Who is a smith and what do they do? The job of a smith is to manufacture metal parts by forging, i.e. the part to be worked is first heated to make it softer and then it is shaped by hammering and bending. In agricultural regions the smith may be called a blacksmith or farrier (the latter especially where the skills are applied to work with horses) and the work often associated with that job is the shoeing of horses and the making, sharpening and repair of agricultural tools and equipment.
What are the activities of the job? – S/he heats materials – makes components, tools and instruments by hand, forging on an anvil or by mechanical forging with power hammers and forging presses; the item to be worked is either held in tongs or in a kind of mould. The smith straightens, bends and shapes round irons, rolled sections, flat bars, leaf springs and other products and forges tubes and makes sockets.
– The blacksmith also repairs, makes, forges and sharpens agricultural tools – repairs frames and undercarriages of vehicles or ploughs – makes nails, latches and similar products – treats the hoofs of farm animals – makes horseshoes – shoes race horses – does various welding jobs – repairs and adjusts simple agricultural and forestry machines and equipment, trailers, manure spreaders, etc.
Where is it done and under what conditions? Mostly in smithies where the working environment usually involves high temperature and noise.
What tools/equipment do they use? Forge tongs and hammers, anvils, heating furnaces and smith’s fires, moulds, forging presses, power hammers. A smith must, of course, be good with his/her hands.