More Oven Building...

Grace and Joe stopped by for a bit of clay stomping Sunday afternoon.


Then it was time to shape the dome, which is done with wet sand, and then covered with damp newspaper to keep the clay separate from the sand.


The next step involves mixing sand with clay which makes a sandy clay, of course. Grace and Joe were a big help. Grace was a bit reluctant at first-it is a squishy undertaking, but once she got started, there was no holding her back.


Finally our first layer is complete. Once it sets up a bit, we will dig the sand out from the interior, burnish the inside and build a fire. We will then continue adding layers of sandy clay, which will eventually go all the way to the exterior ring of brick. By building a fire and then adding more clay, it allows the layers to expand and contract without cracking-amazing, isn't it?

When reading the book on how to build this oven, it seems that one could do it over a long weekend. However, we have found that it is like trying to actually make a Rachel Ray meal in 30 minutes-a lovely idea, but usually it takes a bit longer.