In Vietnam, metal forms are hammered out from copper and iron. In the past, the maker cast a small copper block which was thinned out and shaped by hammering. Nowadays, the makers use a flat copper plate to create the form, but use the hammer to thin and form the product. Finally, the makers use smaller hammers to knock repeatedly around the product from bottom to top. Hammer marks on the product are like fish scales, which is a unique way of decorating copper forms.
In terms of iron forming, the maker does not thin out the iron plate. First, they use special scissors to cut the plate, then they bend around and fold the edges. They then hammer together the two edges to attach strongly. The mouth of the product is shaped roundedly in order to create strength and avoid the sharp edges harming users. Last, blacksmiths form the connecting joints with tin to cover. The iron formed products are quite diverse, which are seen as barrels, buckets, pots, light boxes, gutters, table surfaces, and other mid-autumn festival toys. Bucket and light box products have been exported recently and very popular.
The most famous copper forming village is Dai Bai Village, Bac Ninh. Well-known villages for iron forming are Phu Thu Village, Hanoi; Phu Duc Company, Nam Dinh; Kim Bich Village, Bien Hoa City. Outstanding artisans are Mr. Tran Quoc Kha (Nam Dinh), Ms. Nguyen Thi Thuan (Kim Bich Village).
