All Topics  
Smith (metalwork)

 

 
   Email Print
   Bookmark   Link
 

 

Smith (metalwork)
 
 
  Topics Smith (metalwork) Topic Home

A smith, or metalsmith, is a person involved in the shaping of metal
Metal

In chemistry, a metal is a chemical element whose atoms readily lose electrons to form positive ions , and form metallic bonds between other metal atoms and ionic bonds between nonmetal atoms....
 objects.

In pre-industrialized times, smiths held high or special social standing since they supplied the metal tool
Tool

A broad definition of a tool is an entity used to interface between two or more domains that facilitates more effective action of one domain upon the other....
s needed for farming (especially the plough
Plough

The plough is a tool used in farming for initial cultivation of soil in preparation for sowing seed or planting. It has been a basic instrument for most of recorded history, and represents one of the major advances in agriculture....
) and warfare
Warfare

Warfare refers to the conduct of conflict between opponents, and usually involves escalation of aggression from the proverbial "war of words" between politics and diplomacy to full-scale War, waged until one side accepts defeat or peace terms are agreed on....
.

word smith is cognate
Cognate

Cognates in linguistics are words that have a common etymology origin.An example of cognates within the same language would be English shirt vs....
 with the somewhat archaic English
English language

English is a West Germanic language that originated in Anglo-Saxon England and has lingua franca status in many parts of the world as a result of the military, economic, scientific, political and cultural influence of the British Empire in the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries and that of the United States from the mid 20th century onwa...
 word, "smite", meaning "to hit" or "to strike".






Discussion
Ask a question about 'Smith (metalwork)'
Start a new discussion about 'Smith (metalwork)'
Answer questions from other users
Full Discussion Forum



Encyclopedia


A smith, or metalsmith, is a person involved in the shaping of metal
Metal

In chemistry, a metal is a chemical element whose atoms readily lose electrons to form positive ions , and form metallic bonds between other metal atoms and ionic bonds between nonmetal atoms....
 objects.

In pre-industrialized times, smiths held high or special social standing since they supplied the metal tool
Tool

A broad definition of a tool is an entity used to interface between two or more domains that facilitates more effective action of one domain upon the other....
s needed for farming (especially the plough
Plough

The plough is a tool used in farming for initial cultivation of soil in preparation for sowing seed or planting. It has been a basic instrument for most of recorded history, and represents one of the major advances in agriculture....
) and warfare
Warfare

Warfare refers to the conduct of conflict between opponents, and usually involves escalation of aggression from the proverbial "war of words" between politics and diplomacy to full-scale War, waged until one side accepts defeat or peace terms are agreed on....
.

Etymology of smith

Wessel Smedbager02
The word smith is cognate
Cognate

Cognates in linguistics are words that have a common etymology origin.An example of cognates within the same language would be English shirt vs....
 with the somewhat archaic English
English language

English is a West Germanic language that originated in Anglo-Saxon England and has lingua franca status in many parts of the world as a result of the military, economic, scientific, political and cultural influence of the British Empire in the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries and that of the United States from the mid 20th century onwa...
 word, "smite", meaning "to hit" or "to strike". Originally, smiths practiced their crafts by forming metal
Metal

In chemistry, a metal is a chemical element whose atoms readily lose electrons to form positive ions , and form metallic bonds between other metal atoms and ionic bonds between nonmetal atoms....
 with hammer blows.

As an English
English language

English is a West Germanic language that originated in Anglo-Saxon England and has lingua franca status in many parts of the world as a result of the military, economic, scientific, political and cultural influence of the British Empire in the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries and that of the United States from the mid 20th century onwa...
 suffix
Suffix

In grammar, a suffix is an affix which is placed after the stem of a word. Common examples are case endings, which indicate the grammatical case of nouns or adjectives, and verb endings, which form the grammatical conjugation of verbs....
, -smith connotes a meaning of specialized craftsmen — for example, wordsmith and tunesmith are nouns synonymous with writer
Writer

A writer is anyone who creates a written work, although the word usually designates those who write creatively or professionally, as well as those who have written in many different forms....
 or songwriter
Songwriter

File:Beethoven.jpgA songwriter is someone who writes the lyrics, as well the musical composition or melody to songs. One who writes only lyrics is a lyricist, while one who writes only music is a composer....
, respectively.

Types of smiths

Types of smiths include:

  • a blacksmith
    Blacksmith

    A blacksmith is a person who processess iron or steel by forging the metal; i.e., by using tools to hammer, bend, cut, and otherwise shape it in its non-liquid form....
     works with iron
    Iron

    Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. Iron is a Group 8 element and period 4 element. Iron is lustrous and silvery in color....
     and steel
    Steel

    Steel is an alloy consisting mostly of iron, with a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.14% by weight , depending on grade. Carbon is the most cost-effective alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten....
    ; (this is what is usually meant when referring just to "Smith")


  • an arrowsmith
    Arrowsmith

    Arrowsmith may refer to:* Fletching, a person who makes arrows* Arrowsmith * Arrowsmith , 1931* Arrowsmith * Arrowsmith, Illinois* Arrowsmith School, a school for children with learning disabilities....
     forges arrow heads
    Arrow

    An arrow is a pointed projectile that is shot with a bow . It predates recorded history and is common to most cultures....
    ;


  • a bladesmith
    Bladesmith

    Bladesmithing is the art of blacksmithing that relates specifically to creating knives, swords, daggers and other blades using a forge, hammer, anvil, and other smithing tools....
     forges knives, swords, and other blades;


  • a coppersmith
    Coppersmith

    A coppersmith, also known as a redsmith, is a person who makes artefacts from copper. The term redsmith comes from the color of copper....
    , or brownsmith, works with copper
    Copper

    Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29.It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity....
    ;


  • a fendersmith
    Fendersmith

    A Fendersmith is a person employed to clean and repair the metal fenders before fireplaces in mansions, country house, or castle. In this archaic profession, the same person is usually also responsible for lighting and keeping the fire contained within the fireplace....
     makes and repairs the metal fender before fireplaces, protecting rugs and furniture in mansions and fine estates, and frequently cares for the fires as well;


  • a goldsmith
    Goldsmith

    A goldsmith is a metalworker who specializes in working with gold and other precious metals. Since ancient times the techniques of a Goldsmith have evolved very little in order to produce items of jewelry of quality standards....
     works with gold
    Gold

    Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and atomic number 79. It is a highly sought-after precious metal, having been used as money, as a store of value, in jewelry, in sculpture, and for ornamentation since the beginning of recorded history....
    ;


  • a gunsmith
    Gunsmith

    A gunsmith is a person who repairs, modifies, designs, or builds firearms.Gunsmiths may be employed in:*factories by firearms manufacturers,...
     works with gun
    GUN

    Gun is a Revisionist Western-themed video game developed by Neversoft. It was published by Activision for the Xbox, Xbox 360, Nintendo GameCube, Microsoft Windows and PlayStation 2....
    s;


  • a locksmith works with locks
    Lock (device)

    A lock is a mechanical fastening device which may be used on a door, vehicle, or container, restricting access to the area or property enclosed....
    ;


  • a pewtersmith works with pewter
    Pewter

    Pewter is a malleable metal alloy, traditionally between 85 and 99 percent tin, with the remainder commonly consisting of copper, antimony and lead....
    ;


  • a silversmith
    Silversmith

    A silversmith is a person who works primarily making objects in solid silver; historically the training and guild organization of goldsmiths included silversmiths as well, and the two crafts remain largely overlapping....
    , or brightsmith, works with silver
    Silver

    Silver is a chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal....
    ;


  • a tinsmith
    Tinsmith

    A tinsmith, or tinner or tinker or tinplate worker, is a person who makes and repairs things made of light-coloured metal, particularly tin....
    , tinner, or tinker works with light metal
    Metal

    In chemistry, a metal is a chemical element whose atoms readily lose electrons to form positive ions , and form metallic bonds between other metal atoms and ionic bonds between nonmetal atoms....
     (such as tinware) and can refer to someone who deals in tinware;


  • a swordsmith is a bladesmith who forges only sword
    Sword

    A sword is a long, edged piece of metal, used as a cutting, thrusting, and clubbing weapon in many civilizations throughout the world. The word sword comes from the Old English language wikt:sweord, cognate to Old High German swert, Middle Dutch swaert, Old Norse sver? Old Frisian and Old Saxon swerd and Dutch langua...
    s;


  • a whitesmith
    Whitesmith

    A whitesmith is a person who works with "white" or light-colored metals such as tin and pewter. While blacksmiths work mostly with hot metal, whitesmiths do the majority of their work on cold metal ....
     works with white metal (tin
    Tin

    Tin is a chemical element with the symbol Sn and atomic number 50. Tin is obtained chiefly from the mineral cassiterite, where it occurs as an oxide, SnO2....
    ) and can refer to someone who polishes or finishes the metal rather than forging it.


Sometimes, terms similar to the above are created metaphorically, for categories of people not working with metal at all - for example, "songsmith".

Artisans and craftpeople


The ancient traditional tool of the smith is a forge
Forge

A forge is the workplace of a smith or a blacksmith. A forge is sometimes referred to as a smithy.The basic smithy contains a forge, also known as a hearth, for heating metals....
 or smithy, which is a furnace
Furnace

File:Piec krepa.JPGA furnace is a device used for heating. The name derives from Latin fornax, oven. The earliest furnace was excavated at Balakot, a site of the Indus Valley Civilization, dating back to its mature phase ....
 designed to allow compressed air (through a bellows
Bellows

A bellows is a device for delivering pressurized air in a controlled quantity to a controlled location. Basically, a bellows is a deformable container which has an outlet nozzle....
) to superheat the inside, allowing for efficient melting, soldering
Soldering

Soldering is a process in which two or more metal items are joined together by melting and flowing a filler metal into the joint, the filler metal having a relatively low melting point....
 and annealing
Annealing

Annealing may refer to:*Annealing , a heat treatment that alters the microstructure of a material causing changes in properties such as strength and hardness...
 of metals. Today, this tool is still widely used by blacksmith
Blacksmith

A blacksmith is a person who processess iron or steel by forging the metal; i.e., by using tools to hammer, bend, cut, and otherwise shape it in its non-liquid form....
s as it was traditionally.

The term, metalsmith, often refers to artisans and craftpersons who practice their craft in many different metals, including gold
Gold

Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and atomic number 79. It is a highly sought-after precious metal, having been used as money, as a store of value, in jewelry, in sculpture, and for ornamentation since the beginning of recorded history....
, copper
Copper

Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29.It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity....
 and silver
Silver

Silver is a chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal....
. Jewelers often refer to their craft as metalsmithing, and many universities offer degree programs in metalsmithing, jewelry and blacksmithing under the auspices of their fine arts programs.

Machinists


Machinist
Machinist

A machinist is a person who uses machine tools to make or modify parts, primarily metal parts, a process known as machining. This is accomplished by using machine tools to cut away excess material much as a woodcarver cuts away excess wood to produce his work....
s are metalsmiths who produce high-precision parts and tools. The most advanced of these tools, CNC machines, are computer controlled and largely automated.

External links