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Aranmula Kannadi – A Unique Metal Mirror From India

Aranmula metal mirror is a rare piece of craft that had existed even during the Vedic period of Indian history. The myth about the origin and secret of its composition makes it a truly fascinating craft. As traditional as the mirror-making technology is, the artisans’ belief that the composition of the metal mirror is divine and some undisclosed metals alloyed with silver, bronze, copper and tin are responsible for the distortion-free images.

Aranmula Kannadi is not mass produced and is hand made with all its perfections as how one looks at it? While commercially available glass mirrors reflect an image, because of a silver coating at its rear, Aranmula Metal Mirror is the only mirror which reflects from the front plane. This had its popularity until the advent of the commercially manufactured glass mirrors which proved to be much cheaper. The demand of Aranmula Kannadi grew by bounds only a decade ago especially in foreign countries.

A huge amount of determination, perseverance and patience goes into the making of this enchanting mirror. Mud from the local paddy fields is used for the mould into which the molten alloy mix is poured to cast the mirror and the technique followed is the cire-perdue or the lost wax method of casting. Even with the utmost care, only about 60% of the cast metal mirrors can be salvaged, the rest get damaged in the process of manufacture. The metal mirror is then polished using well-ground, burnt clay powder mixed with special oil on a jute cloth. To achieve a highly reflective surface, polishing can go on from one to several days. When a satisfactory finish is achieved, the mirror is mounted on various models of artistic brass frames.

Aranmula Kannadi is unique in the make which is patent protected with a ‘Geographical indication tag’.
The British Museum in London has a 45 centimeter tall Aranmula Metal Mirror in its collection.
The Aranmula Kannadi is not created from glass but from a combination of special metal alloy.
Many people believe that owning an Aranmula Metal Mirror brings good luck, wealth and prosperity to one’s lives
Aranmula Kannadi is one among the eight auspicious items included in the “Astamangalya Set”, which is used for very auspicious occasions like marriage.

Aranmula Kannadi or Aranmula Metal Mirrors  is a very special type of metal mirror produced only in Aranmula, a village in kerala, south India. Aranmula metal mirror is a precious inherited gift. The mystery of its metal combination and production is still a secret to, which  handed over through generations of a single family.

Related Precious Metal Casting Articles

I need to know what is the best hand drill for resin beads. If i wanted to glue the resin gems to a ring blank or whatever, what is the best glue to use? If it helps I plan on using Easy Cast epoxy brand

I appreciate any help, thank you!

Product Description
Three-in-one unit invests under vacuum, casts perforated flasks under vacuum and casts regular flasks under vacuum. The Pro-Cast vacuum machine measures 23″ wide x 11″ deep and 13-1/2″ high. Investing is performed on a 10-1/2″ square platform which can be vibrated to eliminate air and bubbles. Unit accomodates perforated flasks up to 5″ in diameter and 7″ high. Pressure created by the powerful vacuum unit pulls molten metal into the most intricate patterns. Vacuum assist casting can also be done on this unit with regular solid wall flasks. Unit comes complete as shown.

PRO CRAFT VACUUM MACHINE FOR INVESTING AND CASTING COMPLETE

Guidelines of making Plaster craft

Plaster craft is a complex process unless you are aware of its ins and outs. Given below are a few guidelines of making plaster craft.

Step – 1:

Cover your work surface with an old newspaper or a vinyl peace. As you may see from this photo plaster casting is a bit messy, so it is essential to protect your countertops.

Step – 2:

Check the mould to ensure it is clean and dry. Any dirt might show on the finished casting.

Step – 3:

Many moulds cannot sit flat on the counter, therefore, it is important to give them support while using. The most simple process is a zip lock bag filled with a few pounds of rice. Rice bags are convenient to pack and store when not being used and are made of common materials most people find handy. A box of sand will also work well but it is more difficult to store it when not being used.

Step – 4:

The surface tension of the water tends to trap air leading to pinholes in the finished casting. Airid is a product meant to break that surface tension, reducing the chances of trapped air. Spray or wipe a thin coat of Airid into the mould.

Step – 5:

Wiggle the mould down onto your rice/sand bag till it looks level. You are now ready to mix plaster.

Step – 6:

To find out how much plaster will it hold fill the mould with water. It is the exact amount of water you will need. Add a bit more and weigh it on scale.

Step – 7:

Plaster should always be added to water and never vice versa. Sprinkle it in slowly to allow it to absorb water.

Step – 8:

Let the mixture remain undisturbed for 2 minutes so the plaster absorbs all water.

Step – 9:

For coloring, pigments should be added now.

Step – 10:

Utilize a potato masher to mix thoroughly for about a minute. Small amounts can be mixed with a stick.

