A tinsmith, or tinner, is a person who makes and repairs items made of tin. He is both a practical craftsman and a creative artist who needs only a few simple items to practice his trade.

The Tinsmith

By admin on January 18, 2011 in Culture, Traditions

tinsmith still and pots A tinsmith, or tinner, is a person who makes and repairs items made of tin. He is both a practical craftsman and a creative artist who needs only a few simple items to practice his trade.

His main material is tin, a rust resistant metal that he buys in sheets. It is easily cut and shaped for use in a large variety of useful ways, most frequently for household vessels and utensils. Using a pair of shears and bit of solder, he can cut, shape and join his pieces together, making them either to order or for his own pleasure. In either case, the result carries with it the sense of pride that only an artist truly understands.

A tinsmith trains four to six years as an apprentice in order to master his craft. The practical nature of his work is evident in the everyday use of his products. Almost everything a tinsmith makes is for common use in cooking or storing food and drink. A large cauldron requires about 20 days of painstaking work to complete.

Artistry can be measured in the care and skill by which the tinsmith goes about his work. Each fold and bend, cut and solder reflects long practice and training to the point of reflex. Each individual tinsmith is known for the particular style of his work. Designs and decoration are unique to each craftsman, often acting as a signature by which his work can be recognized.

coal-iron Andreja Neshovski is a tinsmith working in the Old Bazaar in Skopje. He has had a shop there since 1952. Stepping inside we felt thrown back in time to an era in which handmade tin tools and utensils were a part of every Macedonian home.

The shop is like a museum. The shelves are filled with traditional ajvar stoves, bread grates, pokers, lanterns, pots, milk jugs, pails, and more. A generation ago many of these wares would have been commonplace in Macedonian houses, but cultural changes, foreign goods and mass production have changed consumer preferences. Today handcrafted tin objects are more the exception than the rule for everyday use.

work-area Neshovski’s shop is both a workplace for the craftsman and a curiosity for tourists. Many people stop in to see articles that some remember only dimly from their childhood, and others not at all. They love to take photos of his work. He is always honored that people find his work interesting, and especially please when they take a purchase home with them when they leave! His shop can be found at Bitpazarska Street #42 in the Old Bazaar.