Zinc smelting is very complicated as it is a very volatile material. Under normal pressure it boils at 913 degrees centigrade. To extract zinc from its oxide, the oxide must be heated to about 1200 degrees in clay retorts. In any ordinary furnace, the zinc would vapourise. To circumvent this, an ingenious method of reverse distillation in a reducing atmosphere was employed by the ancients.

Proof of the process came from excavations at Zawar in Rajasthan. The Zawar process consisted of heating zinc in an atmosphere of carbon monoxide in clay retorts arranged upside down, and collecting zinc vapour in a cooler chamber placed vertically beneath the retort.

Zinc metallurgy travelled from India to China and from there to Europe.

Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc whereas Bell metal is copper alloyed with tin. Both these are used somewhat preferentially for the productipon of handicraft, in different regions of India. The products manufactured from these are through one of two ways – beating or casting.

Beating first involves making an ingot of the metal alloy. This is done by heating the metal compound in a crucible, placed in a furnace called a basti and pouring the melt into a mold to form the ingot. Thereafter it is subjected to repeated strikes of a hammer. The anvil typically consists of a suitably positioned stone block. The striking continues until the desired shape is fashioned out. These typically include plates, drinking tumblers and cooking or storage containers. The art has been extended to include intricate engravings on the surfaces such as floral or geometric patterns.

Casting used to originally be done with the lost wax method, but this has now given way to the use of sand molds, which allows improved productivity in manufacturing. A small Brass vase may be casted in four parts -the neck, the centre as two hemispheres, and a base. If possible, there is more than one section being cast at the same time. The entire production cycle from melting and casting to joining, scraping, engraving and polishing takes about four to six weeks.

The Brass artifacts once made are embellished with secondary art work done upon it. Some are plain polished and others exquisitely hand painted using lacquer or enamel. Apart from these pure brass forms, sculpted or carved, one can even admire rich brass-inlay work with semi-precious stones adding a new dimension to these objects d'art.

Some of the interesting artifacts that attract visitors is the 'Aftawa', the traditional wine pots, often seen in paintings that depict court scenes of various Indian Kings. These are produced in various sizes, with different kind of exterior finishes, varying from plain to hand painted, to beautifully inlayed with semi-precious stones.Another object of high curiosity value is the. The sheer size of the set turns eyes and is fascinating because of its fabulous artistry. Numerous other items which are eye catching include the Punch Ball Set, fancy flower pots and vases, planters, fruit bowls, figurretes /sculptures, candle stands, trays, wall decorations, bells, lamps etc.

Moradabad in UP is one of the very important centres in the production of brass ware.