Profession blacksmith

Blacksmiths heat metal, usually steel, in a forge and shape it with a hammer, chisel, and an anvil. Contemporarily, they predominantly create artisanal metal products, including ornamental work, as well as horse shoes, one of the sole metal fabricating processes that has not been industrialised.

Personality Type

• Realistic / Conventional

Knowledge

• Types of metal

  Qualities, specifications, applications and reactions to different fabricating processes of various types of metal, such as steel, aluminium, brass, copper and others.

• Hot forging

  The metalworking process of forging whilst the hot metal is right above its recrystallisation temperature after casting and being solidified.

• Forging processes

  The various processes in the metalforming practices of forging, such as swaging, open-die forging, automatic hot forging, cogging, impression-die forging, roll forging, upsetting, press forging, and others.

Skills

• Work with blacksmithing power tools

  Work with drills, air chisels, power hammers, hydraulic presses, grinders, and others to create (semi-)hand-made metal products by performing blacksmithing operations.

• Operate metal heating equipment

  Use heating machinery to bake filled-up moulds or to melt steel, metal and other materials.

• Maintain furnace temperature

  Monitor and govern the pyrometer to control the furnace temperature.

• Heat metals

  Heat steel and metals in fire; adjust and regulate heat controls to reach appropriate pouring temperature.

• Join metals

  Join together pieces of metal using soldering and welding materials.

• Prevent damage in a furnace

  Provide damage and risk prevention in a furnace or a smelter.

• Use welding equipment

  Operate welding equipment in a safe manner; use welding techniques such as shielded metal arc welding or flux-cored arc welding.

• Ensure correct metal temperature

  Ensure the necessary, usually constant, temperature of processed metal workpieces during metal fabrication processes.

• Select filler metal

  Select optimal metal used for metal joining purposes, such as zinc, lead or copper metals, specifically for welding, soldering or brazing practices.

• Wear appropriate protective gear

  Wear relevant and necessary protective gear, such as protective goggles or other eye protection, hard hats, safety gloves.

• Measure metal to be heated

  Measure the amounts of steel or other metals to be heated. Take decisions on the amount of heat to be used, the duration of the heating, and other variables in the process based on the measurement.

• Shape metal over anvils

  Forge pieces of metal over an anvil using the appropriate hand tools and heating equipment.

• Operate furnace

  Operate or tend furnaces, such as gas, oil, coal, electric-arc or electric induction, open-hearth, or oxygen furnaces, to melt and refine metal before casting, to produce specified types of steel, or to finish other materials such as cokes. Set furnace controls to regulate temperatures and heating time.

• Work with blacksmithing hand tools

  Work with hammers, chisels, anvils, tongs, vises, forges, and others to create hand-made metal products by performing blacksmithing operations.

• Load materials into furnace

  Load materials in furnace with correct positioning, fastening and levelling when needed.

• Apply smithing techniques

  Apply techniques and use technologies in relation to the various smithing processes, including sculpting, forging, upsetting, heat treating, and finishing.

Optional knowledge and skills

Source: Sisyphus ODB