For those who do get to visit the city of Phitsanulok then the small Chinnarit Buddha foundry is well worth checking out! At this Buddha foundry bronze Buddhas of all shapes and sizes are still manufactured and cast in the traditional method which is now becoming increasingly rare in Thailand. Most Buddha manufacturing concerns now employ modern, cheaper methods to manufacture the image. The foundry here is a real working concern and a great chance to see the process of Buddha casting in action!
Buddha Casting Method
The process of making these cast Buddhas is quite involved and does take time. Here is a quick rundown of the process. If you are visiting on a workday then you should be able to see most stages in production:
1 Wax is poured into a mould and once set the mould is removed from the wax image
2. nails are inserted into the wax mould and a new solid plaster mould is built up around the wax image this is a two-stage process and the mould is built up in two layers
3. Holes are left in the bottom of the mould firstly to let the wax drain out once it is put into the kiln and also to allow the molten bronze to be poured into the mould
4. the wax image and its concrete cast are placed into a kiln where the wax lets and drains out of the mould leaving the perfect cavity for the casting of the bronze image
5. Hot molten bronze is poured into the mould and once set the plaster mould is broken away leaving the cast bronze image
6. After an initial polishing process the image then gets lacquered and sanded to remove any imperfections
7. A further coat of black lacquer is applied and then the gold leaf will be applied to the image
Chinnarit Buddha Foundry location
The Chinnarit Buddha foundry is located in the city on Wisut Kasat Road in the city. Check where your hotel is in relation to the foundry as you may be able to walk there. Otherwise, jump in a tuk-tuk
Chinnarit Buddha Foundry Map
Visiting the Chinnarit Buddha Foundry
if you want to pay a visit to the Chinnarit Buddha Foundry then Travel Hub stops by here on our Bangkok to Chiang Mai tours (or from Chiang Mai to Bangkok). We offer 2 and 3-night itineraries.
