A short history of brassmaking (extract from the « book of the brass worker)
3760 BC : copper was commonly worked in egypt and chaldea (babylonia) it used to contain arsenic
1292 AC : the book of crafts included 22 metal crafts.
In the 12th and 13th centuries, the metal strikers chose as an emblem a cauldron an two crossing hammers. In those days, brass was commonly smelted in dinant (belgium)
1327 : the coppersmiths and brassworkers statutes were specified and increased under charles VII, Louis XII and Charles IX
1595 : henry IV confirmed their social usefulness.
1767 : A major turning point for the metallurgical industry : the invention of the steam engine (by Denis Papin) and the use of boilers. One Started to plan and make things on a big scale
The Technique
Brassmaking consists in shaping the metal (copper, brass , silver, pewter…) by beating it. The various techniques necessary to the achievement of a piece are :
- The stamping an the narrowing for the shaping strictly speaking.
- The under-planishing an the planishing for the finishing of the piece
These operations are generally carried out after a thermic processing which consists in firstly heatting each kind of metal to a given temperature, and secondly cooling it down more or less quickly. Then the metal is refired. Treated in this way, it becomes malleable. There is a few indications of temperature for the more commonly used metal :
Pewter and lead : no refiring ; gold and silver : pale pink refiring ; copper :cherry-re refiring ; brass must be heatted to 500°C, cooled to 300°C, then refired to 700°C, and finally cooled slowly.
The stamping consists in putting themetal out of shape by beatting it with a ball hammer or a stamping mallet (by the spherical peen) above a hollow form called a « saltcellar ».
The narrowing permits to make the metal pass from the horizontal position to the vertical one. To get a more precise idea, take a sheet of paper and put it down on your left hand slightly hollow. With your right fist, squeeze the sheet of paper in order to bring it into contact with the left hand. The pleated paper gives you an idea of how the metal moves in space. Thus the narrowing also consists in erasing in the same time the pleats it creates in order to keep the metal in the vertical position. When the stamping and the narrowing are achieved, irregularities still remain on the piece
The under planishing and the planishing will finish the shaping and will give to the piece its finished appearance.
The under-planishing is the most generally done with a mallet. This process permits to get rid of the biggest irregularities (hollows or bumps) created by the shaping. The blow must be stuck between the mallet and the anvil so that one can hear the resonance of the metallic mass (the anvil).
The planishing is done with a flat or slightly domed hammer. It finishes the shaping and gives its hardness back to the piece. The blow is still given at point-blank range and the piece stuck in the same way. One must hear the same resonance.
The final appearance is smooth or multifaceted according to the hammer used. This technique permits to obtain pieces for all forms and dimensions. Moreover their weight is quite reduced since they are hollow and the sheet of metal employed doesn't exceed 1.5mm in depth. This technique was basically used to create various receptacles – such as cauldrons, bowls, pitchers, lates, teapots and jugs – with different materials according to the different social classes.
Nowadays, it also appears in decoration and permits the creation of fountains, baths, basins, mirrors, lamps and other various small items.