Willis Posted January 12, 2011 Share Posted January 12, 2011 What is the main difference between a blacksmith and a whitesmith, and what requirements must you meet to become a whitesmith? I've heard this topic discussed among friends and would like some additional input from the folks here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrkiddi Posted January 12, 2011 Share Posted January 12, 2011 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whitesmith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edge9001 Posted January 13, 2011 Share Posted January 13, 2011 black vs white, a black smith works in black metals, steel and iron. while a white smith works in white metals, silver and pewter. I'm sure theres more to it than that, but that is the basic idea that comes from the names Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HWooldridge Posted January 13, 2011 Share Posted January 13, 2011 Whitesmithing describes filed work that was previously forged to basic shape. Donald Streeter's book, "Professional Smithing" has a whole chapter devoted to it; starts on pg 29... ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted January 13, 2011 Share Posted January 13, 2011 Like HW says, Whitesmith refers to things that are finished from the forged state; so locks and keys, interior hardware of the "upscale" type, etc. Folks who work silver are silversmiths not whitesmiths. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mainely,Bob Posted January 13, 2011 Share Posted January 13, 2011 From what I understand a whitesmith a the finishing person.They did all the grinding,filing,finishing and sanding that removed all the scale and other signs of the fire so the piece was returned to bright metal. Those who worked in white metals were either tinsmiths,silversmiths,cutlers or a host of other names. When the blacksmith was done he handed the forging to the whitesmith to finish.Nowadays we might call them the grinding crew or the prep crew,as in prepare for paint crew. Not sure if the buffers/polishers would be rolled into this type of work.They`re an old bunch and usually eat their lunch by themselves anyway. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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