Pattani is an important coastal town in southern Thailand. Its population is predominantly Muslim, with a lifestyle that's quite different from other parts of Thailand. This is significantly reflected in the household utensils for daily use, which are designed according to local needs, beliefs and traditions.
Making brassware is a traditional craft in Pattanni, with artisans using a molding style and a production process unique to the province. Unfortunately, it is a dying art. Today there is only one brass-ware maker left and he can be found at Jabangtigor sub-district, Muang district.
This brass-ware maker makes mostly kitchenware used by Muslim households in their daily life, such as cooking pots, noodle-making tools, pudding molds or waffle makers, etc. The Pattani brass cooking pot is special in that it is believed to make the food taste better; however, fewer Muslim households are using brass cooking pots these days, preferring instead to use electric rice cookers and other modern cooking utensils.
Traditional brass-ware craftsmen use traditional methods in making brass-ware. To make the mold, they employ the “lost-wax” process which has been used for generations and which probably dates back to many thousands of years before the Bronze Age. The process involves heating the mold coated with wax, then draining the melted wax and replacing it with molten metal such as bronze, copper or brass.
This methodology is the same process used in making Buddha images (not to be found in Pattani) and a number of traditional tools. It was practiced by artisans in Baan Pa-aow, Nong Khon sub-district, Muang district, Ubon Rachathani province, but although there are some lost-wax craftsmen still left today, most of them prefer using less time-consuming modern tools to produce more and “better” quality products.
In Pattani, making brass-ware is a labor of love. Craftsmen follow the traditional method of brass making which they inherited from their ancestors. They start by sculpturing a model or mold from a mixture of clay and rice husk. The pottery is molded into the desired shape, and when the mold is thoroughly dry, layers of wax are applied. The thickness of the wax coating depend on how thick the end product should be. Coating the mold with wax can be done either by patching layers of wax sheet onto the mold, or dipping the mold into a pot containing liquefied wax several times until the desired thickness is achieved.
The next step is to smooth out the wax surface of the mold, which is important as the one that appears on the finished product is a replica of this surface.
After the mold is coated with wax, it is covered with another layer made from a mixture of soft fine clay, sand, and rice husk. On this outer clay layer, the craftsman must attach a pipe for draining the melted wax, and a hole into which the molten metal will be poured.
A layer of wire grid can be wrapped around the whole mold to strengthen it. The mold is left to dry before it is burnt to melt the wax, which is then drained off.
Meanwhile, the brass can be melted from brass bars or broken pieces of used brass-ware. It has to be melted in a kiln for two to three hours until it liquefies, then poured into the mold to replace the drained wax. Replacement must be made while the mold is hot, or it will break..
Once it is cool and the metal has been hardened, the mold can now be broken to reveal a brass pot ready for polishing and finishing with a handle and other ornaments.
The actual work of making brass or metal ware is not as simple as it sounds, however. The sculpturing, molding and waxing processes require a skillful craftsman to perfect each step, otherwise something can go wrong. For example, if melting of the wax is not done properly, the mold will break and the liquefied metal leak when poured into the mold, or air bubbles form in the metal. All this need the trained eyes of a craftsman who can detect and promptly repair any leaks.
Brass-ware craftsmen are skillful brass makers whose products are good quality and come in beautiful traditional style. It is sad, however, that in Pattani they now producing brass-ware only when there is an order for it. Due to the influx of modern cooking utensils, brass-ware is losing its popularity to the extent that it might
