Smith (metalwork)
From Open Encyclopedia
- For other uses, see Smith
A smith, or metalsmith, is a person involved in the shaping of metal objects. The word smith is cognate with the somewhat archaic English (Germanic) word "smite", meaning 'to hit' or 'strike'. Originally smiths practiced their crafts by forming metal with hammer blows. In this sense, the English word predates the Anglo-Saxon invasion of Britain.
In pre-industrialized times, smiths held high or special social standing, as they supplied the metal tools needed for farming (especially the plough) and warfare. As a English suffix, -smith connotes a meaning of specialized craftsmen —for example wordsmith and tunesmith are adjectives to describe the skill of a writer or songwriter, respectively.
Types of smiths include:
- coppersmith, or brownsmith, works with copper.
- blacksmith works with iron and steel.
- whitesmith works with white metal, iron, and can refer to someone who polishes or finishes the metal rather than forging it.
- goldsmith works with gold.
- gunsmith works with guns.
- locksmith works with locks.
- pewtersmith works with pewter
- silversmith, or brightsmith, works with silver.
- tinsmith, or tinner, works with light metal, such as tinware, and can refer to someone who deals in tinware.
- swordsmith - forges swords.
- arrowsmith - forges arrow heads.
- "handsmith" - may be used to designate people practicing crafts
not typically associated with metalwork.
Development
The ancient traditional tool of the smith is a forge or smithy, which is a furnace designed to allow compressed air (through a bellows) to superheat the inside, allowing for efficient melting of metals. Today, metalsmiths (or machinists) may produce high-precision parts and use high-precision tools, and the most advanced of these, CNC machines, are computer controlled and largely automated.
External links
forging tongs - animation shows some typical smithing technique for
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