Lâm Văn Lộc

Lâm Văn Lộc has been bending brass since he was 16. He is the workshop’s lead maker, and every lamp we sell hangs from a frame he bent: the ring that holds the shade, the ribs inside it, the canopy that meets the ceiling.

What he does on a lamp

A frame starts as a straight brass rod. Lộc softens the rod with a gas torch, lets it cool, then bends it around a wooden jig. Every shade size has its own jig: the Hạ Chí pendant at 35, 45 and 55 cm needs three. He files every joint, sets the finished frame on the weaving mould to check it is round, and only then hands it to Mến. One frame takes about half a day.

He never polishes raw brass back to bright. Uncoated brass darkens over the years, from pale gold to a brownish gold. If you want the colour to stay put, choose a matte black or matte white frame, at the same price.

Something he learned

Early in his trade he was in a hurry once and bent a rod before it was soft enough. It cracked at the tightest point of the curve, and the whole rod went in the scrap box. Since then he anneals tight curves twice and does not bend a rod that still feels stiff in the hand.

What he looks out for

A frame carries the weight of its shade for years, so he bends it to hold the shade level, never tilted. Frame and shade carry a 24-month warranty. When someone calls to ask why their raw brass frame has “gone dull”, he explains that this is the brass colouring naturally, not a fault, and he does not recommend polishing it.

What he has written

• Raw brass darkens over the years, and that is normal
• The technical notes on our brass materials page

His frames are in every lamp we make, from the single Lập Thu to the four-lamp Xuân Phân set.