06 Sep Brooklyn Copper Cookware Tinsmiths – Intuitive Art
The hand that succeeds at wipe tinning has the deftest of touches. Between managing a pan that has been heated to over 600℉ and ladling molten 500℉ tin into it, flame, steam and smoke compromise a good deal of visual perception. A tin smith is literally feeling his way through the process, sensing at his fingertips the flow and crystallization of the tin as well as the steady cooling of the pan, all the while compensating for temperature and humidity in the shop. This is all done reflexively (or intuitively), taking about a minute once a pan is prepared and heated. As with jazz, there are years and years of exhausting practice on display in every effortless riff.
Another way to think about it is that tin and copper give a smith about a minute to arrange and consummate their “marriage”. When getting together tin and copper have conveniently natural advantages; should timing, temperature or some other factor be inauspicious, tin goes back to the pool, copper gets itself cleaned up, and you just arrange another date.
Whether you’re buying BCC new or having us restore your most beloved copper cookware, the imprint of our tinsmith’s mastery is the same.