One day when I was checking on some cabinetry that was under production in a Greenpoint industrial loft, I wandered into this metal spinning place. They make custom lighting and other items out of aluminum. Not only was I amazed by the beauty of the finished objects, but the process was fascinating -- they took a flat disk of aluminum and while it was spinning shaped it into a half-globe. I wanted to take all the extras home and put them on my mantle! Maybe they have some rejects...

In any case, next time you see metal like this, you'll know just a little more about how it was formed.

Fora a short video to see the process, click on the link below:

metal spinning 440

Here's the disc almost flat

more pretty shapes!