A whitesmith is a person who works with "white" or light-coloured metals such as tin and pewter. While blacksmiths work mostly with hot metal, whitesmiths do the majority of their work on cold metal (although they might use a forge to shape their raw materials).
The term is also applied to metalworkers who do only finishing work – such as filing or polishing – on iron and other "black" metals.
A whitesmith was a common occupation to have in colonial times, as well as a blacksmith or a hatter.
Whitesmiths make things such as tin or pewter cups, water pitchers, forks, spoons, and candle holders.
The "smith" part of the term "whitesmith" is probably of pre 7th century Anglo-Saxon origins, and derives from the word 'smitan' meaning 'to smite' and as such is believed to have described not a worker in iron, but a soldier, one who smote. That he also probably wore armour, which he would have been required to repair, may have also helped lead to the secondary meaning used in "whitesmith".
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