Quality control
We hold no audit certificate, so here is the process instead
A BSCI or ISO badge tells a buyer that somebody inspected a factory once. We do not have one and we will not claim one. What we can show you is what is actually checked here, at which station, with what instrument, and what happens when a piece fails.
| Station | What is checked | How | If it fails |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pattern | Dimensions against the approved sample or drawing | Tape and calliper on the pattern before moulding | Pattern corrected before any metal is poured |
| After pour | Fill, cold shuts, porosity on visible faces | Visual, by the caster who poured it | Re-melted — a short-filled casting never reaches fettling |
| Fettling | Seams, runner marks, wall at load points | Hand and eye, plus calliper at feet and handles | Returned to the bench, or re-cast if the wall is thin |
| Chasing | Relief sharpness, symmetry of the pattern | Compared against the approved sample on the bench | Re-chased before finishing |
| Finishing | Colour against the signed-off sample, evenness, gilding coverage | Daylight comparison, whole set together | Stripped and re-finished |
| Pre-pack | Height, weight, set proportion, count | Tape, scales, photographs with a tape in frame | Held back; a replacement is cast or the order ships short with your agreement |
When something is wrong
A claim we can settle in a week, not a quarter
Photograph the piece as you received it, with the carton and the packing material in frame, and send the photographs with your packing list reference. Bronze is too heavy to ship back across an ocean for a dispute, and we do not ask you to: a casting that is damaged in packing, or more than 5 cm out on a single piece, is re-cast on the next production run or credited against your next order, whichever you prefer.
Tell us within 30 days of the container being unloaded so the production lot is still on our books and the pattern is still set up. Later than that we will still talk, but we may no longer be able to prove which lot the piece came from.
What we will not do
- Ship a casting we know is out of tolerance and hope it passes inspection.
- Claim a certificate, an audit or a factory size we do not have.
- Quote a defect rate we have not measured. Ask us at the enquiry stage and we will tell you what we actually see on a run rather than a number that sounds good.
Come and look
The workshop is about two hours by car from Ha Noi and visitors are welcome during a pour. If you cannot travel, ask for the video call — it is the cheapest due diligence available to you, and it costs us nothing but an hour.