Coppersmith to blacksmith
A coppersmith already meets 51% of what the blacksmith role asks for. The move turns on 8 required skills not yet in the profile.
55.3/ 100
1 How much of what a blacksmith is expected to do is already part of a coppersmith’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the blacksmith role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A blacksmith role treats 11 of its required skills as things a coppersmith already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- apply smithing techniques
- ensure correct metal temperature
- forging processes
- heat metals
- hot forging
- join metals
What stands in the way is 8 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 22 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A blacksmith role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a coppersmith background worth leading with.
- already held apply smithing techniques handling and moving
- already held produce customised products handling and moving
- already held hot forging engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held load materials into furnace handling and moving
- already held operate furnace working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held cold forging engineering, manufacturing and construction
All 22 carried skills, including the 11 the blacksmith role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 26 missing skills fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn shape metal over anvils required
- still to learn work with blacksmithing hand tools required
- optional, not held insert mould structures optional
- optional, not held mark designs on metal pieces optional
- optional, not held remove finished casts optional
- optional, not held fill moulds optional
- optional, not held supply machine with appropriate tools optional
- still to learn select filler metal required
- still to learn operate welding equipment required
- optional, not held monitor gauge optional
- still to learn operate metal heating equipment required
- still to learn work with blacksmithing power tools required
- optional, not held remove scale from metal workpiece optional
- still to learn prevent damage in a furnace required
- optional, not held provide customer follow-up services optional
- still to learn measure metal to be heated required
- optional, not held recognise signs of corrosion optional
- optional, not held casting processes optional
- optional, not held ferrous metal processing optional
- optional, not held manufacturing of door furniture from metal optional
- optional, not held manufacturing of tools optional
- optional, not held coating substances optional
- optional, not held dust usage for forging optional
2 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a blacksmith role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 measure metal to be heated practise this
- 02 operate metal heating equipment practise this
- 03 prevent damage in a furnace practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 22 skills that carry over
- already held apply smithing techniques skill
- already held ensure correct metal temperature skill
- already held forging processes knowledge
- already held heat metals skill
- already held hot forging knowledge
- already held join metals skill
- already held load materials into furnace skill
- already held maintain furnace temperature skill
- already held operate furnace skill
- already held types of metal knowledge
- already held wear appropriate protective gear skill
- already held apply precision metalworking techniques skill
- already held apply preliminary treatment to workpieces skill
- already held cold forging knowledge
- already held cut metal products skill
- already held design drawings knowledge
- already held mark processed workpiece skill
- already held non-ferrous metal processing knowledge
- already held operate precision measuring equipment skill
- already held produce customised products skill
- already held smooth burred surfaces skill
- already held types of metal manufacturing processes knowledge
The 2 learning areas not shown above
- optional, not held manage time in casting processes optional
- optional, not held ensure equipment availability optional
- optional, not held precious metal processing optional
18 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held casting processes optional
- optional, not held ferrous metal processing optional
- optional, not held insert mould structures optional
- optional, not held manage time in casting processes optional
- optional, not held manufacturing of door furniture from metal optional
- optional, not held manufacturing of tools optional
- optional, not held mark designs on metal pieces optional
- optional, not held precious metal processing optional
- optional, not held remove finished casts optional
- optional, not held coating substances optional
- optional, not held dust usage for forging optional
- optional, not held ensure equipment availability optional
- optional, not held fill moulds optional
- optional, not held monitor gauge optional
- optional, not held provide customer follow-up services optional
- optional, not held recognise signs of corrosion optional
- optional, not held remove scale from metal workpiece optional
- optional, not held supply machine with appropriate tools optional
18 held skills the blacksmith role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role admit basic metals to furnace skill
- not needed by the target role assess suitability of metal types for specific application skill
- not needed by the target role cast metal skill
- not needed by the target role chemical technologies in metal manufacture knowledge
- not needed by the target role concretise artistic concept skill
- not needed by the target role define artistic approach skill
- not needed by the target role extract materials from furnace skill
- not needed by the target role manage artistic career skill
- not needed by the target role manage artistic project skill
- not needed by the target role manipulate copper skill
- not needed by the target role manipulate metal skill
- not needed by the target role manufacture of small metal parts knowledge
- not needed by the target role manufacturing of metal household articles knowledge
- not needed by the target role manufacturing of metal structures knowledge
- not needed by the target role metal joining technologies knowledge
- not needed by the target role select artistic materials to create artworks skill
- not needed by the target role work in metal manufacture teams skill
- not needed by the target role work independently as an artist skill
7 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- optional, not held casting processes optional
- optional, not held ferrous metal processing optional
- optional, not held manufacturing of door furniture from metal optional
- optional, not held manufacturing of tools optional
- optional, not held precious metal processing optional
- optional, not held coating substances optional
- optional, not held dust usage for forging optional
Common questions about this move
Can a coppersmith become a blacksmith?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A coppersmith already covers 51% of what a blacksmith is expected to do: 22 skills carry over, 11 of which the blacksmith role treats as required.
What skills does a coppersmith need to become a blacksmith?
8 required skills are missing, plus 18 optional ones. They fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by handling and moving. The single most important is measure metal to be heated.
How hard is the move from coppersmith to blacksmith?
Its learning distance is 55.3 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.