Thursday, July 10, 2014

Word from China

"Today the clay bodies have finished drying, and will be sent to the kiln. It is the rainy season now, so the tiles must be put in the workshop. We must wait for them to be completely dry, or they will not be durable. It took one week to for them dry. We still need about ten days to sinter* them, and then water to make them cool. The technology for the gray tiles is traditional, not like glazed tiles, so the process is a little slow."

- Betty Ma of Yanshi Classical Gardens Company 
Shouyangshan Town, Louyang City, Henan Province, China

*sin·ter to make (a powdered material) coalesce into a solid or porous mass by heating it (and usually also compressing it) without liquefaction.

Pick Kok

Roof Finial

Eave Tiles

Eave Tile Details

Drip Tiles

Drip Tile Details

Rooftop Structures


These combined photos show the beginnings of the pavilion rooftop in the Bartel workshop.
The entrance rooftop structure is almost complete. Awaiting tiles.