Elizabeth Brim - The Iron Inflation Technique

The Iron Inflation Technique

Brim had made a tiara and was searching for a pillow to display the object. A fellow Penland teacher, David Seacrest, helped Brim develop the technique of inflating iron to create the pillow form.

First, two rectangular sheets of iron are welded together around the perimeter, leaving a small gap for a chisel. That opening is then stretched and a pipe is inserted and welded in to place. The envelope is then placed into the forge and heated until bright red, then an airgun is inserted in the pipe and approximately 90 pounds of air pressure inflate the form much like a balloon.

Brim now teaches this technique to her students at Penland.

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