Myanma Traditional Handiwork of Casting

The handiwork of making items cast or wrought from bronze, copper or brass is one of the ten traditional arts and crafts. Casting bronze Buddha images, bronze bells and triangular brass gongs include in these arts and crafts. Since the time of ancient Myanmar monarchs to the present day, the art of casting items was carried out as household industry at bronze casting part of Tanpawadi Ward in Chanmyathazi Township, Mandalay. Painting and crafting are added in the handiwork of casting.
In preparations for casting of bronze Buddha images, mixing of clay, husks and water comes first. The rough models of Buddha images are made of the mixed clay by craftsmanship. The clay model is only a rough one. The next step is to paste thin wax plates on the whole clay model. Joints on it are then polished. The model is then touched with the arts of crafting in detail. It is done so as the smelted bronze will take the place of the wax. The craftsmanship of the model depends on waxing of the clay model and polishing it in detail. After various processes of finishing touches, the rough models are covered with wax. They are again pasted with clay and taken down for pouring the smelted bronze liquid into the models, which are baked in an oven to melt the wax in them and to let it flow out. The models are then tightly bound with steel planking to keep them together. The rough models are then baked in a brick oven and given heat to an extent. Later they are taken out of the oven and placed upside down in a pit in the ground for the smelted bronze liquid to be easily poured into the models. Bronze and zinc are mixed and given heat to smelt it. One kilo of bronze is mixed with 70 % of zinc to acquire golden colour. When the mixed metals are smelted, it is poured into the models in the pits through ready-made holes in them. Manpower is vital in pouring the smelted bronze into the model and it is also harmful. The smelted bronze is systematically poured into the model by experience of the workers. If their guess is incorrect, thinness and thickness of the bronze layer inside the model will not be equal. Then take the models out of the pits and keep for two days to cool down the heat. The clay pasted on the models is hammered out to separate it from the models. Then the bronze welding is given according to requirements. A process of finishing touches is carried out on the models, which are then polished with Ingyin stone powder (petrified wood) so as to shine them.

Those who cast the bronze are skilful to decide thinness and thickness of the smelted bronze liquid and weight of the metal by guessing. We can see today various kinds of significantly cast bronze handiworks in shops at pagoda archways. The handiwork of bronze casting is a traditional heritage, which had been presented generation-to-generation.