This is a continuation of my first blog post regarding the Jesselton Artisan Market. It’s been quite some time since then but I got caught up with work, wedding planning and obviously procrastination.
On that fateful day, I decided to participate in a brass cuff forging workshop and pulled my husband to join me. I love hands-on workshops and I was very fascinated with the process that went into brass cuff making.
I enjoyed the introduction to the workshop. Adam is the master behind the workshop who’s been into brasswork for a long time. To be honest I cannot quite remember how long he’s started the work in refining his craft. He wants to revive the legacy of the Sabahan aborigines. Brass cuff have been part of the Dusun culture and he’s just encouraging more people to take note of it and to embrace the beauty of it all.
I love how he spoke passionately on the subject. He also brought up many historical significance of having brass items in the household which was really interesting.
For the start of the workshop, Adam gave us pre-cut pieces of brass to help ease us into the process. We then used a hammer to flatten the pieces down. It was all about the flick of the wrist without overusing the muscles to hit. Holding the hammer at different positions would also yield different results. A hold at the bottom will be a lighter but more controlled hit, a hold further away would give a weightier feel.
Throughout this hitting process I must’ve been too enthusiastic because Jess, Adam’s apprentice deemed my piece too thin and she helped me a lot to save it. My husband said I must’ve been hitting it with the weight of the world haha!
After the process of hitting the brass piece till it was about 3mm thick, (at least I think so!) we had to then smoothen it by using one of those tools that worked like sandpaper but for metals. I don’t quite know the name of that tool. We used it to smoothen the rough edges so that no one would get hurt wearing the brass cuff.
With that done, we then heated up the brass piece again in order to soften it enough to place patterns upon. We used markers to make marks. I love how Adam explained that in his crafts, he would tie design concepts with that of cultural backgrounds. For example making sure that there would be 7 patterns on each side as 7 is a lucky number if I’m not mistaken. You can check out his Instagram page Sang Tukang to understand more as he details the concept behind each cuff!
After making our marks, I then used the tools to hit indentations onto the brass piece to make patterns. As someone who prefers chaos to fine lines, I may have been a bit overzealous! My work wasn’t neat at all and looked terribly haphazard. My husband on the other hand, took this time to ensure that everything was as symmetrical as possible. He did it slowly and steadily, very unlike me. Haha!
Afterwards it was another 4 minutes of heating before bending it to the shape of our wrist for us to wear it. Tada! It’s done.
All in all, it was truly an informative hands-on workshop that I enjoyed immensely. I may not have been able to capture all aspects of the workshop as I’m writing this down months after the actual event. I apologize for that! Any mistakes here are entirely my own.
To end this blog post, here’s a little snippet. It’s a short fantasy piece inspired by Adam.
It is a quiet morning, the birds are still. A steady humming fills the air, along with the quick steady hits of metal upon metal. He holds his hammer, the warmth of it thrumming beneath his fingertips. He firmly hits the brass upon his anvil, and he knows in his mind’s eye where it’ll bend, where it’ll fold. It is with the wisdom of ages that he moves the metal to his will.
He lifts the hammer once more, the weight of it a familiar touch. He taps once, twice. With each mark that he lays upon the metal piece, it sings. His power flows through the hammer, to the metal, to the anvil, to the ground. It is steadying, it is strengthening.
There is a little sizzle as the metal breaches the water. He curves the metal, his sweat trailing down his chin. The brass cuff sings as he holds it in his hand. It sings of protection, it sings of health, it sings of strength. The roots of one who wears it shall stay firm, anchored in this land beneath the wind.
He places the brass cuff on the shelf and reaches for another metal piece that calls to him. He smiles and whispers a small prayer before he begins again. The song does not end, and it flows from his fingers, to the land where he stands. It sings a song of old that is never forgotten, not when one wields the hammer once more.
He is the metal smith, the craftsman. His is the work of ages. He is the keeper, the maker, the one who ties the past to the present to the future. He is the metal smith and we are witness to his power.
Thank you for reading! Cheers, Nic.
Victorious Heart 