Casting Vietnamese and Chinese text in bronze

Latin letters forgive a lot. Vietnamese diacritics and Han characters do not: the marks are small, sit close to the letter body, and are the first thing lost when a character is set too small for the piece. Send vector artwork plus a typed line we can read back to you, name one approver, and approve twice — once on the pattern, once on the finished casting, before anything is crated.

Why do diacritics and Han characters fail where Latin text survives?

An A is one open shape. Ậ is that shape plus a circumflex plus a dot below, and a Han character can carry eight or ten strokes in the same square. In wax and clay, detail that close together wants to flow together. Three causes: the character was scaled down with the piece until the marks fell below what the mould holds; the artwork came as a low-resolution image and was redrawn by eye; or the font had no proper Vietnamese glyphs, so ế became e with a floating accent. The last two are avoidable on your side, and cause most remakes.

What file do I send, and in what form?

Send all of this in one message:

• Vector line artwork (AI, EPS, SVG or PDF, text as outlines) — so nobody redraws your characters by hand.
• The same text typed as plain Unicode — what we spell-check against and what goes into the order.
• Character height against the piece, not in points: which line, how tall, on which face.
• A photo of lettering you like — a plaque, tablet or couplet, so style is not guessed.
• One named approver, reachable the same day.

How small can a character be before it closes up?

We publish no minimum character height and no stroke depth: it depends on the script, the face and the piece, and we do not put figures in writing the floor has not confirmed for your job. Send the artwork and piece size; we reply with the smallest height we will cast within two working days. What is fixed, and what to ask for:

Who is responsible if the text is wrong in a language I do not read?

Split it in the order, before the first proof. You are responsible for content: the name, the characters, the spelling, the diacritics as you want them cast. We are responsible for reproducing exactly what your approved proof shows. If the signed proof says Nguyễn and the casting says Nguyên, that is ours and we recast. If the proof said Nguyên and the family wanted Nguyễn, that is a new casting — which is why the typed line matters more than the artwork.

How do I proof a name before the mould is made?

1. Pattern proof. The lettering cut into the pattern, photographed square on, tape in frame. You check spelling, diacritics, line breaks, height. Nothing is moulded until you reply.
2. Cast proof. Same angles on the finished piece. You check the marks survived and patina has not filled them. Nothing is crated until you reply.

For a name you cannot read, add a step: have your end customer or the temple confirm the typed line before we cut anything. Hand casting never matches a screen render exactly — but the characters either say the right thing or they do not, and that is checkable.

Raised or recessed, and how do repeat orders match?

Raised text reads at distance, catches shop light and takes patina on its faces, so contrast builds with age; it also takes knocks, and a crowded Han character raised small is where flow problems show. Recessed text protects the strokes, holds a darkening wax for contrast and is easier to keep clean, but reads less well far off.

For reorders, tie the lettering to the pattern, not to memory: keep the approved artwork, the typed line and both proof photographs with the model reference, and quote all four. Who holds that pattern is worth settling too — see OEM and tooling and who owns the mould. If the text is a brand name or an origin marking rather than a customer's name, private label and origin marking covers it. For the drawing side of the same submission, see how to send a drawing for a casting quote; for what we cast with text on it, plaques and lettering.

Questions buyers ask

Is a photograph of the name enough?

It can start the job, but it adds a proof round and moves the spelling risk to whoever reads it. Send the typed Unicode line too, even for five characters.

One diacritic is wrong — how long to redo it?

At the pattern proof, it is a pattern correction. After casting, the piece is recast and you are back in the 21–30 day window.

Can the foundry cast Han and Nom characters?

Yes, from vector artwork you supply. We will not compose classical text or vouch for a reading — send characters approved by whoever is authoritative for you.

Is engraving after casting different from casting the text in?

Yes. Cast text is part of the piece and matches across a run from one pattern. Engraving suits names that change piece by piece and looks different in the hand. Say which you want in the order.

Will a reorder next year match the lettering?

The characters will, from the same pattern and approved artwork. Surface and patina shift slightly between batches, and the piece can land 1–3 cm off nominal, as all our hand casting can.