How Much Do Blacksmiths Make?

Have you ever wondered how much blacksmiths actually make?

Or if it's possible to make a living as a blacksmith?

In this post, I've gathered research and first-hand experience to answer these questions.

Quick Note: I realize that many people consider it poor taste to talk about money. If this makes you uncomfortable, I understand.

I personally enjoy talking about salaries and job growth rates (one of my favorite websites is the Bureau of Labor Statistics).

So for those of you who want to know the answer, let's get into it!

Blacksmith Pay Varies...A Lot

The blacksmithing industry is very very small. And the people who populate it range from small hobbyists who make enough to support their hobby to full-scale metalworking shops with welding equipment and CNC machines who do millions in revenue each year. 

Not to mention the celebrity blacksmiths on shows like Forged in Fire: Judges David Baker and J. Neilson, in particular.

With that kind of exposure, it gets increasingly easy to parlay it into big paydays. 

So, blacksmiths can make anything from $1 to millions depending on their notoriety, their marketing, and their skills.

One Blacksmith's Opinion: To be considered a professional blacksmith, or a professional at anything, you need to have gotten paid to do it at the very least. Strictly speaking, it needs to be your main paid occupation. 

Professional Blacksmith Examples

Farriers

According to thefarrierguide.com, the average annual salary for Full-Time farriers in 2012 was $92,623. For part-time farriers it was $21,153. 

The thing to keep in mind is that this is the average. It's the sum of all salaries divided by the number of farriers working. 

Farriers for farm horses are going to be paid differently than farriers for racing horses.

Architectural Blacksmiths

There aren't a whole lot of these around, but they do exist. Blacksmithing isn't typically their only source of income, but they can earn a considerable amount from the fabrication of indoor railings, iron gates, etc.

With the right clientele, a single very large gate and fence job (think mansion or estate) can fetch upwards of $50,000 or more. 

Teaching Blacksmiths

Some blacksmiths make a portion of their income by teaching others. 

Class rates depend on location and the market for classes in that area. 

If it's a one-person shop and they charge around $100 per person per class and they're able to stay booked, they have a chance at earning a living by sharing the craft. 

The downside is that, outside of its own world, blacksmithing can seem a little obscure. The teaching blacksmith has to compete with ALL of the other options people have for spending their entertainment dollars - vacations, theme parks, really nice dinners out, etc.

Final Verdict

The final answer to "How Much Do Blacksmiths Make?" isn't cut-and-dried.

It's not an in-demand profession since we have machines to make so many of the products a smith would normally make. 

We have more than enough knives. 

We have plenty of hooks.

We don't need any more fantasy weapons. 

BUT people like these things and they like being able to find things that are still handmade. 

If you're looking to pick up blacksmithing as a potential income-earning pastime, it's important to have a few things to rely on:

• Patience - You won't find success overnight.
• Desire - Some days will suck. A lot. If you don't have a strong desire to keep making things and talking about it, it probably won't work. 
• Another source of income - It's hard to scrape out a living as a blacksmith due to the demand issues mentioned above. (Not to mention the current competition that has been ignited with shows like Forged in Fire. Everybody is suddenly a knifemaker.)
• Verbal Skills - Both spoken and written. It's important to be able to communicate with people.

Skills to pick up and develop (if you don't already have them):

• Marketing - If you can't find your market (the people who want to buy your thing), you're out.
• Business Basics - Like budgeting, managing overhead and materials costs, simple accounting, etc. You need to know how much you're investing for the return you're getting.  

You only have one life to try this stuff out. If you're into it, go for it. Just be ready to call it quits before the lights get turned off. 

Cheers!