# Metalsmith > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Metalsmith > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Metalsmith.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metalsmith > Source revision: 1352172733 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|Craftsman fashioning tools or works of art out of various metals}} {{distinguish|Metalworking{{!}}Metalworker}} {{Use dmy dates|date=May 2026}} thumb|A bladesmith from Damascus, {{c.|1900}} A '''metalsmith''' or simply '''smith''' is a [craft](/source/craft)sperson fashioning useful items (for example, tools, [kitchenware](/source/kitchenware), [tableware](/source/tableware), [jewelry](/source/jewelry), armor and [weapons](/source/weapons)) out of various [metal](/source/metal)s.{{cite web|url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/metalsmith|title=Definition of METALSMITH|website=www.merriam-webster.com|access-date=3 April 2018}} '''Smithing''' is one of the oldest [metalworking occupations](/source/list_of_metalworking_occupations). Shaping metal with a [hammer](/source/hammer) ([forging](/source/forging)) is the archetypical component of smithing. Often the hammering is done while the metal is hot, having been [heat](/source/heat)ed in a [forge](/source/forge). Smithing can also involve the other aspects of [metalworking](/source/metalworking), such as refining metals from their ores (traditionally done by [smelting](/source/smelting)), [casting](/source/casting) it into shapes ([founding](/source/foundry)), and [filing](/source/file_(tool)) to shape and size. The prevalence of metalworking in the culture of recent centuries has led ''[Smith](/source/Smith_(surname))'' and its equivalents in various languages to be a common [occupational surname](/source/surname) (German [Schmidt](/source/Schmidt_(surname)) or [Schmied](/source/Schmied), Portuguese [Ferreiro](/source/Ferreiro), [Ferreira](/source/Ferreira_(surname)), French [Lefèvre](/source/Lef%C3%A8vre), Spanish [Herrero](/source/Herrero), Italian [Fabbri](/source/Fabbri_(surname)), [Ferrari](/source/Ferrari_(surname)), [Ferrero](/source/Ferrero_(surname)), Ukrainian [Koval](/source/Koval_(surname)) etc.). As a [suffix](/source/suffix), ''-smith'' [connotes](/source/connotation) the meaning of a specialized craftsperson—for example, ''wordsmith'', meaning one who "smiths words", i.e. a writer. ==History== {{expand section|date=March 2022}} {{Further|Metallurgy#History}} In [pre-industrialized](/source/Pre-Industrial_Era) times, smiths held high or special social standing since they supplied the metal tools needed for farming (especially the [plough](/source/plough)) and [warfare](/source/warfare).{{citation needed|date=March 2022}} ==Types of smiths== A metalsmith is one who works with or has the knowledge and the capacity of working with "all" metals. [[File:Theodor Kittelsen - Illustration for Johan Herman Wessel's poem Smeden og bageren (2).jpg|thumb|Illustration by [Theodor Kittelsen](/source/Theodor_Kittelsen) for [Johan Herman Wessel](/source/Johan_Herman_Wessel)'s ''The Smith and the Baker'']] Types of smiths include:John Fuller Sr., ''Art of Coppersmithing'', Astragal Press, 1993 (reprint of original edition, 1894) {{ISBN|1879335379}}{{Page needed|date=February 2011}} * Metal smiths ** A [blacksmith](/source/blacksmith) works with iron and steel (this is what is usually meant when referring just to "smith"). A [farrier](/source/farrier) is a type of blacksmith who specializes in making and fitting [horseshoe](/source/horseshoe)s. ** A [brownsmith](/source/brownsmith) works with copper, as well as other copper-based alloys. A [coppersmith](/source/coppersmith) works with only [copper](/source/copper).