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Handicrafts » Metal Craft » Brass Craft
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The products of Brass handicraft can be broadly classified into three groups-items produced through process of beating, locally known as pifa, those produced by casting and the third group would include the residual items. These can also be broadly subdivided into two groups in terms of raw materials used, this is, brass and bell metal, the former being an alloy of copper and zinc and the latter of copper and tin.
The workshop is called sala or shed and consists of a platform with a block of stone for the floor on which the beating is done, a heating furnace or bhati, a raised verandah with a local lathe for polishing. Tools used are hammers and anvils, pincers, hand drills, files and scrapers. The heating furnace with a crucible is fanned by a blower with leather bellows although of late the craftsmen have started using mechanical blowers.
The process consists of preparation of the material by melting the required materials in the crucible and then placing the molten metal into an earthenware container. After the molten metal sets, it is taken out and after repeated hammering and beating is given the desired shape. Sometimes for making a single item two or three pieces are separately made and joined mostly with rivets. The major items manufactured in the beating process are plates or 'thali', deep round containers called Kansa, small containers called 'gina' (tumbers), water containers called gara and buckets or 'baltis', large cooking utensils and storage vessels called 'handi', various types of pots and pans, ladles or chatu, perforated flat cooking spoons etc. While the above-mentioned are items used in cooking and eating there are also a number of items used for puja or worship. Of these most important of course, is the ghanta or the gong and thali for offering of the food to the deities. It may be mentioned here that in a few places the surface of the items are also engraved with various designs including floral and geometric patterns besides human and animal figures and occasionally they are also painted with enamel paints. The items produced by the beating process are many and the designs also vary from place to place. |
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