Richarde Posted June 18, 2017 Report Share Posted June 18, 2017 Hello, everyone. I am beginning my glaze operation and came home with a few 50 pound bags and planned to store them in Hefty 13 gallon plastic trash containers with a snap lid. I live in hot, humid Alabama and will be storing these in my kiln shed. Because it's not insulated and has a few spaces in the outside boards, my husband thinks the garbage cans will not keep out the moisture and will ruin the chemicals. We store chemicals this way in the studio where I work, which, of course, is inside a proper building with heating and a/c. Is he right about the moisture? I bought plastic shoe box-like boxes for my oxides and smaller quantity chemicals; will those not be good enough? Thank you in advance for answering my post. Richarde Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marcia Selsor Posted June 18, 2017 Report Share Posted June 18, 2017 I just moved back to Montana from Brownsville , Tx. the Southern most tip of Tx. I stored several pallets of clays and chemicals on pallets in their bags, on a covered porch with plastic and a tarp strapped over them. I did this for 11 years without and problem. Keep the chemicals dry. I bought some of this chemical back to Montana. They are stored on a pallet outside my studio covered with a tarp. Marcia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldlady Posted June 18, 2017 Report Share Posted June 18, 2017 chemicals do not die because they are really minerals, ground up rocks of a particular kind. i thought the 50 pound bags were ruined when i built my house and the bags of 3124 and 3134 got wet. the frit inside turned to rocks but after a few months they dried out and all was fine. i thought they were like concrete that gets wet in the bag but no, perfectly ok. the best containers i found are heavy rubbermaid tubs. the tall ones hold 100 pounds and the shorter ones do 50 easily. i found that some things i was given by retiring potters were in brittle plastic containers and they cracked and tore at the slightest stress. yes, shoe boxes work and fit well inside most studios more easily than the big ones. when you put the materials into the containers, lay the bag in the container so it touches the bottom and run a razor knife across the bottom of the bag. lift the paper away slowly so you do not release dry powders into the air. do not leave them in the bag because you will always raise dust when getting more out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glazenerd Posted June 18, 2017 Report Share Posted June 18, 2017 Lithium carbonate is one exception to what lady said. It should be stored in a glass container because it's high alkalinity will leach plastic. Spodumene and petalite do not need this consideration. Strong sunlight will also degrade lithium carb., causing it to lose potentency over an extended period. Nerd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richarde Posted June 18, 2017 Author Report Share Posted June 18, 2017 Thank you, everyone. I really didn't think it would be a problem, but he was so insistent that I wanted expert advice! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S. Dean Posted June 21, 2017 Report Share Posted June 21, 2017 Lithium carbonate is one exception to what lady said. It should be stored in a glass container because it's high alkalinity will leach plastic. Spodumene and petalite do not need this consideration. Strong sunlight will also degrade lithium carb., causing it to lose potentency over an extended period. Nerd Checking my Lithium in the morning - thanks Nerd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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