Inspection
Inspecting a bronze lot by video call
You cannot fly to Nam Dinh for every lot. What to have the foundry show on camera, what to measure live, and how to keep the call as a record.
Nobody flies to Nam Dinh for every order. A video call from the packing floor shows you count, finish, lettering and any measurement you name — if you run it to a script and pick the crates yourself. What it cannot do is sample a large lot or sign anything. Here is the call, step by step, and where an inspector is the better spend.
When is a video call enough, and when do you pay an inspector?
A call is enough for a first sample order, a repeat of a model you stock, or any lot small enough to see a meaningful share of on screen. Pay a third-party inspector when the lot is large, when a sampling rule has to be applied to a written standard, or when your customer wants an independent report — pre-shipment inspection covers that. What a call does better: you choose what gets opened, live.
Who holds the camera, and what should be in frame?
Ask for someone from the floor, not a sales contact — whoever can put a tape on a piece without going to find one. Ask in advance for a tape in centimetres, a platform scale with a readable display, and the packing list on the table. Keep the camera on a phone. Give the time in Vietnam, 14–15 hours ahead of California and 11–12 ahead of New York.
The eight-step call
- Pan the whole staged lot, one continuous shot."Before we open anything, walk the camera down the lot without stopping."
- Count the crates and cartons against the packing list, on camera."Read me the crate numbers as you touch each one."
- Open two crates you name by number, not ones already open."Open crate 4 and crate 11, please."
- Measure height and width, tape against the piece, zero end visible."Hold the tape from the foot to the top of the lid, steady."
- Weigh one piece with the display in shot."Put it on the scale and zoom in on the number."
- Show the inside and the underside of the base."Turn it over and take the camera inside the rim."
- Read the cast lettering, close up."Read the characters out loud while the camera holds still."
- Watch the pieces go back in and the crate seal."Stay on camera while you pack and seal crate 4."
What to ask them to measure while you watch
Name the numbers before the call. Hand casting varies: 1–3 cm from nominal is normal, over 5 cm is a fault. Trade sizes are nominal too — a "60" censer measures about 57 cm, and that is correct, not short.
| On the call | What the tape or scale should read | Call it a fault when |
|---|---|---|
| Censer, nominal 60 | About 57 cm overall, lid on | More than 5 cm off the quoted figure |
| Cranes vs censer | 5–7 cm taller | The pair differ by more than 3 cm |
| Candlesticks vs censer | 12–15 cm shorter | The two do not match each other |
| Incense bowl | About a third of the censer height | Visibly out of proportion |
| Five-piece set, 65 | About 36 kg on the scale | Well under the weighing sheet |
| Wall at the rim | About 5 mm; 8 mm at legs, handles, lid seat | Thin or uneven where it takes load |
How to check weight and wall thickness on camera
Weight is the honest proxy for metal: ask for the weighing sheet with the quotation, weigh one piece per line on the call, and compare. A piece well under its sheet figure is thinner than it was priced as.
Wall thickness you judge at the edges — rim, mouth, foot — camera close, light behind, a finger run along the rim so you see the section. A caliper reading over video is not evidence, but a rim visibly thinner than the approved sample is worth stopping for. Our check points list what each bench measures before this stage.
How to see the whole lot instead of the best three pieces
The first pan is the defence. Pieces staged for a call are usually the good ones, so insist on one unbroken shot before any crate opens, then pick crates from the numbers you just saw — the ones furthest from the camera. If two come back clean, ask for a third at random. A refusal tells you something.
What to record, and what to do with the recording
Say at the start that you are recording; nobody here objects, and asking makes the file usable later. Keep three things: the recording, the packing list photographed on the call, and a note of what you accepted and flagged, sent the same day. Both sides can use that if a crate arrives damaged.
What happens if you reject a piece on the call
Say it on the call and have the piece set aside on camera, then put it in writing: crate number, piece, what is wrong, and whether you want it replaced, recast or dropped. A recast runs the normal 21–30 day casting time, so a rejection close to the ship date usually means the lot goes short and the replacement follows. That is the reason to hold the call early. To see the benches before the lot is staged, ask for a walk through the workshop on the same call.
Questions buyers ask
Does a video call replace a third-party inspector?
No — it replaces a trip. An inspector applies a sampling rule and issues a report your insurer or customer will accept; a call gives you your own eyes on crates you chose.
What time should we book, with the time difference?
Give the time in Vietnam. Mid-afternoon here is early morning in California and mid-morning on the US East Coast, floor lit and working.
Can I choose which crates get opened?
Yes, and you should — by number, from the opening pan rather than a list sent beforehand.
Do I need permission to record?
Say so at the start. It is a normal request and it makes the file worth keeping.
What if I see a fault on screen?
Have it set aside on camera, then write it up the same day with the crate number and what you want done. Variation of 1–3 cm is not a fault; over 5 cm, a crack, a hole or wrong lettering is.
Book the call before the lot is crated. Send the lot, the numbers you want measured and two times that suit you; the tape, scale and packing list will be on the table.
WhatsApp or Zalo +84 926 199 999 (wa.me/84926199999), or start from the request a quote form.