What On Earth is a Chiminea and What Does it Do?
You may have never heard the word chiminea before, but I can bet that you've seen one. You may not know them by that name, but they are quite common in the world today. More importantly, do you know what a chiminea does? Does it grant wishes, race across the world, feed the hungry? While the first two possibilities are clearly false, the third is a possibility! (67)
What is a Chiminea and where did it come from?
A chiminea is quite simply an outdoor fireplace. Dating back to 17th century Mexico, where clay pots, kettles, and even homes were common, the chiminea has a solid place in traditional Spanish history where they were invaluable.
Practicality and durability were a necessity
…show more content…
back then. Chiminea were carefully crafted for several uses, with each one examined for faults. Just as we would not want an explosion or fire in our home now, they certainly did not want it to happen back then. Chiminea sizes were quite varied depending on the intended use. Some were just three feet tall, intended to provide warmth just as a campfire would. Others were quite large, up to six or seven feet, meant for baking bread and other foods. And some, much like the table accents today, were small, holding just one single candle to provide light to a corner of the room. We still see the small versions today, often found on restaurant tables or as accents in a Spanish themed curio collection.
In restaurants they help to provide a cozy and traditional atmosphere, bringing a more private feel to the evening. In curio collections, they are often the centerpiece of a Southwest style set of ornaments, right next to that clay boot with the lasso hanging over it.
How is a chiminea made?
Traditionally, chiminea were crafted from either El-Barro or terracotta clay. Crafted from wet clay, they are designed in two separate sections. The base or bowl or the chiminea is rounded, intended to hold the fire materials, and has an opening in the front. The stack, or neck, of the chiminea creates the draft and helps to direct the smoke and fire up and out, rather than out the front of the bowl.
Both sections are crafted and allowed to dry for a period of at least two days in order to evaporate some of the water in the clay. Without this, the clay would very likely explode during the kiln drying process, rendering the piece a failure. After drying, the pieces are brought together and formed into the final product, which is then kiln dried. This results in what appears to be one seamless and stacked fire
pit. After being kiln dried, the outside of the chiminea is painted and sealed, which gives it a basic layer of protection from the elements. Some chiminea are simply air dried instead, a process that takes much longer, but offers you the chance to choose the color of the paint used on the clay. These too must be sealed in order to protect the chiminea. Traditional clay chiminea are heavy, but movable depending on size. While you would not mind moving a three foot chiminea with the help of a friend, the larger ones really should be placed in their forever home the first time around. The joint of the chiminea is its weakest point, making moving them a challenge and risk. For smaller versions, you can place one hand at the lip of the fire bowl and support the stack with the other arm. However, it is better that you enlist help from a friend and support the chiminea fully and evenly to avoid dropping it or breaking the stack away from the bowl. There are also chiminea made of cast-iron, steel, and cast aluminum. These are often more modern designs, some heavier, some lighter than their clay counterparts. These also must be sealed and often have a heat-resistant paint on them, however that paint will burn away in time. These metal cousins to the traditional chiminea are sometimes found in homes as accent pieces, modernized fireplaces, and even pet beds. Where can I place my chiminea? No matter what material your chiminea is crafted from, you need to consider its placement carefully. These are still fire hazards and as such require caution and care. Below is a list of places you do NOT want to put your chiminea if it will be used for fires. On a wooden deck or patio Under a flammable awning Under the branches of a tree, shrub, or bush On grass that tends to be dry or brittle On any surface that has been in contact with oil or any other flammable liquid. Inside your home, garage, or enclosed patio Having gone over those general guidelines, let's consider the best surfaces to place your chiminea upon. We know that the chiminea will become very hot when used and none of us want a fire to break out suddenly. That would be quite the damper on any evening and is simply not advised as a party trick. With this in mind, it is best to place the chiminea on a concrete slab or sand, and most certainly use a metal stand. The chiminea should have been sold with this important item, but if not, purchase one. You do not want to place your chiminea directly on any surface. This is for your safety and for the protection of your chiminea, as the cold slab could cause the hot clay to break. What can I burn in my chiminea? The suggested medium for your chiminea, no matter the material it is crafted from, is hardwood. Do NOT use accelerants in the chiminea, such as lighter fluid, as this poses a high explosion risk. Keep the fires reasonable. Too much heat can cause the clay to crack or explode, ruining your investment and putting a pinch on your wallet for the damage and replacement costs. You can use charcoal as a medium, however, we suggest either plan charcoal or the self-lighting variety for safety. This ensures that you will not damage the chiminea. You will also want to build up a bed for the medium to lay on. A three inch layer of sand is the best material for the medium bed, as this will keep the fire from contacting the bottom of the fire bowl directly. Much like you would create a fire pit at the beach, build the sand