Ametalsmith or simplysmith is acraftsperson fashioning useful items (for example, tools,kitchenware,tableware,jewelry, armor andweapons) out of variousmetals.[1]Smithing is one of the oldestmetalworking occupations. Shaping metal with ahammer (forging) is the archetypical component of smithing. Often the hammering is done while the metal is hot, having beenheated in aforge. Smithing can also involve the other aspects ofmetalworking, such as refining metals from their ores (traditionally done bysmelting),casting it into shapes (founding), andfiling to shape and size.
The prevalence of metalworking in the culture of recent centuries has ledSmith and its equivalents in various languages to be a commonoccupational surname (GermanSchmidt orSchmied, PortugueseFerreiro,Ferreira, FrenchLefèvre, SpanishHerrero, ItalianFabbri,Ferrari,Ferrero, UkrainianKoval etc.). As asuffix,-smithconnotes a meaning of a specialized craftsperson—for example,wordsmith andtunesmith are nouns synonymous with writer or songwriter, respectively.
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Inpre-industrialized times, smiths held high or special social standing since they supplied the metal tools needed for farming (especially theplough) andwarfare.[citation needed]More details on the history can be found in the articleblacksmith.
A metalsmith is one who works with or has the knowledge and the capacity of working with "all" metals.
Types of smiths include:[2]
The ancient traditional tool of the smith is aforge orsmithy, which is afurnace designed to allow compressed air (through abellows) to superheat the inside, allowing for efficient melting,soldering andannealing of metals. Today, this tool is still widely used by blacksmiths as it was traditionally.
The term,metalsmith, often refers to artisans and craftpersons who practice their craft in many different metals, including gold, copper and silver.Jewelers often refer to their craft asmetalsmithing, and many universities offer degree programs in metalsmithing, jewelry, enameling and blacksmithing under the auspices of their fine arts programs.[5]
Machinists are metalsmiths who produce high-precision parts and tools.[6] The most advanced of these tools,CNC machines, are computer controlled and largely automated.
