Smithing
First smiths learned to smelt, melt, cast, rivet, and forge copper and bronze (the last one being harder, more resistant to corrosion, and having a lower melting point). Because copper and bronze cannot be hardened by heat-treatment, they have to be hammered for a long period of time As time moved on people learned to work with other metals such as iron.
A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut. Blacksmiths produce objects such as gates, grilles, railings, light fixtures, furniture, sculpture, tools, agricultural implements, decorative and religious items, cooking utensils, and weapons. The place where a blacksmith works is called variously a smithy, a forge or a blacksmith's shop.
The “black” in “blacksmith” refers to the black layer of oxides that form on the metal surface during heating.
A tinsmith may also be known as a whitesmith and is a person who makes and repairs things made of tin or other light metals such as gold, silver, pewter, or the finishing steps of fine steel.
Unlike blacksmiths (who work mostly with hot metals), tinsmiths do the majority of their work on cold metal (although they might use a hearth to heat and help shape their raw materials). Tinsmiths fabricate items such as water pitchers, forks, spoons, and candle holders.
A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut. Blacksmiths produce objects such as gates, grilles, railings, light fixtures, furniture, sculpture, tools, agricultural implements, decorative and religious items, cooking utensils, and weapons. The place where a blacksmith works is called variously a smithy, a forge or a blacksmith's shop.
The “black” in “blacksmith” refers to the black layer of oxides that form on the metal surface during heating.
A tinsmith may also be known as a whitesmith and is a person who makes and repairs things made of tin or other light metals such as gold, silver, pewter, or the finishing steps of fine steel.
Unlike blacksmiths (who work mostly with hot metals), tinsmiths do the majority of their work on cold metal (although they might use a hearth to heat and help shape their raw materials). Tinsmiths fabricate items such as water pitchers, forks, spoons, and candle holders.
Manufacturing
The tools of smithing are generally divided into three groups. The first is the hearth with its bellows, water trough, shovels, tongs, rake, poker, and a water container for damping down the fire and cooling objects. The second group consists of the anvil, sledges, tongs, swages, cutters, chisels, and hammers. The third group was made up of the shoeing box, which contains knives, rasps, and files for preparing the horse's hooves for shoes, an iron stand for supporting the horse's foot while working on it, and a special hammer and nails to fasten the shoe to the hoof.
