Newsletter plus article on spacing between tesserae
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Roman Mosaic Workshops


Newsletter - Article on grinding and polishing
3rd October 2014

The mosaic kits are now available again! 
There are 2 up, another couple going up soon. These are made up using unfired ceramic tesserae you get 10mm tesserae and you need to cut each of these into 4 so you have 5mm tesserae. The great thing about these is you can easily do them at the kitchen table or in front of the tv and you end up with a really nice decorative piece. The details are here Special introductory prices for the next week.
   
You can cut the tesserae with scissors so you don't need to buy tile nippers but they do cut faster if you have a pair.

Schools
As well as the mosaic kits aimed at KS2 I've now got some visits lined up to schools. Obviously the focus is on Roman mosaics but later on next year there will be more on other types of Roman art. There will be a dedicated website, more information will be coming in the next newsletter. If you'd like more information about these then just get in touch. romanmosaicworkshops@gmail.com
Workshops coming up;

Monday 6th - Wednesday 8th October and 17th - 19th November 'Teaching the full day course in Roman mosaics'. This 3 day course will equip you with the necessary skills to teach both a full day and short course in Roman mosaics. The first day is the standard full day course to get you ready, if you've already done this then you can join on the Tuesday. There is a lot to be covered but it will contain as much as we can cram in of my experience from the past 7 years teaching this subject. (2 spaces left for October) 
http://www.romanmosaicworkshops.co.uk/page_3030266.html

29th November - Wakefield Museum, Free workshop! I'm there running a short course and there is no charge so I'm not sure if there are any tickets left but it could be worth a look if you're up that way, http://museumslearning.blogspot.co.uk/p/adults.html.

Full day courses are available through the month. If you want to attend any of the workshops at the studio here on a particular date/dates that is not advertised then just get in touch and I'll see what can be worked out. 


 
Article
Evidence of surface grinding techniques

However flat the surface of the mosaic is when set it would of needed grinding down. There are 2 parts to this process, first, smoothing off the surface, getting rid of any rough edges. Second, once the surface is smooth you continue the process to bring up the polish. The process is the same today, you use course grit pads to smooth off then use pads of progressively finer grits embedded in them to polish. Keep going long enough and you can get a surface finish which looks like glass, and this can be achieved using an electric polisher or by hand.

Below is a drawing of a modern hand polisher which is based on the same type that was found in excavations around the Parthenon and was featured in the Nova program, 'Secrets of the Parthenon'. A flat stone, handles at either end and holes (here with funnels) through which sand is poured. No doubt water is poured over the surface to form a paste as the stone is pulled back and forth over the marble. This would work just as well on a mosaic floor.
                 
I've seen a number of different finishes to mosaic floors, some had the look of tumbled marble where the edges of the tesserae are smoothed over. Others have had a perfectly flat surface so they must have been finished to many different standards.

Whenever you grind the surface of stone it becomes dull, so unless you work through to the glass like polish they would have had to have applied some sort of polish. Linseed oil wax can be very effective and no doubt they would have had different mixes. The drawback with wax is that is can collect dirt if it isn't worked in well and it then needs to be reapplied periodically, but then that would have been the slaves job! 

As with so many things techniques would have differed but the process would have been the same then as now.
Any questions just let me know

Lawrence
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