A Chat About the Sacred Alloy of "Charoen Suk 63"

Where the Question Came From

After Wat Chulamanee publicized and opened pre-orders for the sacred object — the straight-knee and bent-knee, retro-style Tao Wessuwan cast statue, the "Charoen Suk 63" edition — several interested people sent me messages asking which editions' materials the alloy that the temple advertised was actually made from, so that they could use it as a guide in deciding whether to venerate one.

The Old Sacred-Alloy Editions

I must first clarify that the old sacred alloy melted down to cast this edition of the temple's sacred objects was more than what the temple advertised, but there was no time to photograph it, because it had already been melted down beforehand on the day of casting and pouring the first auspicious moment on 6 February B.E. 2563 (2020) at the Thewasathit Vihara, the shrine of Krom Luang Chumphon, Nakhon Pathom Province. As far as I know and have seen, it should include:

• Sacred alloy from casting Buddha images at Wat Ratchabophit

• Sacred alloy from the Bai Sake "Phet Klap" edition medals

• Sacred alloy from the "Hu Chueam" medals of Phra Upatcha Itthi

• Sprue metal from the cast Champi medals of B.E. 2557

• Flash metal from the "Champi Rap Khwan Sit" medals in gold, silver, copper, and alpaka alloy

• Two-faced medals of the "Muen Yan Phan Khatha" edition

• Champi 45 medals

• Bai Makham Asom Sin medals

• Ancient cast medals of Luang Pho Khong, retro edition 1

• "Wirun Chambang" medals of Luang Chumphon

• Medals of the "Khuen Nuea" edition

• "Jikko Lang Thewatham" medals

Every Metal Carries the Old Alloy

As for the question of which items in the Charoen Suk 63 edition this alloy was blended into, I would answer that every metal made in this edition is blended with the old alloy I described — every single one. In particular, the full-formula nawaloha alloy and the sacred-alloy (chanuan) metal carry a rather large portion of the old alloy. If you consider it carefully, you will see that this edition produced the most sacred-alloy pieces, divided into black rhodium-plated sacred alloy, gilt-with-red-enamel sacred alloy, satin silver sacred alloy, and committee-set plated sacred alloy. I should point out that the core of these sacred-alloy pieces is all metal from the very same crucible; they were simply plated and decorated on the outside in a variety of finishes so that each person may choose according to preference. As for the full-formula nawaloha alloy, there is no need to say more — it surely contains no small amount of the old sacred alloy, because the principal metal of nawaloha is copper, which already makes up most of the sacred alloy, with silver and gold added on top of that. Whoever has placed an order, keep a close watch and see just how beautiful the tone and hue of this edition's nawaloha will turn out.

Why the Alpaka Alloy Was Made in Small Numbers

Another question many people wonder about is why the alpaka alloy was made in such small numbers. So I went to find the answer for you. It turns out that the alpaka alloy was made in small numbers because the old sacred alloy in alpaka form was not plentiful: it came only from the flash metal of the Rap Khwan Sit medals, the Jikko Lang Thewatham medals, the Wirun Chambang medals, and a little from various other medals. The foundry advised that if old sacred alloy of another metal were mixed in with the freshly melted alpaka alloy, it would not blend or fuse into a single body, and when cast, the resulting images would be spoiled. The working committee overseeing the production also did not want to blend too little old alloy with the newly mixed metal — like pounding chili paste and dissolving it in a river — so they decided to make only 1,500 pieces of the alpaka alloy, in order to preserve a concentration of material suited to the amount of old alpaka alloy on hand.

In Closing

I hope this has eased the doubts of friends who had questions, and I sincerely hope the information I have presented today has been of some use to friends in our group, however great or small. Those who have not yet placed an order for this edition, do reserve one according to your means; at the very least, having even one to wear brings peace of mind. Longtime disciples know well that whenever Luang Pho Itthi creates each edition of sacred objects, he certainly does not make them carelessly. He gives importance to every detail, from the materials, the auspicious timing, and the propitiation, to inviting revered monks to join the consecration rite. To those who have reserved one, I share in the merit with you; and you may rest at ease that you now have a fine object of Wat Chula to keep with you. Tonight, may all my friends sleep well and dream sweetly. Good night to you all.