I get a lot of phone calls from potential customers asking me to make things for them. The problem is that half of those phone calls are for items that a blacksmith doesn’t make. So, I thought I’d go over what a blacksmith is and what a blacksmith is not.
Definition of a Blacksmith
According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary the definition of blacksmith is:
a smith who forges iron
To break that down, a smith is the person who is actually forging the iron.
Forging iron is the process by which we blacksmiths heat metal and then strike it on an anvil with a hammer. Forging is a loose term and instead of an anvil it might be a rock or a stump the metal is shaped on. Instead of a hammer it could also be a rock striking the metal or some other object.
The important part is the metal is heated and then struck – that’s forging.
So, the person who heats iron and shapes it is a blacksmith.
The iron part is also important as there are other types of smiths. For example: tinsmith, goldsmith, coppersmith, etc. As you can guess, the type of metal defines the type of smith. A coppersmith works with copper and a goldsmith works with gold.
It should be noted that blacksmiths do not forge pure iron. Iron on its own is not very strong. It’s like how pure gold is a very soft metal. However, when carbon is added to iron you create steel and steel is a much stronger metal. Steel is what blacksmiths work with.
What Does a Blacksmith Do?
A blacksmith forges iron but what does that actually mean? We take steel and shape it and in shaping it we create items and we do this by hand. Meaning, it’s a process done using a hammer and anvil instead of modern machinery like in manufacturing.
Thousands of years ago when blacksmithing began, and up until the late 1800’s, blacksmiths were a part of every community. Towns were built (literally) around the blacksmith’s shop. They were the heart and soul of a community. The blacksmith supplied the other trades with tools, forged everyday items for the townsfolk, and did more elaborate work for the wealthy.
Eventually though Blacksmiths were replaced by machines.
I’m just trying to set the stage here. Before modern machinery, which could mass produce metal items that you take for granted, you had blacksmiths. A blacksmith would make everything from nails, to pots and pans, to gates and fences, to weapons. If it was made from steel then it was made by a blacksmith.
What About Today?
Now that we have mass production what does a blacksmith do? Well, the same as they always did.
The difference today is that blacksmiths are not common. In fact, in the United States it’s estimated that there are only 5,000 – 10,000 blacksmiths. Of those, only 10% of them are professional – like myself. Meaning, there are only 500 – 1,000 professional blacksmiths in the U.S.
The number of blacksmiths aside, we still forge what we’ve always forged. You can see some of the work I sell in my online store and also in my portfolio.
Today a blacksmith is not required. You don’t need me to forge you a fork and knife to eat food with. I’m not needed to create a fire poker for your wood stove or fireplace. Simply put, as a blacksmith I’m a luxury and not essential. Blacksmiths now refer to themselves as artist-blacksmiths. Blacksmithing is no longer a trade but seen as an art.
So why bother doing it? Well, that’s something I’ve covered in another article that talks about the quality of hand-forged items.
To summarize, personally speaking it’s something I enjoy doing. I have always loved making things by hand and blacksmithing is a passion of mine.
Practically speaking, hand-forged items are of a higher quality than what you’ll buy in a big box store.
Lastly, a blacksmith can make you something specific and custom; something you can’t get in a store. Here’s some pictures of a sign hanger I made for a local business where I live. This isn’t something she could have bought off Amazon.
Types of Blacksmiths
A couple hundred years ago a blacksmith would have made everything that was made of steel. Things are different today though.
Now blacksmiths often specialize in areas. That’s not to say they didn’t back when smithing was more common, but there was a lot more crossover then than there is now.
For example, the person who makes horseshoes and shoes animals is called a farrier. Those who make knives would be a bladesmith; swords would be a swordsmith. Making armor is an armorsmith.
Those are all blacksmiths but smiths with specialized skills. The modern artist-blacksmith, such as myself, will forge other items. I do not make knives or axes since I’m not a bladesmith. I do not deal with horseshoes because I’m not a farrier. I will forge grill tools, charcuterie utensils, bottle openers, sign hangers, etc.
There are blacksmiths who do a bit of everything as they once historically did. As a general rule though if you want a knife forged you will look for a bladesmith. If you want your horses shoed you will contact a farrier. If you want some roasting sticks made for your campfire you will contact a blacksmith.
You wouldn’t go see your dentist if your arm is broken; you’d see a physician. They’re both doctors but each with an area of focus.
What a Blacksmith Doesn’t Do
Circling back around to those phone calls I mentioned where I’m asked to make things that a blacksmith does not make – what are those things? I’m not a welder. If your tractor bucket needs repairs, then a blacksmith isn’t the person you call – a welder is. I have had someone ask me to make a part for their tractor. That would be a job for a fabricator or a machinist. If you want a metal spiral staircase you would contact a fabricator.
It can be a bit of a fuzzy line on what a blacksmith does and doesn’t do. There are blacksmiths out there who also weld, fabricate, and do machinist work. Some people just love metalwork so much they do it all. However, the other work they do isn’t blacksmithing, they just happen to be a blacksmith skilled in other areas as well.
Generally speaking, if the work doesn’t require heating metal and shaping it, then it’s not something a blacksmith does. Again, you may find a smith who can also do that because of their skillset so I’m speaking broadly.
Conclusion
Hopefully I’ve given some clarity to the subject of what a blacksmith is. As a smith myself it’s easy to understand but I can see how it wouldn’t be so clear to someone who doesn’t work with metal.
It’s usually a safe bet though that if you contact a blacksmith about some metalworking project that even if they can’t do it that they’ll know someone who does and can direct you.
