Designing using ornaments

 There are many types of ornaments used in designing a labu sayong. 

These are common ornaments used onto the surface of a labu sayong. 

They are incorporated from nature include trees and flowers which were only found in Malay states. We should know the invention of pottery by the Malays was very basic with quite simple ornamentation. 

Labu Sayong 101: Process on making it.

 In this post, we will be discussing on the process of making labu sayong.

The process is divided into 5 main processes which are: settling down the soil, moulding, shaping & designing, drying and lastly, baking.

Settling down process.

A very fine clay soil taken along the riverbanks is left under the sun for days, and then pounded into extremely fine powder. After so, the powder is mixed with water and then kept into a sealed container for few days. The mixture is then carefully kneaded and wedged to remove all water bubbles. This is to avoid the pot to break when exposed to intense heat. Indeed, it is a tedious process.

Nowadays, the clay soil is mixed with sodium and water to produce a batter.

Moulding

The batter or mixture is then poured into the mould. After that, let it set aside for 3 hours or so depending on the weather. The pot is then removed from the mould and turn upside down to dry.

 Shaping & Designing

The interesting process is shaping and designing. It simply done on a board wheel by a highly skilled craftman. The motif / ornaments either being decorated by hand or simply stamped onto the surface of the clay. Some common ornaments are bunga padi, bunga tanjung and so many more.

Drying & Baking

The pots are then dried in the sun for 3 days or so to harden the surface. It will also increase its durability.

Usually in the old days, the pots then are fired in open trenches fill with some firewood, coconut husks, dry rambutan trees until they are red hot. After that, they are immediately removed and placed on a pile of paddy husk or saw dust for 20 minutes to impart the black sheen. The base of the pot is brushed with liquid resin or wax to render it waterproof.

In this new generation, the pots now are baked in a machine at a temperature of 1000 centigrade for 10 hours or so..depending on the size.

reference: http://leisuretoursmalaysia.blogspot.com/2011/05/educational-tour-of-labu-sayong-cottage.html

Types of labu sayong

 Labu sayong is typically been used to store water, by older people. It keeps the water cool even you put the labu sayong under the hot scorching sun. Villagers believe that drinking from it has health benefits. It is even believed that drinking from it can cure common health problems, like cough and fever.

There are many types of labu sayong. We can buy them mostly in Kuala Kangsar Perak. Some including

 Labu Pana, Labu Tela, Labu Tanah, Labu Pucong

        The most common ones are below:

        Labu Lepap

        Labu Gelugor

         Labu Geluk

While some still use labu sayong to store water, many prefer to display this beautiful handicraft at home.