MANUFACTURING

La Boule Bleue boules are the only ones with a 5 year guarantee (outside of normal wear and tear).

The secret of our renown and the quality of our products: passion! Our manufacturing process remains artisanal, and each boule is individually tempered.

Thanks to the internet, we invite you to discover our manufacturing secrets and to visit our workshop.

BOULE PRÉPARATION

COOKING

The cooking phase is the “manufacturing secret” of La Boule Bleue… The boules are heated for 30 to 35 minutes in a special oven, and 850° C for carbon steel boules, and 960° C for stainless steel ones.

Then comes the tempering. This process, done boule by boule, consists of plunging the still-hot boules into a cold salt water bath (for carbon steel boules), or into an oil bath (for stainless steel boules).

This tempering has a tightening effect on the steel molecules, which then provides the boule with a great hardness.

ANNEALING

The object of this phase is to tenderize boules of the following hardness types: semi-hard, semi-soft,tender, super-soft. The tempered boules are once again heated to a temperature of 260° C to 450° C.

This second heating provides softness which will limit terrain impact rebounds, as well as the recoil when shooting an opponent’s boule.

FINISHING

The boules are polished to remove the calamine left by the heat treatment. Stainless steel boules are brushed, and carbon steel boules are painted to prevent oxidizing during storage. This artificial color gradually wears away upon usage.

QUALITY CONTROL

Quality control allows us to verify the boules’ conformity (hardness, balancing, diameter, weight).

The official rules of the International Federation of Pétanque and Jeu Provençal allow for a weight margin of around 1%..