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Interesting that he notes the method came from Greeks. I'm reminded of this video of handmade mosaic tiles: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-n03ano-Ak https:/

by jchook 5y ago

Interesting that he notes the method came from Greeks. I'm reminded of this video of handmade mosaic tiles: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-n03ano-Ak https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-n03ano-Ak

madaxe_again 5y ago
I’d take that with a tiny pinch of salt - it seems he was referring to the specific enterprise that his family had worked for - but cement tiles were made all over the world in the 19th century, and I’ve a feeling they actually originated in Spain.
m000 5y ago
There are still workshops in Greece making this type of cement tiles. The workshop equipment is a bit more modern, but the technique is pretty much the same with Saied's. https://www.tsourlakistiles.gr/ https://www.tsourlakistiles.gr/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=poFEiRG9NEk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=poFEiRG9NEk
- twic 5y ago
  Spain too, highly scientifically: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PytMh1Hoa-U https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PytMh1Hoa-U They have all sorts of designs, and a showroom in Shoreditch, so this is not exactly a dying art: https://cement-tiles.com/encaustic-cement-tiles-online-shop/index.php?type=motifs https://cement-tiles.com/encaustic-cement-tiles-online-shop/...
  - xtiansimon 5y ago
    Ha! It’s the same process as the Egyptian. 25 years ago I visited Spain and I was surprised by the workman repairing sidewalks who were on hands and knees hand-cutting stone. I think about this a lot when I walk through downtown in my city on Long Island NY. Our downtown sidewalks are a combination of real brick, which over time has become uneven (Not a lot of taxpayers walking to complain I guess.) and in new areas of downtown they have poured tinted concrete. A stencil is applied to give the concrete a brick-like appearance. How curious the Egyptian’s process in Spain is elevated and pretentious (after the hydraulic press the Spanish tile maker gently brushes the tile). Beats being on you hands and knees cutting tile by hand (like your dad’s generation).
    - dhsldkf 5y ago
      The amount of dust that's produced during these processes is substantial. The dusting probably goes along with a generally higher level of conscientiousness—to describe it as pretentious (like in luxury production?) seems extreme. Egypt is a pretty chaotic place and I guess you could say Spain (and the rest of Western Europe) fetishizes order in comparison. I do think you're misreading the cultural signs if you think the Spanish process is precious and rarefied in a silly way, though.
      - xtiansimon 5y ago
        > "precious and rarefied in a silly way" HA! How very condescending of you. > "luxury production" This is your perception. Likely in part due to the contrasting videos. I admit to pointing out the different cultural behaviors I see in my community are silly. We have traditional brick sidewalks the city does not spend money to maintain. We have fake-brick concrete walkways. I'm contrasting this to witnessing different values outside of my community and my country, namely in Spain. If there's any ratification, its from the new developments who create fake-brick walkways with concrete. Why not just pave with concrete? Why shouldn't those Spanish public works departments just tear up failing road and sidewalk and replace them with concrete? Concrete has been revealed to the public in recent years as having high CO2 emissions [1]. Dust from concrete production is also a contributor to poor air quality. What are the alternatives? Well, there are many attempts to address these problems using alternative materials but they have their own problems. In the Netherlands (2018) there was the "worlds first" bicycle path made of plastics [2], but some reports say this didn't go well. In the UK, India and other developing countries there are projects to test plastics on highways [3]. Event the most pro-plastic reports suggest there are chemical hazards to their manufacture [4]. And, more concerning to me at least, there are worrisome reports of wear and erosion on these plastic roads [5]. Calling me out for rarifying misunderstands my comment, recasts me as promoting unnamed 'processes' (concrete tiles in Egypt or the stone path/roadways in Spain?), admonishes me for misreading cultural signs, and all without having the courage to suggest what are the alternative processes I might be missing. [1]: https://psci.princeton.edu/tips/2020/11/3/cement-and-concrete-the-environmental-impact https://psci.princeton.edu/tips/2020/11/3/cement-and-concret... [2]: https://e360.yale.edu/digest/worlds-first-recycled-plastic-bike-path-opens-in-the-netherlands https://e360.yale.edu/digest/worlds-first-recycled-plastic-b... [3]: https://www.worldhighways.com/wh6/feature/bangalore-dumfries-plastic-waste-technology-reinforcing-our-roads https://www.worldhighways.com/wh6/feature/bangalore-dumfries... [4]: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5d41b34040f0b60a86a5e5dc/595_Use_of_Waste_Plastics_in_Road_Construction.pdf https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5d41b34040f0b... [5]: https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/heard-about-miracle-plastic-roads-heres-why-its-not-solution-our-plastic-problem-36927 https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/heard-about-miracle-pl...

