Smiths

Smiths are craftspeople who work with metal, shaping it by heating, hammering, and cutting to form tools, hardware, cookware, decorative objects, and components for machines. The core technique—forging—relies on heating metal in a forge and then delivering blows with a hammer on an anvil. Finishing steps may include grinding, sharpening, heat treating, quenching, and polishing. Trade knowledge often includes metallurgy, measurement, design, and safety.

Several specialized kinds of smiths exist. Blacksmiths work primarily with ferrous metals such as iron and steel and are known for horseshoes, tools, and hardware. Whitesmiths and tinsmiths handle light metals, sheet metal, and tins. Silversmiths and goldsmiths work with precious metals to make jewelry, vessels, and decorative items, often employing engraving and filigree. Gunsmiths repair and modify firearms and may build components to exact specifications. Bladesmiths fashion edged tools and weapons by heat and hammering, often with differential heat treating. In modern practice, many smiths are skilled metalworkers who combine forging with welding, machining, and fabrication for construction, sculpture, or repair.

Smithing has ancient roots, with early forges appearing in the Bronze Age. In many regions smiths organized into guilds that controlled apprenticeship, quality, and prices. The craft declined in some contexts due to industrial mass production but persists in artisanal workshops, foundries, and educational programs. Today, smiths may work as tradespeople, artists, or hobbyists, and the term can broadly cover craftsmen who shape metal, including steel fabricators and metal artists.