{{cite web|url=http://medievalscotland.org/kmo/EnglishBynames/Brownsmith.shtml|title=A Survey of English Bynames: Brownsmith|website=medievalscotland.org|access-date=3 April 2018}}{{citation needed|reason=Not in common use anywhere I can find. Find a more citeable source|date=March 2018}} ** A [goldsmith](/source/goldsmith) works with gold. ** A [whitesmith](/source/whitesmith) works with white metal ([tin](/source/tin) and [pewter](/source/pewter)) and can refer to someone who polishes or finishes the metal rather than forging it. A [tinsmith](/source/tinsmith), tinner, or tinker works with light metal (such as tinware) and can refer to someone who deals in tinware. *** A [tinker](/source/tinker) is an archaic term for an itinerant tinsmith. ** A [silversmith](/source/silversmith), or brightsmith, works with silver.Rupert Finegold and William Seitz, ''Silversmithing'', Krause Publications, 1983, {{ISBN|0-8019-7232-9}} * A [weaponsmith](/source/weaponsmith) is a generalized bladesmith who forges weapons like [axe](/source/axe)s, [spear](/source/spear)s, [flails](/source/Flail_(weapon)), and other weapons. ** A [bladesmith](/source/bladesmith) forges [knives](/source/knives), swords, and other [blade](/source/blade)s. A [swordsmith](/source/bladesmith) is a bladesmith who forges only [sword](/source/sword)s. ** An arrowsmith is a blacksmith who specialises in forging [arrowhead](/source/arrowhead)s. ** A [gunsmith](/source/gunsmith) builds and repairs [firearm](/source/firearm)s. * An [armourer](/source/armourer) working in an [armoury](/source/armoury) maintaining and repairing small weapons traditionally had some duties of a gunsmith. * A [coinsmith](/source/coinsmith) works strictly with [coins](/source/coins) and currency. * A [locksmith](/source/locksmithing) works with [locks](/source/Lock_(security_device)). ==Artisans and craftspeople== [[File:PunzoWorkshop76.JPG|thumb|Coppersmith Abdón Punzo in his workshop in [Santa Clara del Cobre](/source/Santa_Clara_del_Cobre), [Mexico](/source/Mexico)]] [[File:Lafter3.jpg|thumb|"Aeolus's Weathervane" – detail of a [weather vane](/source/weather_vane) created by using a variety of metalsmithing techniques]] The ancient traditional tool of the smith is a [forge](/source/forge) or ''smithy'', which is a [furnace](/source/Metallurgical_furnace) designed to allow compressed air (through a [bellows](/source/bellows)) to superheat the inside, allowing for efficient melting, [soldering](/source/soldering) and [annealing](/source/Annealing_(metallurgy)) of metals. Today, this tool is still widely used by blacksmiths as it was traditionally. The term, ''metalsmith'', often refers to artisans and craftspersons who practice their craft in many different metals, including gold, copper and silver. [Jeweler](/source/Jeweler)s often refer to their craft as ''metalsmithing'', and many universities offer degree programs in metalsmithing, jewelry, enameling and blacksmithing under the auspices of their fine arts programs.Tim McCreight, ''Jewelry: Fundamentals of Metalsmithing'', Hand Books Press, 1997, {{ISBN|1-880140-29-2}} ==Machinists== [Machinist](/source/Machinist)s are metalsmiths who produce high-precision parts and tools.{{cite web|url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/machinists|title=Definition of MACHINISTS|website=www.merriam-webster.com|access-date=3 April 2018}} The most advanced of these tools, [CNC](/source/CNC) machines, are computer controlled and largely automated. ==See also== * [Ferrous metallurgy](/source/Ferrous_metallurgy) * [Smithing gods](/source/Smithing_gods) * [Metallurgy](/source/Metallurgy) * [Blacksmith](/source/Blacksmith) ==References== {{reflist|colwidth=35em}} ==External links== {{EB1911 poster|Smith|Metalsmith}} *{{Wiktionary-inline|smith}} *{{Commons category-inline|Smiths}} {{Metalworking navbox|smithopen}} {{Authority control}} Category:Metalsmiths Category:Arts occupations --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Metalsmith](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metalsmith) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metalsmith?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.