Making a living between "two hot pans"

Amidst the scorching summer heat, blacksmiths in Trieu Loc commune, Thanh Hoa province, continue to work tirelessly, their furnaces burning to earn a living. Working in the high temperatures of the charcoal furnaces, combined with the intense sun, they are struggling to survive the harsh conditions to preserve their traditional craft and support their families.

Video : Blacksmiths struggle to make a living in the scorching heat.

These days, stepping into each blacksmith's workshop in Trieu Loc commune (formerly Tien Loc commune), Thanh Hoa province, is like entering a miniature "volcano." Temperatures reach over 50 degrees Celsius, coupled with the intense heat of summer, making the atmosphere inside the workshops feel like a blazing furnace.

The scorching sun made everyone feel suffocated, but the workers here couldn't stop. In the workshops, the furnaces burned to 1,000 degrees Celsius, and smoke, dust, and ash billowed up in thick clouds. The sounds of hammers and anvils echoed, drowning out all other noises.

Mr. Pham Tri Hung, 65 years old, from Trieu Loc commune, shared: "This job is very hard. In winter, sitting next to the fire makes my face crack, and in summer, the heat is unbearable. Especially during peak heat waves, it's so hot it stings my face, I sweat profusely, and sometimes I'm so tired and breathless that I have to rest after working for a while."

The only way for blacksmiths to cope with the heat while working is to use electric fans for support. However, Mr. Hung said that using fans only helps to some extent, and achieving complete coolness is almost impossible in the unique environment of the blacksmithing profession.

The intense heat from the "two streams of fire," the scorching sun outside and the stifling heat from the forge, caused the blacksmiths' faces to constantly turn red and sweat to stream down their faces.

Furthermore, working in high-temperature environments like blacksmiths' forges easily leads to heatstroke and heat exhaustion. The body loses water quickly, causing blacksmiths to become exhausted, dizzy, or even faint if they don't rest and rehydrate promptly. The intense heat of the forge can also damage the skin. Smoke from coal and metal dust from the forging process threatens the worker's lungs and respiratory system.

Therefore, every blacksmith covered their face completely with a cloth and wore a wet towel on their head to avoid dizziness from the heat, but their eyes still stung from the ash and dust.

To cope with the intense heat, blacksmiths often have to wake up early in the morning, taking advantage of the lull in the sun to work until 10 a.m., then taking a break. In the afternoon, around 4 p.m., when the heat subsides, they resume their work.

Mr. Nguyen Van Long, owner of the Long Ka blacksmith workshop in Trieu Loc commune, said: "If the outside temperature is around 38 degrees Celsius, the furnace area in the workshop can reach 44-45 degrees Celsius due to the heat radiating from the furnace fire and red-hot metal. The stifling heat makes the already strenuous work even more difficult."

Work in the blacksmithing village is very strenuous and usually reserved for men, but the women here are still able to handle lighter tasks such as sharpening knives, attaching handles, and packaging products.

Blacksmithing provided the people with a more stable life, even though it was very hard and arduous work.

Amidst the scorching summer heat, the blacksmiths of Trieu Loc still keep their fires burning day after day, preserving their craft. Despite facing the "two flames" of the sun and the furnace, they persevere, staying at their workshops, maintaining their traditional trade with calloused hands and an unwavering will to overcome the hardships of making a living.

Hoang Dong - Phuong Do

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/muu-sinh-giua-hai-chao-lua-288926.htm