noun
tinker; metal-repairer
Historical occupation; a person who repaired metal pots, kettles, and other household metalware by patching or soldering. Now rare as a profession.
昔、鋳掛け屋は鍋や釜の修理をして回った。
In the old days, tinkers went around repairing pots and kettles.
鋳掛け refers to the act of tinkering or metal repair itself, while 鋳掛け屋 is the person who does it.
Compound of 鋳掛け (いかけ, 'metal repair by casting/patching') and 屋 (や, 'shop' or 'person'). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the word describes a traditional itinerant repairer of metalware.