OEM and tooling
Who Owns the Mould in a Custom Bronze Order?
In bronze the sand mould is destroyed at every pour, so the thing worth owning is the master pattern. What a buyer should agree before tooling starts.
You paid for tooling, so you expect to own a mould. In sand casting there is no mould to own. It is rammed up in sand around a pattern, filled with bronze, then broken open to free the casting, and it is destroyed at every pour. What survives is the master pattern, and that is what your purchase order has to name. Here is what to settle before pattern work starts.
Do I own the mould I paid for?
Tooling cut to your drawing sits on your account. That is written on our OEM and tooling page: the pattern belongs to the buyer who paid for it, we hold it on our shelf under your name, and on written request we ship it to you or destroy it and send the photograph. Ask to own the mould and you have asked for a box of sand that no longer exists; write pattern into the order instead.
If the sand mould breaks every time, what am I paying for?
Bronze goes in, the sand comes off, the sand goes back on the pile. On a first custom order you pay for pattern work: the master of your shape, the core boxes that make it hollow where it should be hollow, the gating that fills thin sections before the metal freezes, and the first approved casting later lots are judged against.
| Item | What it is | Survives a pour | Castings per item | Normally held by |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Master pattern | Timber, resin or bronze master of the shape | Yes | Every casting of that design, order after order | Our shelf, under your account |
| Core boxes | Set the hollow inside and the wall | Yes | Same life as the pattern | Stored with the pattern |
| Sand mould | Sand rammed around the pattern | No | 1 | Nobody; the sand is reclaimed |
| Gating and risers | The channels the bronze runs through | No | 1 | Cut off and remelted |
| Approved first article | One finished casting you signed off | — | Reference for every later lot | One here, one with you |
Can the master pattern be moved to another foundry?
Physically, yes — it is a solid object and crates like any other. What does not travel is the tuning. Gating and shrink allowance are set to our furnace, our sand and our pouring practice, so another foundry will re-gate it and cast a fresh first article before it promises anything.
Will my design be cast for someone else?
Ask plainly and get it in writing. A shape you drew, or drew a brief for, is yours and should be cast for nobody else. A traditional village form — a five-piece altar set, a crane, a censer on three feet — belongs to nobody, and every foundry in Dong Quy has cast it for generations. Exclusivity over one of those is a promise no honest foundry keeps.
What you hold exclusively is your version: your proportions, your ornament, your mark. If the piece carries your brand or origin text, settle it with the pattern — our guide on private label and origin marking explains why it is cut into the pattern, not added later.
Who keeps the pattern between orders, and for how long?
Ours stay on the shelf under your account, so a repeat order comes off the same pattern and the fifth container matches the first. Patterns keep well in a dry store, but parting faces wear and sharp detail softens first. Put two things in writing: that you are told when a pattern needs rework, and how long it is held before we ask whether you still want it.
What the pattern cannot promise
A pattern fixes the shape. It does not turn hand casting into machine work. Across a five-piece set we treat 1–3 cm of variation as normal; anything over 5 cm is a defect and is recast at our cost. Walls run about 5 mm through the body and 8 mm at load points such as feet, handles and rims, and a run after sample approval takes 21–30 days. We hold no ISO or BSCI certificate and say so rather than buying a badge; in its place stand the approved sample, photographs of your pattern, and the tolerance written into the order.
What the tooling line in my PO should say
Six points, each with the question that gets the answer. Send them with your drawing — our guide on sending a drawing for a casting quote covers the drawing itself.
- Who pays for the pattern. “Is the pattern charge quoted separately from the first lot, and is it one-time?”
- Who owns it. “Does the order confirm the pattern made to my drawing belongs to me?”
- Where it is stored, and for how long. “Where is it held, and how long before you ask me?”
- Whether it can be released. “If I ask in writing, will you ship or destroy it, and photograph it?”
- Exclusivity, and its scope. “Will this design be cast for another buyer, and for how long does that hold?”
- Who carries damage and wear. “If it is damaged or worn past use, who pays to remake it?”
Questions buyers ask
I paid for the pattern. Is it mine?
On our orders, yes: tooling cut to your drawing is in your name. Confirm it in writing anyway — practice differs between suppliers.
Can I take the pattern out of Vietnam?
On written request we release or destroy it, photographed either way. Expect a re-gate and a new first article wherever it goes.
Will you cast my design for another buyer?
Not a design you brought or briefed, when exclusivity is in the order. Traditional village forms are another matter; nobody can grant exclusivity over those.
If I do not reorder for a year, is the pattern still usable?
Usually, if it was stored dry. Ask for a photograph, and whether the parting faces need touching up.
Does a small change to an existing design need a new pattern?
It depends where it lands. A new inscription or reworked ornament can often be cut into the existing pattern; a change in height, proportion or wall section means new work.
Send us the drawing. See custom and OEM casting for what the line covers. Send a drawing or photographs with your sizes through the request a quote form or on WhatsApp at +84 926 199 999, and we come back with a tooling answer and a quotation in two working days.