I just finished the main quest on my current character and would like to smith them some sweet dragonplate armour before I head off and do the dawnguard quests. Am I correct in my understanding that the fastest way to get smithing up is to transmute iron ore to gold and make gold necklaces? Found it was relatively succesful in grabbing a few levels quickly but replenishing the supply of iron ore appears to be a greater problem.

Any help is much appreciated, thanks!

Jewelry and Dwarven Bows my friend, I suggest you find all the Stones of Barenziah and loot up Dwarven Metal.

pretty sure smithing anything gives the same EXP. since Gold neclaces require only gold, that does make sense. You're alteration skill will also rise, tho.

If you're like me and mine everything you see, you probably have a long list of gemstones that aren't doing anything? If that's the case, you can do what I do.

Transmute a iron ingots to silver (and if you have time onto gold / or if you have excess gold, buy them). Take to the forge. View the jewellery list and begin to craft those that have the highest value first, proceeding all the way down till you are out of gems or ingots. By doing this, I found I was able to get my smithing skill up 20+ levels in a very short time.

Make sure to get the hidden perk from the quest Unfathomable Depths, it increases the speed at which ur smithing lvls up ^^

The more expensive the item you Smith, the more you increase Smiting.

How you obtain those materials is immaterial.

I always do the old-fashioned Iron dagger trick. And spend most of my time mining the ore in halted stream camp

I find it's too slow now

I didn't know of any other ways till I read this thread, Id been too laxy to look them up

Use the warrior stone and sleep in an inn, or your house, before every major smithing grind....+ 30% exp will help speed it up

I completely forgot about these. Great suggestion

Steel plate armor is also a good way to level smithing.

How so? I mean tempering or smithing?

Dwarven bows are very nice for leveling up smithing. Dwarven ingots are so plentiful in dwemer ruins. But I disagree with you about jewelry. It's nice when your smithing level is low, but after you level up smithing a bit, there are far better, less aggravating ways of leveling up smithing.

I have done Stones of Barenziah twice, it's a very long quest that requires going to lots of locations. I imagine by the time you finish Stones of Barenziah, you explored at least half of the game and you are probably at level 50. And doing Stones of Barenziah efficiently is impossible unless you cheat by looking up in UESP, because there are no markers for the stones.

Making Jewelry is nice in early level. It's better than making iron daggers. But there are far better, much more efficient ways of leveling up after you reach level 50 or 60 in smithing. Upgrading expensive gear.

Both.

Steel Plate Armor is made from very cheap materials, and the finished product is surprisingly expensive. In fact, it has highest value added ratio of any weapon or armor you make in the game. The ratio is so good that you can buy corundum, steel and iron from the blacksmith, make a new Steel Plate Armor, upgrade it, and sell it back to make profit, and get free level ups in smithing.

Not anymore, I think this was changed in 1.6 or some patch around there. The value of the item created now determines the exp you gain from it. Since daggers are worth pretty much nothing, they won't give you that much exp, especially at higher levels. Smithing Ebony Mails levels your Smithing much faster.

Yup. The Grey Raven, your information is way out of date. Do you even play this game?

Awesome! I shall have to have a look myself later Thanks for telling me!

Exactly.

Abuse the fortify restoration potion loop. Make a ridiculous fortify smithing potion. Upgrade a dagger. You'll go from level 1 to 100 in an instant. Literally in an instant. Easier than making 200 iron daggers.

Only if you are able to do so. Like having a high alchemy skill

Even with no alchemy skill.

Do the fortify restoration loop say, 10 times? Then make the smithing potion. Same result.

Having a high alchemy skill only makes it so I have to do the loop less times than someone without.

Ah I see. Hmm... Me thinks I have an idea for later hehehe. That said, it's kinda cheating...

Making 200 iron daggers wasn't?

Same "sketchy" game play in the end. If prior to the patches I made 200 iron daggers to get 100 in smithing and now I abuse the fortify restoration loop to achieve the same goal is it no different?

Besides, I've developed ways to get every skill to 100 in less than a day combined. I should post that one day.

Of course not - my character just glugged some stamina potions and worked the hardest day of his life - ever!