MANUFACTURE
Our products are made by hand in a factory in the north of Portugal. Transparency is very important to us, so we are happy to show you how our products are made.
Come with us on a journey and find out more about the production of our ceramics!
What looks so inconspicuous here is the basic material for our ceramics. A mixture of kaolin, earth, ground gravel and water is processed into a soft stoneware clay. The raw materials come from the surrounding area.
Manóel, the master on the potter's wheel, can be seen here in the form-finding process. Under his trained hands, the new forms are created, which can then be reproduced. The training to become a master potter takes many years and requires a lot of patience.
From the master mold of the individual pieces, the working molds made of plaster for the slip casting process are skilfully created. To do this, the pieces are first brushed with a release agent to make it easier to detach them later. The original is placed in a molding box and the plaster of paris is poured over it. After hardening, the mold is released from the box and prepared for the slip casting.
In the next step, slip is poured into the finished plaster molds. The plaster of paris quickly removes the liquid from the slip and the clay can gradually deposit on the outer walls. The excess material is poured out of the molds.
The pieces are now left to dry for a few days until they are leather-hard. They are then given the finishing touches on the potter's wheel with sandpaper. In the next step, the surface is treated with a damp sponge in order to remove even the last irregularities.
In the subsequent quality control, the products are checked for possible cracks and fractures. If a piece does not make it into the selection, the material is shredded and fed back into the production process. So no materials are wasted.
In the next step, the products are glazed. The pieces are dipped into the glaze or sprayed with it. After draining, they are placed on the shelves to dry. Before the products go into the kiln, the undersides are cleaned of glaze residues.
When the glaze is completely dry, the pieces can finally be put in the kiln. There they remain at a constant 1300 degrees Celsius over night. Firing at this high temperature is made possible by the high proportion of silicate crystals in the stoneware clay. As a result, the ceramic is 100% waterproof and particularly robust, even without glaze.