by jchook 5y ago

Interesting that he notes the method came from Greeks. I'm reminded of this video of handmade mosaic tiles: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-n03ano-Ak https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-n03ano-Ak

madaxe_again 5y ago

I’d take that with a tiny pinch of salt - it seems he was referring to the specific enterprise that his family had worked for - but cement tiles were made all over the world in the 19th century, and I’ve a feeling they actually originated in Spain.

m000 5y ago

There are still workshops in Greece making this type of cement tiles. The workshop equipment is a bit more modern, but the technique is pretty much the same with Saied's. https://www.tsourlakistiles.gr/ https://www.tsourlakistiles.gr/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=poFEiRG9NEk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=poFEiRG9NEk

twic 5y ago
Spain too, highly scientifically: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PytMh1Hoa-U https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PytMh1Hoa-U They have all sorts of designs, and a showroom in Shoreditch, so this is not exactly a dying art: https://cement-tiles.com/encaustic-cement-tiles-online-shop/index.php?type=motifs https://cement-tiles.com/encaustic-cement-tiles-online-shop/...
- xtiansimon 5y ago
  Ha! It’s the same process as the Egyptian. 25 years ago I visited Spain and I was surprised by the workman repairing sidewalks who were on hands and knees hand-cutting stone. I think about this a lot when I walk through downtown in my city on Long Island NY. Our downtown sidewalks are a combination of real brick, which over time has become uneven (Not a lot of taxpayers walking to complain I guess.) and in new areas of downtown they have poured tinted concrete. A stencil is applied to give the concrete a brick-like appearance. How curious the Egyptian’s process in Spain is elevated and pretentious (after the hydraulic press the Spanish tile maker gently brushes the tile). Beats being on you hands and knees cutting tile by hand (like your dad’s generation).
  - dhsldkf 5y ago
    The amount of dust that's produced during these processes is substantial. The dusting probably goes along with a generally higher level of conscientiousness—to describe it as pretentious (like in luxury production?) seems extreme. Egypt is a pretty chaotic place and I guess you could say Spain (and the rest of Western Europe) fetishizes order in comparison. I do think you're misreading the cultural signs if you think the Spanish process is precious and rarefied in a silly way, though.
    - xtiansimon 5y ago
      > "precious and rarefied in a silly way" HA! How very condescending of you. > "luxury production" This is your perception. Likely in part due to the contrasting videos. I admit to pointing out the different cultural behaviors I see in my community are silly. We have traditional brick sidewalks the city does not spend money to maintain. We have fake-brick concrete walkways. I'm contrasting this to witnessing different values outside of my community and my country, namely in Spain. If there's any ratification, its from the new developments who create fake-brick walkways with concrete. Why not just pave with concrete? Why shouldn't those Spanish public works departments just tear up failing road and sidewalk and replace them with concrete? Concrete has been revealed to the public in recent years as having high CO2 emissions [1]. Dust from concrete production is also a contributor to poor air quality. What are the alternatives? Well, there are many attempts to address these problems using alternative materials but they have their own problems. In the Netherlands (2018) there was the "worlds first" bicycle path made of plastics [2], but some reports say this didn't go well. In the UK, India and other developing countries there are projects to test plastics on highways [3]. Event the most pro-plastic reports suggest there are chemical hazards to their manufacture [4]. And, more concerning to me at least, there are worrisome reports of wear and erosion on these plastic roads [5]. Calling me out for rarifying misunderstands my comment, recasts me as promoting unnamed 'processes' (concrete tiles in Egypt or the stone path/roadways in Spain?), admonishes me for misreading cultural signs, and all without having the courage to suggest what are the alternative processes I might be missing. [1]: https://psci.princeton.edu/tips/2020/11/3/cement-and-concrete-the-environmental-impact https://psci.princeton.edu/tips/2020/11/3/cement-and-concret... [2]: https://e360.yale.edu/digest/worlds-first-recycled-plastic-bike-path-opens-in-the-netherlands https://e360.yale.edu/digest/worlds-first-recycled-plastic-b... [3]: https://www.worldhighways.com/wh6/feature/bangalore-dumfries-plastic-waste-technology-reinforcing-our-roads https://www.worldhighways.com/wh6/feature/bangalore-dumfries... [4]: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5d41b34040f0b60a86a5e5dc/595_Use_of_Waste_Plastics_in_Road_Construction.pdf https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5d41b34040f0b... [5]: https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/heard-about-miracle-plastic-roads-heres-why-its-not-solution-our-plastic-problem-36927 https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/heard-about-miracle-pl...