Eddie "Macho" Diaz of Macho Blades joins Bob "The Knife Junkie" DeMarco on Episode 409 of The Knife Junkie Podcast (https://theknifejunkie.com/409). 

Macho is a USAF Veteran but started his path to knifemaking in an unlikely place, World of Warcraft (WoW) where he was a Night Elf Warrior and Master Weaponsmith. After a while Macho felt he'd wasted time and money becoming someone in WoW and decided to become a warrior/weaponsmith in the real world.

He quit WoW and got into MMA and Kickboxing. He currently holds a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. The discipline and courage Macho gained from training and competing in martial arts instilled values and grit that came in handy when building a knife making career.

The other half of Macho's self-actualization was making knives, which he first learned from TuffThumbs, Gavco and Sugar Creek Forge on YouTube in 2014. Macho's big leap in knife making came when he found his mentor, Alan Folts, who taught both technique and design.

He has landed production deals with Kizer Cutlery resulting in three licensed designs: Pryaxe, Butcher and Shark Tooth. Macho became a probationary member of the Knifmakers Guild at Blade Show 2022 and is now a full time knifemaker.

Find Macho Blades online at https://www.shopmachoblades.com and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/machoblades. 

Be sure to support The Knife Junkie and get in on the perks of being a Patron -- including early access to the podcast and exclusive bonus content. Visit https://www.theknifejunkie.com/patreon for details. You also can support The Knife Junkie channel with your next knife purchase. Find our affiliate links at https://theknifejunkie.com/knives. 

Let us know what you thought about this episode. Please leave a rating and/or a review. Your feedback is appreciated. Also, call the listener line at 724-466-4487 or email bob@theknifejunkie.com with any comments, feedback or suggestions on the show, and let us know who you'd like to hear interviewed on an upcoming edition of The Knife Junkie Podcast.

To listen to past episodes of the podcast, visit https://theknifejunkie.com/listen. And for professional podcast hosting, use The Knife Junkie's podcast platform of choice -- https://theknifejunkie.com/podhost.