On March 24-26, 2005 I took an Inflating Steel Workshop sponsored by the College of Charleston Visual Arts Club. The workshop ran from 10amish to 6pmish for 3 days. By the end of it I was happily exhausted. The instructor was Sabrina Fadial. She has a fantastic website where you can see great stuff at http://www.sabrinafadial.com. I think this is the most fascinating process I have learned yet.
In addition to the overall experience I was also able to talk a lot with Sabrina about my artistic vision. She was full of information and unlike so many people was extremely willing to share her experiences with me. In particular, the importance of documenting your artistic process and the importance of reading, writing, researching, drawing, and creating every day. I also learned how to “girly weld.” It was an amazing 3 days. I can definitely say that taking this workshop and meeting Sabrina was a life altering experience. It was the event that set a lot of things into motion and finally gave me the “light bulb” about what I was doing, where I wanted to go, and how I wanted to get there. If you ever have the opportunity to meet or take a class with Sabrina I recommend putting everything else aside and taking the time to do so.
With that said I am going to post a few pictures I took during the workshop here. There are other posts in this category that explain how to make the equipment you need and I am working on a video that I will post a little later that demonstrates the steel inflation. The project that I am working on with this technique is the Inflated Steel Baby Doll. It is an inflated steel mixed media sculpture that incorporates glass and metal and is inspired by Sabrina’s works.
Enjoy the pics!
What you Need
*Paper Pattern
*Steel Sheet
*Steel Pipe
*Assortment of metal tools
*Air compressor and tip
*Forge
*Oxy-Acetalyne Welding Torch and cutting tip
*Safety Equipment – Kids Don’t This at Home. Safety equipment is very important!!!
*Patience
Cutting the Pieces:
After you have selected a pattern and used a soap stone to draw them on the steel you will need to cut them out. This process is similar to sewing. You have to have a piece for the back and the front. The two pieces will be welded together to create the inflation. I was lucky enough to have access to a plasma cutter and this was the first time I had ever used it. Man…where do you get one of those! Make sure that you label your pieces after you cut them out. It’s really easy to lose track of what goes where.
Multiple Pieces:
If you want your inflation to be wider or more oval you will have to make extra pieces and “fold them” in the middle. Since I want my head to be round with a lot of inflation I put 3 pieces of steel together instead of 2.
Girly Welding:
Each piece has to be welded together so that you can insert the pipes. I learned the hard way to write “HOT” next to the hot pile so that I could remember not to pick them up and burn myself. If your forgetful it’s a good idea.
Inserting the Pipes:
Once you have put the 2 pieces together you need to insert the pipes and create an airtight weld around the whole piece. This is tricky and there is a lot dunking the pieces in soapy water and blowing down the pipe looking for air bubbles. The piece won’t inflate all the way until you succeed. Patience Grasshopper.
Putting it in the Forge:
Sabrina and Ivan are working together on a large piece Sabrina is creating. Once you have an air tight weld you can attach your piece to your special inflating steel pipe. Once the piece heats up to a glowing red you can use the air compressor to inflate the piece. Check back for a demonstration of this in video format. You only have a few seconds before the piece starts to cool so you have to work fast.
Look Ma, It’s Inflated!
Sabrina if finally successful. Her piece is inflated. It is also very very hot. It is best to clean the piece with a wire brush to remove the debris while it is glowing red.
Inflating My Head:
3 days in and I only got one piece partly inflated. This is the beginning of my head.
Happy But Tired