Step – 11:

Pour the plaster in a corner of mould and let it flow across the complete mould. On deeper moulds, pour it down the side of corner to avoid entrapped air.

Step – 12:

Once the mould is poured, wiggle it to dislodge any air which may have remained in the mould.

Step – 13:

Periodically feel the mould. When the mould is warm to touch, the plaster casting may be removed.

Step – 14:

Gently flex the edges of mould to break sides of casting loose.

Step – 15:

Hold the mould just above the rice/sand bag. Use pressure gently to take out the casting.

Step – 16:

After casting is out, set the mould to be cleaned.

Step – 17:

Utilize a knife to cut the sharp edges off the back of the casting. For fast drying it should be put where it gets air from all angles.

Step – 18:

When fully hardened, most of the plaster will flake off or breakout the plaster.

Step – 19:

Flex the blade of the plaster blender to flake the dried plaster off.

Step – 20:

Wipe off tools and moulds for final cleaning up.

Step – 21:

If you utilize a rice bag any drips may be removed by flexing the bag. For sand box, just pick out any plaster that has fallen on sand.

Step – 22:

Pack up your moulds, tools and plaster. Throw away the old newspaper with which you had covered the working area. If you had used vinyl piece, dust it and wipe with wet cloth.

Silver is extremely malleable and ductile and as such, it is highly preferred by silversmiths for making silverware and silver jewelery. Silver craft takes years to learn as an apprentice to a silversmith, or in some college or university offering such courses. Perfection comes only with practice. However, the basic techniques can be learned by anyone who has patience, and the right tools!

Piercing: Silver is cut to form a basic shape or to make a decorative pattern with a piercing saw. When creating a pattern, a small hole is drilled in the silver sheet to allow the blade of the saw to be positioned. The blade is then attached to the piercing saw, under tension. Blades can be coarse allowing fast cutting or very fine for detailed work. The blades are delicate and can be easily snapped. As such, work must be done slowly. The blade is held vertically and metal is moved slowly to make curves or corners. Blades are also lubricated by passing them through beeswax, which makes cutting smoother. The work is supported on a bench peg which is screwed to a workbench having a V cut into it so that both the sides of the cut are supported. Small shavings of metal called lemel are collected from under the piercing onto a leather or paper cloth, which are then recycled into new silver.

Soldering: Pieces of silver are joined by soldering. Silver solder, that comes in various alloy mixes but mainly containing silver, is used for soldering. Silver solder melts at a very high temperature and so a blow torch is used. The temperature required to melt silver solder is very close to the temperature at which the piece being worked upon would itself melt. To manage the temperatures, soldering and other torch work is usually done in darkness so that the color of the metal, as it heats, can be used to measure the temperature of the piece. Silver solder come in soft, medium and hard versions having lower, higher and highest melting points. Pieces where multiple soldering is required use hard solder at first, and work down the grades with subsequent soldering so that each addition does not melt or distort the previous one. Lead solder should never be used as its high temperatures cause the solder to run all over the silver, damaging and making it useless.

Annealing: The more a piece is worked, the harder and more brittle it becomes. Repeated annealing keeps silver soft, malleable and easier to work with. It is done with a torch in darkness. Silver is heated until it gives soft pinkish red glow, which is the point just before melting. The piece is then immediately cooled in cold water, which freezes the molecules into the alignment they were in when almost molten, and thus makes it easier to work. However, working with a torch leaves fire stain on silver which is removed by pickling.

Pickling: Fire stained silver piece is placed in acid bath, mostly sulphuric acid, to remove any oxidization before working on it. Pickling salts are used for works done on smaller scale. The pickling solution is kept warm to speed the process. The piece is then rinsed in running water, and cleaned with pumice powder to remove any remaining traces.

Shaping: The work is shaped into finished form in many ways, depending on the desired shape. Tubular shapes like rings and bangles are formed on mandrels that are held in a vice, while the annealed metal is hammered with a mallet of wood or hide. Bowls and other such curved pieces are domed on leather sandbags, wooden or metal doming blocks, using wooden or shaped metal hammers.

Polishing: Polishing is a long process, where a piece is rubbed with progressively finer wet and dry papers to remove any tool marks. It can then be wheel polished, polished with a fine polishing mop on a pendant drill, or barrel polished, where it is soaked in a soap solution with steel shot and rotated for 10 minutes or so. Polishing makes the piece smooth and shiny, free of all marks.

These were the basic techniques of silver craft. Silversmith, however, adopt many other advanced techniques also like hand fabrication, lost wax casting, die striking, and electroforming etc. For beginners, initially its better to work in a base metal such as brass or copper, as they are much cheaper metals to allow for mistakes.