Hi All,
Well today was productive. It was our first day on site at The Surge. The Surge is the former Doctors surgery in Watton, which has been converted to be used as a drop in centre for over 50s and teenagers.
As you know I have been asked to build an oven to be used by centre members and visitors.
Starting at 8am, two of us took about a ton of aggregate and soil out of the footings for the oven as well as about a ton of lovely blue gray Norfolk clay. Pretty much pure, this clay will give the finished oven a great colour. Using this clay, and the other materials removed from the foundations helps to reinforce the message of recycling and sustainability.
After lunch I came back to site and filled in the hole with drain rock, flint and half bricks, as well as about half a ton of concrete mixed with soil which when tamped firm will set as concrete, best of all it was free.
Once tamped I placed the first ring of stones on the foundations and filled with more rock and shingle. I will repeat this tomorrow, with help, and eventually stop once the base reaches about 40", as this is an ideal working height for a hearth.
When I got home after a hard days work I went straight outside to fir my own oven which has been sat uncovered in the rain for two or three days.
I lit a fire to test out my new blow pipe.
not an Amazonian hunting tool as you may imagine, but a length of 15mm copper pipe crimped almost closed at one end, which I use to blow oxygenated air into the base of a stubborn fire. I could not believe the effect of such a simple tool, it was like a bellows on a blacksmith's furnace, the flames leapt a good foot out of the door of the oven.
I will definitely be offering these blowpipes with other ovens.
Well that's all for today, I will have more to report tomorrow as Junk-It week starts in earnest.
Keep on cobbing.
Hi All,
The meeting regarding the Junk-It week cob oven went ahead last week and all is well.
I start the project around the 27th of this month and should complete around the 4th of June.
I am hoping to produce a 22" internal diameter bread oven, with a brick arch doorway and a modest chimney.
Once complete we will be having a pizza cooking session to mark the finial stage of the oven.
Once fully dried I will be holding a two day bitch 'n' bake session where people can sign up for a trial bread making lesson.
Here's hoping for a spell of fair weather during the build and that all the people who have promised materials come up with the goods.
Hi All,
Last week's oven workshop at Gt Hockham Primary School went down a storm.
Pupils managed to produce enough good quality cob in one hour to actually raise two good sized ovens.
With only one minor collapse, naming no names, the day was a roaring success.
The next workshop will be running tomorrow and we expect to achieve the same results as last week.
Once the ovens are complete we will be firing them up to dry them ready for cooking our first muffins/cookies.
The Junk-It week project is going ahead at a good pace and the oven should be complete and baking by the 4th June.
Anyone that wants to come and help, the workshop will run from the 28th May to the 4th June with the exception of the 5th.
Keep on cobbing.
Simon
The workshop started last week and we have already turned out two beautiful muffin ovens.
Two more ovens to go next week and then we are ready to start firing and cooking.
The children in the group are amazing, and love getting their feet dirty, and so do the teachers.
Starting the 27th of this month I will be teaching a group of primary school children how to build muffin ovens.
Following that, on the 28th May I will be building a bread oven for a local community group based at the Surge in Watton.
Times have been busy folks.
I am now going to be providing an after school workshop at Great Hockham School, where I will teach the Gardening Club how to build and use muffin Ovens made from cob.
I was invited to attend a meeting last week regarding the possible inclusion of a week long cob oven building workshop. The work shop would be held at The Surge in Watton, which is a former doctors surgery.
The funding decision for this project will be made by the end of this week, so I am hopeful of landing my second project of the year.
Keep on cobbing folks.
Hi All,
Had my first proper meeting with Rachel from Gt Hockam Primary school.
I have been asked to do a 6 week mini oven building course with the after school gardening club, and at some point in the Summer I am being asked to come back and build a much bigger oven for the school to use at the summer fair.
Also met a guy who owns a camping and caravan site in the same village who is mega keen on having an oven built at his site.
Should start work at the end of April.
