Wednesday, February 07, 2007

We drove by a chicken farm, a Mango plantation and a farm that raises frogs for the frog legs. We are stopping to watch a artisan make glazed floor tile. These tiles are made by hand and no 2 are alike. He has a heavy steel mold to make them. First he puts a little oil on the bottom of the mold, then a thin mixture of white very fine Portland cement and water. Next sprinkles on whatever color he is using. This color is in a powder form. Then he uses the eraser end of a pencil to swirl a design in this tile he is forming. He adds a layer of dry cement and another mixed with water. Now he is ready to place the top of the mold on and applies 20 tons of pressure for a very short time (while we were watching). The tile then air dries for 16 hours and then soaked in water for 24 hours. They are finished, no baking. These tiles were quite attractive.