GEORGE TOWN: There is not much chatter at Ng Ah Seng's workplace, and being a man of few words, he doesn't seem to mind.
But the 63-year-old's days in the "office" in Gat Lebuh Armenian here are far from quiet, with sounds of iron being hammered ringing through the street, drawing curious tourists.
From the street, a red-hot furnace glows in the wooden shack, filled with iron rods and a small Taoist altar.
Though there are no doors to the over 100-year-old Teck Ban Choon Foundry, it is hot and stuffy, but Ng looks comfortable.
He is now the foundry's main anchor and likely its last.
He took over anchor-making duties from his brother-in-law, the third-generation anchor maker and owner of Teck Ban Choon, several years ago.
His brother-in-law is getting on in age and his children are not keen to continue the family business, so Ng came out of retirement to help.
He learnt how to make the anchors from his brother-in-law and now does it all by himself.
"I will do it for as long as I can," said Ng, who used to make boats in Singapore.
"It is hot and tiring. That is why no one wants to do it.
"Locals don't want to do it, and we can't afford to hire foreigners because the permits cost money."
Ng said the family had always made anchors, but had diversified into making housing materials for a while.
"We stopped because of the competition from China. Their products are much cheaper."
These days, Ng carries on the Teck Ban Choon legacy, making anchors six days a week.
He makes anchors of various sizes, from as small as 3kg to large 80kg ones for fishermen from Penang, Kuala Kedah and Kuala Sepetang in Perak.
"In the past, we've had customers come from as far as Mer-sing in Johor."
A typical day at work sees Ng sticking iron rods in a furnace before hammering or bending them into different parts of an anchor.
He focuses on making a different component each day before welding them together.
The time taken to complete an anchor depends on the weight of the anchor order.
"The anchors are sold for between RM7 per catty and RM10 per catty. We older people still use catty," he said jokingly.
Anchors, Ng said, were always in demand as they only lasted for around two years, as saltwater accelerates corrosion.