'Artisan' mending pots in the heart of Vinh city

"Artist" on the sidewalk

Mr. Chu Sy Hung has a "dream" working space: on the sidewalk, under the shade of trees, next to the park. After 20 years of working on the windy sidewalk, he has built for himself a "file" of loyal customers not only in Vinh city but also in neighboring districts and in Thanh Hoa and Ha Tinh provinces.

Mr. Hung's "workshop" is located on the sidewalk, next to Goong Lake. In addition to pot patching, he is also an experienced locksmith. Photo: Diep Thanh

I first met Mr. Hung when he was patching an old pan. He sat on the median strip at the edge of the park, next to a rather large toolbox containing a myriad of tools, from iron hammers, wooden hammers, chisels, punches, carving tools, iron anvils (round, flat), wooden anvils, pliers, scissors... to aluminum plates used for patching or unfinished pots. The aluminum pan was produced during the "subsidy" period and was made of thick aluminum alloy with a hole in the bottom of the pan. Mr. Hung's task was to patch it up as aesthetically pleasing and securely as possible.

Based on the hole, Mr. Hung will choose the appropriate method of bending and welding. To handle the hole about 2cm in diameter on the pan in his hand, he first hollowed out the hole into a perfect circle and then chiseled the edges of the hole with a hammer and a chisel. This operation was done many times, not just once, until the hole became a perfect circle about 5cm wide and its edges were thin enough to flare outward.

The job of patching pots is not too difficult but requires meticulousness and dexterity with many stages. Photo: Diep Thanh

At this point, Mr. Hung used a compass to measure the size of the hole and drew a larger shape on a flat aluminum sheet. This circle was cut out, thinned at the edge and folded vertically at the edges. The next step required a lot of skill and professional know-how. Mr. Hung smoothed the edges and folded the aluminum sheet to fit the hole of the pot, used a special glue he made himself to apply to the contact surface of the two folded edges and then used a chisel and hammer to fit the two folded edges together perfectly. In just 30 minutes, the basic patch was complete and the "wounded" pan regained its function. Finally, after the patch fit, Mr. Hung used a piece of hard wood to beat the lines and shape of the pan to become complete and "at its best". That was just a part of his many other operations.

The pots and pans brought to Mr. Hung for patching and repair are often decades old. Photo: Diep Thanh

Witnessing the way he worked, although I was very afraid of the harsh sound of metal, I was really attracted by his ingenuity and dexterity. After a while of chiseling and tapping, his hair and shirt were soaked with sweat. After finishing this pan, he had to deal with a high pile of pots, pans, and basins next to it. A customer who was a long-time chef called to inquire about the progress of the completion and was delighted to know that the set "tool” can return to duty on time. For this chef, no expensive, fancy set of pots and pans is more “worth the money” than his old pots and pans.

Patching up memories

Mr. Hung said that he graduated from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at Hanoi University of Science and Technology and served many years in the army. After retiring, with his technical strengths, Mr. Hung chose this job to earn more money to cover his living expenses and have time to take care of his family. Perhaps because he has been attached to the army uniform for so long, his daily clothes are also the same color, although they are more worn and faded. And perhaps thanks to his years in the army, he is extremely knowledgeable and appreciates pots.from war time

Mr. Hung fits the patch over the hole in the pan. Photo: Diep Thanh.

“People still call it a cast iron pot, but in fact its main material is aluminum alloy. Some of them are hand-cast in one piece, so they have very unique and special identifying marks. There is a pot engraved with the owner’s name, a pot with a personal name, a pot engraved with the wedding date to give as a gift… They all have their own very interesting and precious stories,” Mr. Hung confided.

During his career, Mr. Hung has had the opportunity to “revisit” many relics bearing the mark of an old time, to listen to memories and very personal stories. And he is happy with that, he finds his work meaningful and interesting. Although he knows that this joy will gradually decrease over time, along with the rapid development of the industry.production of goodsLooking at the stream of cars rushing in front of him, he pondered: “It’s rare for people to bring new pots for repair, maybe they just re-glue the bottoms of aluminum pots, but not many. Maybe in five years, no one will patch these old pots and pans anymore. Then this profession will disappear.disappearas a matter of course

Simple work, simple joy of a sidewalk pot patching "artist". Photo: Diep Thanh.

His sentiments are also the sentiments of many people who like to reminisce. Knowing that the times cannot be changed, I still hope that he will be able to do this job for a long time. And to me, he will always be an “artist”, even if no one recognizes him.

Diep Thanh