Blacksmith
What the work is
Shapes bars, rods and blocks of metal by heating and hammering to produce or repair metal articles.
Would you enjoy the work?
These are the main tasks in the official description. Mark how each one sounds to you.
- Collaborates with clients to understand their specific metalworking needs
- Heats metal blocks, bars and rods in a forge, then shapes the metal using hammers, anvils and other tools
- Welds or joins metal pieces together
- Trims, cuts and files metal to remove excess material
- Repairs damaged metal articles by heating and reshaping them
- Inspects finished products for quality and accuracy
Try it
A simulation and a case study from this kind of work, set in a mobile farrier's ute and a small workshop beside a horse stable in a fictional country district. They are fictional.
The kind of days you could have
Good days
- A horse that was limping walks out sound after a good trim and shoe
- A forge fire running right and a hot piece of metal taking the shape you wanted
- Owners who learn something about their horse's feet because you took time to show them
Hard days
- A nervous horse, a long drive between jobs and a back that aches by afternoon
- An owner who wants a quick fix for a hoof problem that needs time
- Weather and distance that mess up the whole day's bookings
Written by Career Calling as a general guide. Real roles vary by employer and place.
Work a mission
Step into a simulated workplace in this field, with a brief from your manager.
Description and tasks: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Occupation Standard Classification for Australia, 2024, Version 1.0 (opens another site), occupation 331931, used under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. The skill guide above is our plain English summary.