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$$#x%!&(* Caught The Flu And Let My Bowls Dry Before Trimming!


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I should have kept everything in a damp box, but I didn't. Also, I should have gotten a flu shot, but I didn't! My wife tried to tell me, and I should have listened....but....

Anyway, now I have a dozen dry bowls that need to be trimmed to form a foot. I also may want to do some carving on these bowls. Do I mist them, cover them with a damp towel, set them out in the rain, or just let dry ones be bygones? ja

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So sorry you were ill ... With a bit of patience and some time all will be well.

Put down a piece of plastic. Place each bowl on a piece of newspaper in a group. Surround it with a fairly wet ... but not dripping ... towel, making sure the towel does not actually touch any pots. Cover tightly with plastic and wait. They will absorb the humidity evenly and you should be good to go.

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In my experience, it usually takes more time for the clay to reconstitute than it would to throw it in reclaim and just make new pieces.

 

That said, if I'm feeling like I want to give it a try, I'll dunk the whole piece in the sink, hold it for a few seconds, then throw it in a damp box or under some plastic.

 

Sometimes it works.

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In my experience, it usually takes more time for the clay to reconstitute than it would to throw it in reclaim and just make new pieces.

 

That said, if I'm feeling like I want to give it a try, I'll dunk the whole piece in the sink, hold it for a few seconds, then throw it in a damp box or under some plastic.

 

Sometimes it works.

This only works with a very forgiving clay body! Others will simply collapse, crack or shatter.

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Awesome words of advice, knowledge and encouragement. Thank you all. Merry Christmas/ Happy Holidays!    

                                                 

                                                                               ja

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If you have a damp box, now is the time.  Make sure the damp box plaster is wet, then spritz your bowls and put them inside.  Hopefully they will reabsorb moisture from the wet plaster and rehydrate.  They key will be to rehydrate slowly and evenly. 

 

We found a quick way to make these... The Container Store sell water tight trunks, sealed with a nice gasket. We poured a 1.5" thick plaster slab in the bottom, cleaned it all up real nice after the plaster set up, spray water on the plaster so that it remains saturated, but not overly so such that water is displaced from the plaster. If it pools on the plaster it's saturated, just wipe up the pool before placing your wares inside.

 

Place your dry wares into the bin, seal it, forget it, in a week's time it's like trimming butter. Same principle that Chris mentions above, only a nice sealed container you can use over and over again. And, they are designed to stack too, they sort of interlock. We've stacked them 6 high no problem, and put them on mover's dollies so they can be repositioned to different stations as needed. And, they have holes on the lids for locks, when it's not freezing we can push them out of the studio and into a shed on the deck.

 

http://www.containerstore.com/shop/storage/totesTrunks?productId=10024301

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If you have a damp box, now is the time.  Make sure the damp box plaster is wet, then spritz your bowls and put them inside.  Hopefully they will reabsorb moisture from the wet plaster and rehydrate.  They key will be to rehydrate slowly and evenly. 

 

We found a quick way to make these... The Container Store sell water tight trunks, sealed with a nice gasket. We poured a 1.5" thick plaster slab in the bottom, cleaned it all up real nice after the plaster set up, spray water on the plaster so that it remains saturated, but not overly so such that water is displaced from the plaster. If it pools on the plaster it's saturated, just wipe up the pool before placing your wares inside.

 

Place your dry wares into the bin, seal it, forget it, in a week's time it's like trimming butter. Same principle that Chris mentions above, only a nice sealed container you can use over and over again. And, they are designed to stack too, they sort of interlock. We've stacked them 6 high no problem, and put them on mover's dollies so they can be repositioned to different stations as needed. And, they have holes on the lids for locks, when it's not freezing we can push them out of the studio and into a shed on the deck.

 

http://www.containerstore.com/shop/storage/totesTrunks?productId=10024301

 

Was about to ask what you guys use as damp boxes, thanks.  Holes in the lids? How does this fir with water tight?

