Farrier to blacksmith
A farrier already meets 21% of what the blacksmith role asks for. The move turns on 13 required skills not yet in the profile.
80.2/ 100
1 How much of what a blacksmith is expected to do is already part of a farrier’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 6 of its required skills as things a farrier already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- apply smithing techniques
- forging processes
- shape metal over anvils
- types of metal
- work with blacksmithing hand tools
- work with blacksmithing power tools
What stands in the way is 13 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 6 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 farrier background worth leading with.
- already held work with blacksmithing power tools working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held shape metal over anvils handling and moving
- already held work with blacksmithing hand tools handling and moving
- already held apply smithing techniques handling and moving
- already held forging processes engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held types of metal engineering, manufacturing and construction
All 6 carried skills, including the 6 the blacksmith role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 42 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 maintain furnace temperature required
- still to learn operate furnace required
- still to learn operate metal heating equipment required
- still to learn ensure correct metal temperature required
- optional, not held apply precision metalworking techniques optional
- optional, not held operate precision measuring equipment optional
- optional, not held remove scale from metal workpiece optional
- still to learn join metals required
- still to learn select filler metal required
- still to learn operate welding equipment required
- optional, not held monitor gauge optional
- still to learn heat metals required
- still to learn load materials into furnace 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 smooth burred surfaces optional
- optional, not held apply preliminary treatment to workpieces optional
- optional, not held cut metal products optional
- optional, not held fill moulds optional
- optional, not held mark processed workpiece optional
- optional, not held produce customised products optional
- optional, not held supply machine with appropriate tools optional
- still to learn prevent damage in a furnace required
- still to learn wear appropriate protective gear required
- optional, not held provide customer follow-up services optional
- still to learn hot forging required
- 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 non-ferrous metal processing optional
- optional, not held types of metal manufacturing processes optional
- optional, not held coating substances optional
- optional, not held cold forging optional
- optional, not held design drawings optional
- optional, not held dust usage for forging optional
- still to learn measure metal to be heated required
- optional, not held recognise signs of corrosion 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 heat metals practise this
- 02 join metals practise this
- 03 load materials into 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 6 skills that carry over
- already held apply smithing techniques skill
- already held forging processes knowledge
- already held shape metal over anvils skill
- already held types of metal knowledge
- already held work with blacksmithing hand tools skill
- already held work with blacksmithing power tools skill
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
29 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 non-ferrous metal processing optional
- optional, not held precious metal processing optional
- optional, not held remove finished casts optional
- optional, not held smooth burred surfaces optional
- optional, not held types of metal manufacturing processes optional
- optional, not held apply precision metalworking techniques optional
- optional, not held apply preliminary treatment to workpieces optional
- optional, not held coating substances optional
- optional, not held cold forging optional
- optional, not held cut metal products optional
- optional, not held design drawings 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 mark processed workpiece optional
- optional, not held monitor gauge optional
- optional, not held operate precision measuring equipment optional
- optional, not held produce customised products 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
16 held skills the blacksmith role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role advise horse owners on farriery requirements skill
- not needed by the target role analyse animal locomotion skill
- not needed by the target role apply animal hygiene practices skill
- not needed by the target role assess equid footcare requirements skill
- not needed by the target role attach horseshoes skill
- not needed by the target role carry out post hoof-trimming activities skill
- not needed by the target role control animal movement skill
- not needed by the target role create solutions to problems skill
- not needed by the target role farrier industry knowledge
- not needed by the target role make farrier tools and supplies skill
- not needed by the target role manage animal biosecurity skill
- not needed by the target role manage time in agricultural production skill
- not needed by the target role prepare equid hooves skill
- not needed by the target role understand the needs of animals skill
- not needed by the target role use different communication channels skill
- not needed by the target role work independently in agriculture skill
12 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn hot forging required
- 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 non-ferrous metal processing optional
- optional, not held precious metal processing optional
- optional, not held types of metal manufacturing processes optional
- optional, not held coating substances optional
- optional, not held cold forging optional
- optional, not held design drawings optional
- optional, not held dust usage for forging optional
Other moves recorded from farrier
Common questions about this move
Can a farrier become a blacksmith?
Yes, and it is a career change move. A farrier already covers 21% of what a blacksmith is expected to do: 6 skills carry over, 6 of which the blacksmith role treats as required.
What skills does a farrier need to become a blacksmith?
13 required skills are missing, plus 29 optional ones. They fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by working with machinery and specialised equipment. The single most important is heat metals.
How hard is the move from farrier to blacksmith?
Its learning distance is 80.2 out of 100, which is the career change 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.