Pompeii Oven in Switzerland: the Saga Continues...

[Frances]

Re: Pompeii Oven in Switzerland: the Saga Continues...

Well, its funny you should say that mmmmmmmmhumous. I just spent an interesting but rather depressing morning in a tile shop...

I found out where the Gaudi/Hundertwasser type of tiles come from around here:

Baukeramik Ebinger GmbH

Those tiles are SO beautiful!!! But I found out what they cost, too

And the regular small glass bathroon tiles... they come in all colours of the rainbow. Which is cool. But you have to order at least 2 square meters of each colour. Which is less cool. Lets put it this way: It'd end up costing about the same as the whole oven has cost so far...

But I would have enough coloured tiles to see me through the next couple of years. What to do, what to do.... Well, at least I now know what I'll buy if I ever win the pools.

Here are the preliminary sketches anyway. VERY preliminary

[mmmhumous]

Re: Pompeii Oven in Switzerland: the Saga Continues...

Those tile do look goood, I love the lizards and benches in Parc Guelle (spelling)

I like the Sun motif design you've drawn!

just a thought.... could you make your own tiles, and fire them in the oven?

[Frances]

Re: Pompeii Oven in Switzerland: the Saga Continues...

ahhh, now that is a very interesting question...!

mmmhoumos - whats the story to that name, then?

[mmmhumous]

Re: Pompeii Oven in Switzerland: the Saga Continues...

Yeah, just thought of it (making bits for your oven in your oven has a certain appeal!!)

mmmhumous - just a general tag I use (and humous is always good)!

Real name's Adam

[Frances]

Re: Pompeii Oven in Switzerland: the Saga Continues...

Right, I decided to promote the sketches to "final planning stage" and start the mosaic...

WOOOOHOOOO!!!!

The song for this would have to be that all time favourite "don't step on my blue tiled dome".

[gjbingham]

Re: Pompeii Oven in Switzerland: the Saga Continues...

Cool! Nice top Frances. Can't wait to see your work!

[Frances]

Re: Pompeii Oven in Switzerland: the Saga Continues...

Today I got to do more mosaics, pizzas and a weeks worth of bread. Now that's what I call a productive day!

[mmmhumous]

Re: Pompeii Oven in Switzerland: the Saga Continues...

mosaics look fantastic and so does the bread - love the inventive use of marbles and willow patten .........lol.

[gjbingham]

Re: Pompeii Oven in Switzerland: the Saga Continues...

Cool, cool! Its going to look like a big vase (or big jug) I think. It should dazzle those lucky enough to see your shrine when its done!

Sour dough bread? A weeks worth? Wow! No Adkins diet in Switzerland, huh?

[sarah h]

Re: Pompeii Oven in Switzerland: the Saga Continues...

Wow, your top is just so cool! I can't wait to see it once you start the bands of swirls that you show in your drawings (if that's still what you're planning).

We're thinking of doing a mosaic finish if we can come up with a design we think we can handle (never done any before and still a ways off yet), so keep posting lots of pics - I can admire your work and see how it's done at the same time!

Do you just smash old pottery and use the random pieces or do you somehow cut them into the size and shape you need?

[Frances]

Re: Pompeii Oven in Switzerland: the Saga Continues...

Thank you all!

Sarah, the swirls come next. I'm looking forward to them, too . Some of the pieces are smashed plates, some of them are just small tiles, like you often see in bathrooms, but I also have a tile clipper thing to cut things to size - I'll post you a photo of it when I next get out there.

It'd be really cool if you did a mosaic on your oven, too! I'd be more than glad to give you any advice I can. Its like doing a giant jigsaw puzzle really, only you get to choose the picture yourself...



George... please don't start on the jugs again. (I'll bet this one is bigger than any of Jim's though!)

Atkins diet? Donno, low carb and WFO doesn't really go very well together, does it?

[Frances]

Re: Pompeii Oven in Switzerland: the Saga Continues...

Some sun today and the first twirly bits...

Sometimes I wish I were all restrained and could post the finished thing after months and months of secret work and say: Tadaaa, here it is! But as it is I'm afraid you're going to get every fiddly little tiny step forward...

Oh hang on, Sarah said I have to post lots of pics! Yeah!

I'm doing this mosaic according to the system of "starting everywhere at once". The advantage is that as your mosaic skills develop or change while you're working on a large project like this (mine do anyway), you don't end up having the final bits looking different from the first ones - everything is a mix of old and new. It also doesn't matter as much if you run out of some materials half way through.

The downside is it takes a long time for any one bit to look finished.

[gjbingham]

Re: Pompeii Oven in Switzerland: the Saga Continues...

Cool! Way cool! How about a post of your progress every two weeks or so? Dump thirty pics on us all at once and blow us away. I think your oven's goint to be a one in a million!
George

[sarah h]

Re: Pompeii Oven in Switzerland: the Saga Continues...

Looking good! Kinda reminds me of an octopus at this point ... and makes me want to get out there and back at it with mine ...

[Frances]

Re: Pompeii Oven in Switzerland: the Saga Continues...

How about a post of your progress every two weeks or so? Dump thirty pics on us all at once and blow us away.

You think? Hmmm... tempting...

But no.

Well maybe next time, but not today.


So here is a pic of the mosaic tiles which arrived yesterday, one of the glas clipper thing I use for shaping them and one of what little progress I made today (besides baking pizza and bread).

Its certainly going to be a unique oven. One of those love it or hate it things - one of our neighbours and my mother-in-law both like very stark simple things and really loved it when it was just white. All I can say is, its lucky my husband doesn't share his mom's tastes...