Kalai (process)

The art of kalai (kalhai or qalai) is the process of coating an alloy surface such as copper or brass by deposition of metal tin on it.

[2] A cultural Sanskrit work by Keladi Basava called "Sivatattva Ratnakara" (1699) mentions "kalaya-lepa" in the chapter of cookery or "supashashtra" which means applying kalai on utensils.

Copper carbonate is poisonous and can make a person severely ill if it gets mixed with food.

In order to protect the coating, one should use wooden or silicone spatulas and avoid cooking acidic foods.

The other is to wash it with dilute acid solution which contains a gold purifying compound known as ‘sufa’.

The Kalaiwala, Kalaigar or Kalaikar then digs a small pit in the ground to burn the coal.

He/she prepares a temporary blast furnace to do kalai and blows air through bellows.

A whitish smoke with the peculiar smell of ammonia is released when the ‘nausadar’ powder is rubbed on the utensil.

[10] As stainless steel and aluminum ware came into being, the usage of copper and brass utensils decreased, which led the Kalaigars to suffer losses.