Our 'savoir-faire'
The various stages of production
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The creation of the mould
The initial mould is sculpted, then used to create the production mould.
Preparation of the clay
The clay is rolled into a sausage shape. The width depends on the piece to be created. This sausage is then sliced thinly so it can then fit the mould.
Turning
The slice of clay is smoothed over the mould while the cast shapes the outside part.
Pressing
The clay is placed between the two parts of the mould and compressed under a weight of 20 tonnes.
Casting
For the more complicated pieces, the clay in liquid form, is poured into the mould. By capillary action, the mould absorbs part of the water and the clay will spread itself along the inner surface, forming the bisque.
Finishing
After the shaping, the pieces are trimmed and sponged in order to remove all the rough edges.
First Firing
Once the pieces are dry they are fired at 1040 C for 8 hours.
Glazing
Before being decorated, the pieces are hand-dipped in a mixture of water and glass which produces the glazed finish during the second firing.
Second firing
The pieces are then fired at 940 C resulting in the finished, glazed piece.
Decoration
All our pieces are painted entirely by hand. The famous Quimper ‘stroke of the brush’.
Quality Control
All our pieces are meticulously checked one by one as they come out of the kiln.
