Murat Uçar, a 57-year-old father of two and one of the last representatives of copper and tinning in Aydın, who has succumbed to technology, has been in the profession for nearly 50 years since starting as an apprentice. He expressed his biggest fear as the risk of people being left without someone to take care of their copper, stating, “Copper is endless, but the craftsmen are vanishing.”

Residing in Aydın, Murat Uçar (57) completed his 49th year in the profession of copper and tinning where he began as an apprentice.

As one of the final practitioners of this profession in the city, Uçar mentioned the challenge of not being able to find apprentices to train, indicating that one of his greatest dreams is to be able to pass on his mastery to the younger generations.

Uçar emphasized that the number of tinsmiths in Aydın does not exceed the fingers on one hand, and once they retire, people’s copperware will be left unattended. He said, “Copper is limitless, but the craftsmen are disappearing.” Highlighting that he is nearing the end of his career and that tinsmithing will be buried with them once they retire, Uçar stated, “I have been in this profession since 1976. It is already a family tradition. Thanks to God, I have married off my children and make a living here, but our only problem is the lack of apprentices. Unfortunately, there are no trainees. My biggest fear is, what will happen to this nation’s copperware after I retire. Because there are no craftsmen left to do this job. There are only 3-5 of us left, on one hand. There are no new employees coming in. In other words, copper is endless, but the craftsmen are vanishing. Let’s see what will happen to these copperwares. There are only 2 of us on this street. In general, there are barely 5 people left in Aydın. We can’t find apprentices to train anymore. This is truly my biggest fear. There is plenty of copper, but no craftsmen. Unfortunately, there is no one to whom I can pass on my mastery. I wish I could leave it to someone.”