Metal Casting
Tibetan metal casting usually is done to cast mostly the various types of Buddha’s through the metals that are available. First step of making is the mold where the pattern is placed in the mold and the material is filled to capacity of the hollow cavity around it. The mold has two parts one is the drag (bottom) and the other is cope (top), once the impression is made, the parting line allows the mold to be open and the impressions are made. Sand is mixed with sugarcane juice thoroughly, to soft form and filled in the frame, where chalk powder is sprinkled on the surfaces and held together for the impressions.
In core part where impressions or replicas are designed in such a way that internal geometry cores shrinks to accommodate the size of the core when the metal is poured. As the molten metal hardens the core is broken to remove the mold and cooled for some time. Scrap metal of Copper and brass are collected and adequate amount of the material is measured and taken for melting as per the required quantity of the idols to be made. For melting usually mud or alloy crucibles are preferred. With the help of a blower and coal the scrap copper metal of about 80% is taken for melting to which about 20 % of brass metal is added to make the metal harder, since pure copper is very soft and brittle, therefore adding 20% of brass makes the material harder after setting. The main metal casting skilled craftsmen comes for about two months to this institute as per the orders to cast about minimum eight cast of Buddha a day. It can be sitting, standing Buddha, or a meditating Buddha posture.
After the material is completely dried, the body parts are made separately and sent for brazing the parts together with zinc and brass as filler materials. After brazing, the statues are given the finishing treatment with natural colors mostly used for the thangka painting by thangka artists. In coloring of the statute, golden color is used for the face and blue color for the hair part. Colors are applied on the surface of the statutes with mixing little bit of water and resin. Some Buddha’s are heated to obtain some of the parts in black color.
