One option is to sign up for blacksmithing courses and workshops. Students can learn how to make their own tools and complete basic projects. Some courses also cover forge-welding, heat treatment and safety practices. The Virginia Institute of Blacksmithing offers a wider variety of classes. Except for bladesmithing courses, all of its programs are open to students over the age of Participants also have the option to complete a certificate program in artistic blacksmithing.
Most courses last a day or two and focus on specific topics, such as welding or knife-making. Another option is to complete a blacksmithing apprenticeship.
Reach out to professional blacksmiths, factories, steel mills and metal production plants in your city or state. Express your interest in learning this craft and see if there are any openings available. You may also sign up for blacksmith experience days to get a better idea of what it's like to work in this field. As a blacksmith, you can start your own business or search for jobs in the automotive, electric power, construction or metal processing industries.
Many of those who pursue this career path open their own shops where they sell metal art, wrought iron gates, home decor items or handmade knives.
Some work in machinery manufacturing. Use job search websites like Indeed and Glassdoor to find work. Check the local newspapers, too. If there are any blacksmiths in your area, contact them and offer your services. Most workers are employed full time and may need to be available on evenings and weekends. If you start a business, you could earn above the median wage.
Consider crafting metal wall art, wrought iron patio furniture, iron door handles and other similar items. These pieces are in high demand due to their timeless design.
Plus, they blend style and functionality, making them ideal for contemporary homes. Back in the olden days, a blacksmith was necessary for everything from guns to horseshoes. Technology changed that. Now most of the work blacksmiths once did, is done by machine. But blacksmiths still do plenty of work. Blacksmiths create tools like drills and chisels or custom metal work for gates, railings, furniture, weapons, tables, light fixtures, sculptures, plant hangers, hooks, and doorstops.
Their work is a form of functional art. Tools, fire, and metal fascinate blacksmiths. In order to mold metal into intricate functional pieces, metal must be heated to extreme temperatures in a forge. At higher temperatures metal is more malleable. Weighted hammers, tongs, anvils, forges and safety equipment are all used daily in this dangerous art. The hammers are used to hit and bend the metal around an anvil, which has faces and horns used to flatten and round.
Many times, these shops will be owned and operated by one or two experienced blacksmiths. These types of blacksmiths typically create items for decorative purposes, like sculptures, but some of their crafts may also be useful as well. For example, blacksmiths can create handcrafted fireplace pokers, chandeliers, or weathervanes.
What Is Blacksmithing? Typical Work Environment. Job Outlook. Consider these related careers in Craft and Fine Art. Jump to Section. The Art Career Project is a trusted resource for emerging and professional artists. Facebook-square Twitter Instagram Pinterest. For Artists.
All rights reserved. Blacksmithing today requires the ability to weld and shape metal with a hammer and heat. The modern blacksmith must be able to work from architectural drawings and create drawings in the field. The traditional areas of blacksmithing such as making horseshoes and decorative iron accents for buildings and mending broken implements are still available; however, the modern blacksmith no longer produces metal tools such as shovels or picks.
The modern blacksmith can use her skills to create sculptures out of metal for presentation in galleries. The blacksmith must commit to hours of non-blacksmith work so she can run the shop, do paperwork and find new customers. Modern blacksmiths have more than just the heavy leather apron that blacksmiths wore in earlier years. They add safety glasses for protection against flying metal shards and respirators with activated charcoal to protect them from gases the welding generates.
In David Marsh began writing a column in the "Idaho Falls Post-Register" titled "Good Things," which presented restaurant reviews, sports analysis and movie criticism.
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