, David is driven to help others hone their crafts. With an active social media presence, frequent public appearances, and even stepping in as a judge in bladesmithing competitions like the popular Last Blade Standing, David is always willing to provide constructive, actionable advice to aspiring bladesmiths.

You can learn more about David Baker’s career, including details about the earliest days of Forged in Fire in our exclusive interview. To stay updated on all things Forged in Fire, including the impending release of season 10, be sure to follow BRUTE de FORGE on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

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