Our know-how | Jamet pottery

Our expertise

A unique manufacturing method

Only the human hand, by controlling the pressure exerted on the dough to be shaped, can guarantee the ideal balance between resistance and porosity"

Laurent Jamet

1. Preparing the Jamet Pottery shaping dough

Choice of raw land

The modeling clay used exclusively for the JAMET Pottery collections requires six raw clays sourced from exclusively French quarries, free from any pollution.

Each of these raw clays possesses specific properties in terms of porosity, mechanical and thermal resistance, ease of shaping, and durability—essential for large pieces.

They are first extracted from the quarries and then left to weather for an extended period. This allows the organic matter to ferment, naturally improving the elasticity and homogenizing the blend of the different clays.

Grinding

Each type of raw clay is dry-ground separately in a mill, then sieved and desiccated to reduce it to a fine powder. It is then dry-blended in precise proportions for each collection.

Depending on the collection and the size of the pieces to be made, Poterie JAMET meticulously adjusts the grain size of the "fine clays" and the proportions of each clay in the blend.

This essential step ensures that the ceramics are made with only the natural, homogeneous grain of the "fine clays," without any other hard rock or grog.

The various "house" clays used by Poterie JAMET, with their unique grain, have a much stronger and more homogeneous internal structure than "classic" clays, with or without the addition of grog.

This unique process gives JAMET ceramics exceptional strength and durability, making them frost-resistant and allowing for a range of porosity levels to suit different collections. Even when thick, Ollas-Jamet® ensure excellent porosity for perfect irrigation, just the right amount, thanks to the precise "graining" developed by Poterie JAMET.

Mixing and Adjustments

Raw clay from the same quarry can have a different composition from one extraction layer to another. Therefore, we adjust each batch with one or more of our crushed and sieved clays to obtain the perfect blend, guaranteeing the desired technical characteristics of porosity and strength. For JAMET® Ollas, three different clays are used.

Water absorption tests are then carried out on the dry mixture to check the porosity and elasticity of the future clay paste before wetting and kneading. If necessary, the dry mixture is further adjusted with one or more clays ground to a fine powder until the appropriate blend is achieved.

Mixing

The dry mixture is moistened with a certain amount of water and then kneaded in a kneader. Depending on the desired shaping dough depending on the collections, the wet mixture can be adjusted if necessary once or several times in water and/or fine earth.

Resting the dough Pottery Jamet

Once the mixing is finished, the dough is left to “rot” (rest) for between 10 and 15 days (depending on the climatic conditions at the time and the calendar), so that it ferments again slightly, ensuring perfect homogeneity. This will help avoid the subsequent risk of microcracking and result in dough that is easier to turn and of high resistance.

Extrusion

This is the final stage in preparing JAMET modeling clay.

The moistened and rested clay is kneaded one last time, then placed in an extruder that removes the air from the clay to produce compact blocks, calibrated according to the size of the pieces to be worked.

The modeling clay is now ready for use in the rope-building of large containers or the throwing of JAMET® Ollas.

Lathe making

Wheel-thrown production applies to all standard-sized Ollas (
The potter takes his calibrated blocks onto a wheel with the markings corresponding to the pieces to be produced.

The production of these collections on the wheel can only be manual "because only the human hand, by controlling the pressure exerted on the dough to be shaped, can guarantee the ideal balance between resistance and porosity" according to Laurent Jamet.

The Jamet family's experience and mastery of filming allows:

A rapid production rate for small or medium volume parts.
Regular production of large volume parts.
Turning parts > 15 kg.

Rope production

Rope manufacturing only concerns custom-made Ol-BEE Jamet® > 100 L and 200 L intended for professional beekeepers for large transhumant colonies or not.

This ancestral knowledge has been taken up and perfected by Poterie Jamet since 2005.

The potter first makes a wooden template reproducing the internal shape of the piece to be made.
A hemp rope is then wrapped around the jig all the way up.
Once the model is finished, its surface is smoothed or decorated, or even in some cases, engraved with the name of the beekeeping domain.
After the clay has hardened, the wooden template is dismantled from the part and removed.
The first turns of rope are removed to finish the collar. The rope can then also be removed but little by little, with a height of 5 cm to 20 cm per day depending on the weather conditions. She will leave her mark inside the room.
The interior of the ceramics is smoothed or left raw with the traces of rope according to the customer's requests.

All collections are gently dried in our 3 ventilation rooms, mostly at room temperature.

Ventilation, temperature and humidity are constantly monitored and readjusted according to weather conditions, if necessary.

This allows the ceramics to dry gently, without shocking them, keeping intact the homogeneity of their internal structure.

This simple, but essential operation, requires the necessary time because it contributes to the mechanical resistance of the ceramics and prevents them from any micro-cracks which then reflect their capacity of radius of action and autonomy of irrigation.

The 45 years of experience of Poterie JAMEThave taught us never to force this crucial step in the quality of Ollas-JAMET ® and decisive in avoiding ceramics that are cracked or not cracked but with micro-leaks after firing.

Drying time

The natural drying of Ollas mounted on the wheel varies between 2 days and a week depending on their size and weight.

The drying of JAMET® Ceramics mounted by rope, including removal of the rope, will last between 3 and 5 weeks depending on the weather, the size and complexity of the pieces.

Ollas-JAMET® Lathe ceramics drying from 2 to 7 days.
Ollas-JAMET® Rope Ceramics drying from 2 to 7 days.
JAMET® Ornamental Ceramics drying time of 3 to 5 weeks.
JAMET Vinification Ceramics drying for 1 to 2 months.

Once the Ollas have dried, they are methodically put in the oven, in order to have an even circulation of heat around each piece. We carry out a long cooking with different stages and cooking times, as well as an overcooking phase.

The firing process takes place in two kilns, one with a small to medium capacity and the other with a very large volume (a full semi-trailer).

Our firing techniques and programming have been designed solely to optimize and finalize our entire manufacturing process to guarantee superior quality that meets the expectations of discerning users.

Cooking detail

Ollas-JAMET® ceramics:

Tour mounted, cooked for 10/12 hours with overcooking at 1,100°C.
Climbed with Ollas-JAMET® Rope, cooking for 14 hours with overcooking at 1,100°C.

Ornamental ceramics:
Firing for 14/16 hours with overfiring > 1200°C.

Winemaking ceramics:
Firing for 16/18 hours with overfiring at 1200°C.

A quality control specific to each collection is carried out on a few samples. This protocol, resulting from more than 45 years of experience, validates the quality of the whole batch.

The loss rate of ceramics not conforming to the "JAMET professional quality" charter from the beginning of shaping to the end of firing is less than 1% including prototypes, which is exceptional in the pottery craft.