up a bit at the edges to form a bowl out of the sand itself that matches the fire bowl of the chiminea. How do I season my chiminea? A brand new chiminea will need to be seasoned properly. Clay is wet by nature, and large amounts of heat will cause it to crack and break without proper preparation. Our suggestion is about 6-8 small fires, as this will coat the inside of your chiminea with soot and ash, as well as the creosote created by wood fires. When seasoning the chiminea, create a small fire out of a few handfuls of tinder and just one or two small pieces of wood. Allow the fire to burn entirely, keeping it low, and only place one piece of wood in at a time. Afterward, let the chiminea cool completely overnight before lighting another fire the next day with the same method. Repeat this process for one week to completely season the chiminea before making larger fires. Bear in mind, a fire too high can ruin your chiminea. There should not be flames shooting far over the top of the lip of the stack, as this means your draft is ruined and those flames will soon be shooting out of the front of the bowl instead. This kind of overzealous burning can cause a fire, as well as endanger your chiminea and anyone nearby. How do I properly care for my chiminea? Maintenance of your chiminea is essential to its life. Clay chimineas require an outer sealant, which will burn off over time. To replace the sealant on your chiminea, you simply need a spray bottle and a can of either acrylic floor finish or wood sealer. Thompson's Water Seal is a great option to use for this. Simply use the spray bottle to cover the outside of your chiminea with the sealant, then allow it to dry completely. Repeat this process about once a month, as well as before covering it for the winter. DO NOT spray the sealant inside your chiminea. It will burn off and creating a foul smoke that can be hazardous to you, your family, and your pets. The sealant you spray on your chiminea serves a purpose beyond protecting the paint. Clay will take on water and a sealant will help to prevent this. In addition to sealant, you will want to cover the chiminea during periods of rain. If you have a fire burning and it begins to rain unexpectedly, place a large piece of slate on top of the stack. This will effectively cut off the draft and help to burn out the fire in the pot faster. DO NOT pour water in the fire bowl. This will break a clay chiminea due to the sudden temperature change and creates steam which will be taken on by the clay, causing further damage. Some chiminea owners devise a cage style awning for their chimineas. These consist of wrought iron or steel, are tall, and have a cover area to protect the stack from rain. Although we have not seen this done as of yet, it is possible and gives one option for protecting your chiminea from the elements. A spark guard is also recommended for the stack of your chiminea. This can be made from simple chicken wire or tightly woven fence wire. Simply fashion the guard over and around, or even bent down into the stack, and secure it with a piece of wire around the lip. Sparks will make contact with the metal and the majority will be snuffed out instantly, protecting any surrounding trees or grass. If you follow these simple guidelines, your chiminea will stay protected and usable for years to come. This will allow you plenty of time to experience the traditional feelings of sitting around a chiminea, telling stories, and enjoying the evening much like the vaqueros of old once did in Mexico.
The process by which this particular statue was created involved using a method developed by Kaikei, a Japanese sculptor. It was a groundbreaking process that involved carving different pieces of wood separately and then joining them together (“Amida”). Instead of using a single object for creating a sculpture, multiple parts could be used to make the statue easier to construct and put together. After the parts were all joined together, the statue was covered in a lacquer finish and gilt was added to the face to give it the golden look.
Surely, it was easily recognizable during the Early Zhou dynasty that it was a ritual wine vessel and for the wealthy to use for their offerings. But today, at first glance, it may look intimidating with its sharp points from top to bottom. The vessel has a unique shape and green patina color that catches the eye whether looking disgusting or elegant. It is also not very inviting with its rough looking texture, long spout, and awkward handle. Right where the rim of the cup starts and the spout ends are a pair of capped posts rising from the rim. Opposite from the spout is a sharp leaf-shaped rim, which could be easily mistaken as the spout, since wine could be poured out from that end too, technically. The design was modeled after a bird in flight. However, with a closer look, the detailed work on the vessel shows. This one has a somewhat thin braided or grid-like design imprinted around the whole cup, which makes it unique from other bronze vessels. Most Shang bronze vessels have a dominant motif of a frontal monster or animal-like mask known as a taotie. It typically had horns, eyes, nose, upper jaw, fangs, horns, eyebrows, and ears; therefore, sometimes could be known as opposed animal profiles or split representation as well (Cantor). Some versions include legs and a tail. With the closer look, the strong structure is more apparent as well. It is a unique one resembling a camera's tripod, though pointier and could actually be real sharp. Developed from the gu which was a goblet used for a single drinker, this jue was considered a small ewer on legs. It was a wine cup that only ancestor spirits could "hold and touch", not to mention its large size. This specific Ritual Wine Vessel measures a little over eight inches in height and a little over six inches in width due to
The crucible and lid are heated at the beginning of the experiment before being weighed so that any moisture in the crucible is burned away.
