Ornamental metal worker to blacksmith
An ornamental metal worker already meets 56% of what the blacksmith role asks for. The move turns on 8 required skills not yet in the profile.
51.4/ 100
1 How much of what a blacksmith is expected to do is already part of an ornamental metal worker’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 an ornamental metal worker already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- apply smithing techniques
- ensure correct metal temperature
- heat metals
- hot forging
- operate welding equipment
- select filler metal
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 26 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 an ornamental metal worker 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 mark designs on metal pieces handling and moving
- already held apply smithing techniques handling and moving
- already held hot forging engineering, manufacturing and construction
All 26 carried skills, including the 11 the blacksmith role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 22 missing skills fall into 7 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
- optional, not held remove scale from metal workpiece optional
- still to learn load materials into furnace required
- optional, not held insert mould structures optional
- optional, not held remove finished casts 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 produce customised products optional
- optional, not held supply machine with appropriate tools optional
- still to learn forging processes required
- optional, not held casting processes optional
- optional, not held manufacturing of tools optional
- optional, not held coating substances optional
- optional, not held dust usage for forging optional
- still to learn join metals required
- optional, not held monitor gauge optional
- still to learn prevent damage in a furnace required
- still to learn measure metal to be heated required
1 further area 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 join metals practise this
- 02 load materials into furnace practise this
- 03 maintain furnace temperature 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 26 skills that carry over
- already held apply smithing techniques skill
- already held ensure correct metal temperature skill
- already held heat metals skill
- already held hot forging knowledge
- already held operate welding equipment skill
- already held select filler metal skill
- already held shape metal over anvils skill
- already held types of metal knowledge
- already held wear appropriate protective gear skill
- already held work with blacksmithing hand tools skill
- already held work with blacksmithing power tools skill
- already held apply precision metalworking techniques skill
- already held cold forging knowledge
- already held design drawings knowledge
- already held ensure equipment availability skill
- already held ferrous metal processing knowledge
- already held manufacturing of door furniture from metal knowledge
- already held mark designs on metal pieces skill
- already held mark processed workpiece skill
- already held non-ferrous metal processing knowledge
- already held operate precision measuring equipment skill
- already held precious metal processing knowledge
- already held provide customer follow-up services skill
- already held recognise signs of corrosion skill
- already held smooth burred surfaces skill
- already held types of metal manufacturing processes knowledge
The 1 learning area not shown above
- optional, not held manage time in casting processes optional
14 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held casting processes optional
- optional, not held insert mould structures optional
- optional, not held manage time in casting processes optional
- optional, not held manufacturing of tools optional
- optional, not held remove finished casts optional
- optional, not held apply preliminary treatment to workpieces optional
- optional, not held coating substances optional
- optional, not held cut metal products optional
- optional, not held dust usage for forging optional
- optional, not held fill moulds optional
- optional, not held monitor gauge optional
- optional, not held produce customised products optional
- optional, not held remove scale from metal workpiece optional
- optional, not held supply machine with appropriate tools optional
28 held skills the blacksmith role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role apply arc welding techniques skill
- not needed by the target role apply brazing techniques skill
- not needed by the target role cut ornamental design skill
- not needed by the target role cutting technologies knowledge
- not needed by the target role engrave patterns skill
- not needed by the target role engraving technologies knowledge
- not needed by the target role manufacturing of cutlery knowledge
- not needed by the target role manufacturing of doors from metal knowledge
- not needed by the target role manufacturing of metal household articles knowledge
- not needed by the target role manufacturing of weapons and ammunition knowledge
- not needed by the target role mark a metal workpiece skill
- not needed by the target role metal coating technologies knowledge
- not needed by the target role metal forming technologies knowledge
- not needed by the target role operate brazing equipment skill
- not needed by the target role operate engraving equipment skill
- not needed by the target role operate rust proofing spray gun skill
- not needed by the target role operate soldering equipment skill
- not needed by the target role perform machine maintenance skill
- not needed by the target role perform test run skill
- not needed by the target role quality standards knowledge
- not needed by the target role read standard blueprints skill
- not needed by the target role remove inadequate workpieces skill
- not needed by the target role remove processed workpiece skill
- not needed by the target role set up the controller of a machine skill
- not needed by the target role shape ornamental design skill
- not needed by the target role torch temperature for metal processes knowledge
- not needed by the target role troubleshoot skill
- not needed by the target role use metalworking tools skill
5 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 forging processes required
- optional, not held casting processes optional
- optional, not held manufacturing of tools optional
- optional, not held coating substances optional
- optional, not held dust usage for forging optional
Other moves recorded from ornamental metal worker
Common questions about this move
Can an ornamental metal worker become a blacksmith?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. An ornamental metal worker already covers 56% of what a blacksmith is expected to do: 26 skills carry over, 11 of which the blacksmith role treats as required.
What skills does an ornamental metal worker need to become a blacksmith?
8 required skills are missing, plus 14 optional ones. They fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by working with machinery and specialised equipment. The single most important is join metals.
How hard is the move from ornamental metal worker to blacksmith?
Its learning distance is 51.4 out of 100, which is the moderate 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.