I Made Widandra, Gong maker, with my wife Lisa Haberman

During the Summer of 1999 I paid a vist to the small Balanese village of Sawan. During my visit I was fortunate to have a tour of the gamelan instrument foundary operated by I Made Widandra. The bronze gongs and Metalaphones that make up the instruments of the gamelan are forged in a tiny hut behind the showroom pictured above. The work of forging and pounding the bronze is hot hard work in the Balanese tropical climate.

Below are pictures of the various stages of the manufacture of a gong.

The Forge where the bronze is heated.

The molten bronze is poured from the black cup.

The gongs are pounded into shape on these stones.

The final step in the process is to scrape its surface to expose the bronze and give it a metallic finish.