#tinsmith

Tinsmith Francisco Delgado in his home, 503 Canyon Road, Santa Fe, New Mexico 

Photographer: T. Harmon Parkhurst 

Date: 1925 - 1945? 

I know you’ve probably lost sleep wondering about this: We all know what a “blacksmith” is and what he (or she) does, but is there such a thing as a “whitesmith?” 

Well, of course there is! “Whitesmith” is the Word of the Day. 

When we think of a blacksmith, we imagine a muscular guy heating up an iron bar until it glows red-hot, then pounding it into shape with a hammer and anvil. A blacksmith works with black iron; a whitesmith works with “white iron,” otherwise known as “tin.” In fact, another name for whitesmith is “tinsmith,” although tin is so soft that it typically has to be alloyed with other metals, like copper (to make bronze) or copper plus antimony or lead (to make pewter). 

While the blacksmith usually (but not exclusively) works with hot metal, a whitesmith usually (but not exclusively) works with cold metal and handles more delicate finishing and polishing work. 

The original whitesmith might make pie tins, or cookie cutters, or candlesticks, or coffee pots, or cooking pans. And the tinsmith (whitesmith) was also a Mr. Fixit, which gave us the word “tinker” – originally used to describe someone who made a living by traveling from place to place repairing household utensils and cookware. 

The tinker/tinsmith/whitesmith is also the source of the popular phrase (well, it was popular once upon a time. I still use it), “I don’t give a tinker’s damn.” As in, “I don’t give a tinker’s damn about your piddly-ass problems.” 

There are a couple of theories about the origin of a “tinker’s damn” (or just “dam”), meaning something insignificant or worthless. The most popular one is that the tinker was widely known as a fellow who used salty language while he was working; that is, he cussed a lot…so much that his curses became pretty insignificant. The earliest references to “a tinker’s (or tinkler’s) curse” or a “tinker’s cuss” date back to the 1820’s. 

There’s another theory, however, that dates to the 1870’s and continues to hang around. When a tinker set out to fix a hole in a pot or pan, he needed to set up a small barrier or “dam” to keep the solder from leaking out. The “tinker’s dam” could be a piece of bread dough or clay or whatever was handy to plug the hole. The melted solder was applied, and when the hole was completely covered and the solder cooled, the dough or clay or what-have-you was scraped away and the solder was filed down until the surface of the pot or pan was smooth and hole-free.   

• Tinsmith.

Date: ca. 1860

Dad: What were you doing today?

Me: Tin smithing.

Dad: Oh, so you're a laborer? (teasing because earlier this week I was on stations that were more upper class based, house tours and leisure activities)

New blog post: Making a Move.

Every month, I organise an open-mike night called Hotchpotch for writers to read their work in front of an audience. For the last couple of years, we’ve been using a bar called the Tinsmith, who took us in when a previous venue closed. We’re indebted to them for allowing our group to…

Recent Acquisition - Postcard Collection