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  Holes in the lids? How does this fir with water tight?

 

The holes are on the rim outside the boundary of the gasket, we use them to put a padlock on the bins and lock the lids closed. When we store stacked bins outside in the shed it keeps curious minds from getting into trouble. If someone really wanted in they'll get in, but it does serve to deter the curious, just not the determined.

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The damp box tutorial.

 

 

The first thing I made from plaster.  It's absolutely great, I just wish I could find taller, narrower boxes to use.  I don't want to fill so much floor space, but would like more height!

 

I look at plastic containers everytime I go into a shop.  One day I'll find something...........

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The damp box tutorial.

 

 

The first thing I made from plaster.  It's absolutely great, I just wish I could find taller, narrower boxes to use.  I don't want to fill so much floor space, but would like more height!

 

I look at plastic containers everytime I go into a shop.  One day I'll find something...........

 

Tight sealing plastic bucket?? I have onethat I speak strongly to every time I try to remove the lid.

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For a tall plastic container that seals you might try a dog food storage container. Check one of the pet shops in your area as I have one I use for dog food but it's quite tall the lid seals and it's semi clear so you can see what's inside it. It will hold 70 pounds of dog food if you are interested I'll see if I can't take a tape measure to it and get the exact measurements.

 

Terry

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  • 2 weeks later...

I just use standard loose-lidded plastic storage crates from the DIY store or 'cheap' shop as in the 'Magic Box' YouTube clip. No need to pay for airtight in my experience, but they do look as if they would do a really good job! Am thinking would be good for my spare clay.

 

Chilly - you can get some quite deep ones - about 60cm tall - and stack them 3 high. For me shallower are better as I don't make anything over 20cm high (yet!) and the extra height is then empty space.

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The damp box tutorial.

 

I wonder how his moist plaster looks in a few weeks. All covered with black mildew underneath? I once let a newly made plaster block, after trimming and washing, dry on top of my canvas covered table. One week later both canvas and the bottom of the block became black.

 

For a dump box I use regular RubberMaid-type container with a moist sponge placed inside.

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I made mine back in September, and there are leather hard handles sitting in there, still as they were.  No mould on anything.  It lives in my greenhouse, which is unheated, and cold and damp this time of year, my watering cans freeze solid when it's really cold.

 

I'm really pleased with mine, it's such an easy way to keep things "in the state you left them".

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The damp box tutorial.

 

 

The first thing I made from plaster.  It's absolutely great, I just wish I could find taller, narrower boxes to use.  I don't want to fill so much floor space, but would like more height!

 

I look at plastic containers everytime I go into a shop.  One day I'll find something...........

 

 

Try a craft store (especially this time of year) - they have tons of different sizes and shapes.

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MichaelP - I agree with Chilly - mine have been in use for over a year now, no mould whatsoever. I too have small pieces stored from months ago and a bowl waiting to be trimmed - beautifully leather hard!

 

I have once tipped out the batts and given them a rinse & wipe, but only to clean up the surface as part of a general 'spring clean' & tidy of my studio, not out of necessity. They stay damp (bizarrely) and rarely, if ever need to be re-wet.

 

They save all that wrapping up and spraying business to keep things workable for the next making stage. If I'd known about these when I ran a weekly pottery club in school, it would have transformed my life! MAKE ONE NOW - you won't regret it.

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Celia, I so agree about the weekly pottery club.  I ran them after-school at two different schools, and made sure I forgot to take my own bags everytime I went supermarket shopping, so I had plenty to save up for wrapping! 

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One of the members at the studio has a medium size refrigerator with damp plaster slabs. And she has a humidity monitor to keep everything just right! What a brilliant idea! Another member uses a styrofoam cooler. Maybe standing one on end would work for taller work... Though most of them have slanted sides, I think you could level a plaster slab, either by propping it up or making it in the cooler. Just an idea.....

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