One of the last metalsmiths in Greater Kaohsiung’s Cishan District (旗山), Chifeng Smithy Shop owner Lin Chi-kuang (林吉光), is feeling the pinch that automated production has put on handcrafted goods from stores like his.
Despite the wide acceptance of farming tools and kitchen knives produced by modern machinery, many residents in the Cishan area continue to endorse Lin’s shop because of the reliability of his tools.
Lin, 74, started as an apprentice more than 60 years ago in Jiasian Township (甲仙) in what was then Kaohsiung County, and started his own shop after finishing his mandatory military service.
Photo: Chen Yu-cheng, Taipei Times
Lin said he practically lived with the furnace and forge due to the lack of industrial advancement, while his wife, Hsu Mei-lan (徐梅蘭), took care of the business side of things.
His tools were so popular that the heat of forging had barely dissipated from the tools before they were sold, Lin said.
However, business these days is a far cry from what it used to be, he said.
Hand-forged steel is more dense and durable, suffering less wear and tear even when used roughly, Lin said, adding that older people usually favored hand-forged steel over machine-forged equipment.
Sometimes, elderly people say they want their children to have kitchen knives like the ones they have been using for 30 or 40 years, asking him to forge new ones like theirs, Lin said.
Getting such a request is quite a moving experience, he added.
Mass production by modern machinery at lower prices has hurt smiths greatly, Lin said, adding that the increasing mechanization of agriculture is also cutting back farmers’ reliance on basic tools such as hoes and sickles.
Other favorite tools, such as axes, have also been a source of income, but now the shop barely sells five axes per year, Lin said, adding that he and his wife often worry about how bad business is.
The couple said they have begun to gradually pass the store on to their children and are branching out from forging kitchen and farming tools.
“We are now accepting customized orders, and create our own handles and blade shapes to draw in new customers,” Lin said, adding that he hopes his efforts will open new paths for the traditional industry.
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