An Encounter With Brass

We were privileged to have a tour of the Dhamrai Metal Crafts and to see a bit of the process of brass sculpture making. They use an ancient method called Lost Wax. To put a very long process into a few words, they make very intricate sculptures out of wax, apply 3 layers of clay mixed with other materials and in varying thicknesses, and then fire it in a kiln, pour molten brass into it, break off the clay after it is cooled and then spend time polishing and perfecting the pieces.

Here one of the artisans is chipping off bits of the clay, revealing part of the body of a lion. Large sculptures are done in pieces and later put together.

Riley was very enamored by this lion head and spent a lot of time counting the teeth and pretending it was real.

Here is one of the kilns. The archtecture of the whole place was amazing - old and crumbling, yet full of intricate detail and antique beauty.