Flexible Brass Fish Craft - Ganjam, Orissa
Many different tools are used in the making of theses flexible fishes-
• Hammer: It is mainly used to beat the brass sheets into the required shapes.
• Long Metal Rod of Known Radius: The metal rod has a conical tip. The rod is mainly used as a reference while creating the different parts of the fish. The tip is used to create the head of the fish and the rest is used to create the segments for the body.
• Drilling Machine: A hand powered drilling machine is used to create holes wherever required. A hand powered one is preferred over a electric powered one as these artifacts are quiet delicate and will get damaged easily.
• Forceps: They are used to lift the parts of the artifact from the furnace.
• Hacksaw: It is used to cut.
• Furness: The furnace is used while sticking the joints with the help of a zinc and tin alloy.
• Hand Powered Air Blower: It is used to blow air into the furnace to provide oxygen.
• Divider: The divider is used for accurate measurements before cutting the brass sheet, as all the segments have to be of equal length.
• Scissors: It is used to cut the brass sheets as well as brass wire.
• Chisel: It is used in the shaping of the edge of all the individual segments.
As for the raw materials-
• Brass Sheets: This is the main raw material as all the separate segments and parts of the fish are made with small strips of the brass sheet.
• Brass Wire: The wire is mainly used while connecting the segments of the fish together.
• Mixture of Tin and Zinc: This alloy (Alloy: Homogeneous mixture of two or more metals) is used to stick the pieces of brass together as it has a lower melting point than brass.
