Spun Metal – Aiwa Shibori (With Video)
We recently visited a Kawasaki based Spun Metal “Meister” craftsman to see their work and understand how it can be applied to various products.
Aiwa Shibori is a family run company with a long tradition specialising in spun metal, with the “Meister” craftsman Onami-san with his wife and their son who has recently become company president.
Spun metal or “spinning” is a way of forming cone or cup shaped objects using a lathe and various spatula tipped levers to form the metal over a mould, with the edges finished using a specially shaped spatula. Spinning is often used to make prototypes of large nozzle or tubular systems such as automotive exhaust systems – indeed these pipes can be formed into special shapes using unique materials to tune the sound.
Bespoke items can also be manufactured here in small volumes, and with polishing and traditional Japanese “Urushi” lacquer painting techniques beautiful yet functional objects can be created.