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Mexican Copper Bathtubs or Soaking In Style.
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By O. Ferro
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For thousands of years copper has been present in thedevelopment of the major civilizations of the world. Even nowcopper is one of the most used metals in a great number of areasof our contemporary life.
The common uses of copper are wide and various, they go from thepipes in our kitchens and bathrooms to the wiring of theelectric web across our cities and the country. There is also asignificant presence of copper in all the electronic gadgets weuse every day, from the coffee maker to the PC on our desk.
But these are not the only places, not the only forms copper canbe present in our lives. For many centuries, artisans of a smalltown in Mexico's western mountains have made a living of makingbeautiful pieces of art from raw pieces of copper. These artpieces can take many forms; jars, flower pots, plates, sinks andyes; also beautiful handmade copper bathtubs.
These bathtubs are made entirely from a few raw copper plateswhich are previously softened with heat from a wood fire andthen, once the proper softness has been reached, they are weldedone onto each other to be then hammered until the desired coppertub shape is attained.
The manufacturing of each of these tubs is a sculpting task forthe artisans. They usually work in teams and by using theirhammers and chisels they patiently shape the copper plates, inchby inch, into the desired form of a bathtub. Once the shape hasbeen attained then they proceed to heat the entire copper tuband then "patina" (clear or dark) is applied to the surface ofthe bathtub in order to protect it from water and the elements,making the lifetime of one of these tubs that of many years.
At the end the result of all this patient and careful work ofthe Mexican artisans is one of the most beautiful and stylishfurniture you can add to your bathroom. A copper sculpture madefor soaking, one piece of art waiting for you to take acomfortable bath in it.
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