The object pictured above belongs to a group of artifacts known as incantation bowls, demon bowls, devil-trap bowls, or simply magic bowls. They were crafted by the first millennia Anno Domini people of Mesopotamia and are found, perhaps exclusively, in modern day Iraq. They can be dated as early as 3rd century AD and as late as 8th century. The majority date between 400AD and 700AD. Known pieces in public collections number around 2000 with several times that number likely to exist in private collections. (Saar 2) This report will expand on these statements as well as explore incantation bowls’ production, their function, and what little is known (or provided) of the particular bowl from the Kelsey museum. First, however, we’ll look at the historical setting of the location and era.
On the Warka Vase shown on register 4 naked men carry three types of pottery and at least three of these pottery pieces hold some objects, this implies that all three types of pottery are holding some object or objects, since the men are taking the pottery to the same location. One of these pottery pieces appears to be a piece made to pour, and hold, liquids. This pouring vessel is again seen in an image on another vase (20), this vase seem t...
Chimera Reemerge.” Pacific News Service. 6 December 1995. Newspaper online. Available at http://www.pacificnews.org/jinn/stories/columns/heresies/950612-animal.html. Internet. Accessed 10 December 2003.
One method of the nomadic plains tribes for cooking was to use rawhide cooking vessels which came from the hump of the buffalo, staked over a mound of earth and left to dry in the shape of a bowl. The pot was put in a shallow hole near the fire, and then carefully selected stones that would not shatter easily would be put in the fire and transferred to the bowl with wood or bone tongs to heat the contents of the pot.
Watching a skilled ceramics artist shape a creation on the wheel is a thrilling experience. Under her or his hands, a spinning blob of mud grows into a work of art. It's not unusual, after witnessing such a display of virtuosity, for the audience to realize that the ware on their own kitchen shelves pales by comparison. So it's logical to ask: Is every thrown piece made the same way? By hand? Even the cheap stuff at home? Of course the answer is: No. Production ceramic ware comes from highly automated assembly lines.
For Chiquita, historically the organization appeared to prefer a profoundly centralized, a ethnocentric method for global management, with a heavy focus on profitableness. Moreover, there was limited if any hiring of the committee staff from the local workforce within Latin America. The corporation favored transplanting their crew to administer orders.
A quinceanera is more than just a regular fifteen year old's party. It is the day in a teenagers life where we celebrate the transition of a girl to a young lady. Ever since I was a little girl, I had always dreamed of having a beautiful quinceanera. I imagined myself wearing a gorgeous poofy dress, and a huge sparkly crown. My mom and I had talked about this day for years, and it came faster than we imagined.
In Mayan culture, “ chia” means “strength”. Chia seeds are reported to date back to 3500 B.C. when they served as an essential nutritional component to the Aztecs. The Aztecs held the belief that the seeds were able to deliver supernatural abilities to those that consumed. This concept may be partially true if one were to consider the amount of energy offered by the Chia seeds as “supernatural abilities”. Later on, between 1500 and 900 B.C., the Teotihuacan and Toltec people of Mexico began growing the seed in their homelands. Currently, the seeds are grown mostly in South America from the plant Salvia Hispanica. Chia Seeds boast a number of health benefits. In two tablespoons (one ounce), 4 grams of protein and 9 grams of fat (5 of which
The red wares were made without a potter's wheel like all pre-dynastic pottery. After giving them their form, which was sometimes unconventional, they were dried in the sun, sometimes covered with red ochre, and burnished with a stone.
The first archetype we will discuss is the ideal maiden or unmarried woman. In ancient Greece, the ideal maiden was a beautiful, but modest figure who had ample amounts of both strength and meekness. As you can see, the ideal Greek maiden was a little bit of an oxymoron. She had to be both strong and meek; seductive and modest. Nausicaa is the ideal maidenly figure because she exemplifies the qualities of beauty, modesty, and strength without possessing the negative qualities of excessive vanity or “unwomanly” authority. Nausicaa beauty and modesty is obvious, after all the first time she appears she is described as “”. However, her strength is harder
Some scientists, knowledgeable public, and animal activists are concerned with the research of chimeras. Many believe chimeras are morally unethical, diminishes human integrity, and invades the rights of animals and humans. There are two main categories of opposition, those against the complete research and use of chimeras and those who oppose the ...
used firewood. I can recall putting wood in the heater and taking a poker to stir the