Prissy Lou Posted January 5, 2011 Report Share Posted January 5, 2011 i have been doing a lot of reclaiming lately and my slab is now at the point where it is keeping and adding moisture to the clay rather than removing it. And with the weather as it is where i live, it would take a week or two for it to dry out on its own and i don't have the patience. what i would like to know is if it would be safe to put it in the oven if i keep the tempurature relatively low?. i don't want any explosions or other disasters since it would be my mother's oven. and if the oven won't work, is there any other way dry it out more quickly? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seasoned Warrior Posted January 5, 2011 Report Share Posted January 5, 2011 i have been doing a lot of reclaiming lately and my slab is now at the point where it is keeping and adding moisture to the clay rather than removing it. And with the weather as it is where i live, it would take a week or two for it to dry out on its own and i don't have the patience. what i would like to know is if it would be safe to put it in the oven if i keep the tempurature relatively low?. i don't want any explosions or other disasters since it would be my mother's oven. and if the oven won't work, is there any other way dry it out more quickly? Putting it in the oven would certainly help if you kept the temperature well under 212 degrees F. If the entrained water turned to steam it could split or spall your slab. One of the best ways would be if you had a gas oven with a pilot light to leave it in the oven with only the pilot light on overnight. Do you work in an unheated environment? Others might have different insights. I work in a very humid area (coastal Northern California), especially in the winter but my studio is heated with wood and is usually quite toasty. I've never had the problem becuase the difference ibetween the inside and outside temperatures allows things to dry well. Good luck! Regards, Charles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prissy Lou Posted January 5, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 5, 2011 thank you very much! i will most definitely give it a try. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mossyrock Posted January 7, 2011 Report Share Posted January 7, 2011 I have what I call a 'humidity rod' that I sometimes use to slowly dry my pieces. I use to live in a very humid climate and purchased this electric 'rod' (looks like a clothes rod) to put in the closet to keep the mildew out. If you could buy one of these, you could place a 'tent' over your plaster slab, put the rod in, plug it in and I think it would dry it out quickly. You wouldn't have to move it or chance the water turning into steam and ruining the slab.....or your mother's oven. I've had the rod for about 40 years, but I'll bet they're still available on the internet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clay lover Posted January 7, 2011 Report Share Posted January 7, 2011 If it isn't too heavy to carry , put it on the shoe drying rack in the dryer, it works great for drying thick pots! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyL Posted January 7, 2011 Report Share Posted January 7, 2011 Put it under a heat lamp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marcia Selsor Posted January 7, 2011 Report Share Posted January 7, 2011 Mine are too big for an oven or a dryer. I keep them up on sticks so there is always air circulation under them. WHen I need to dry them out I can turn them on edge and turn on the A/C (I don't have heat here in the tropics). The A/C drops the humidity in the studio. I am curing a large new one today. It is on edge by an open door with a good dry breeze blowing through. Marcia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucille Oka Posted January 8, 2011 Report Share Posted January 8, 2011 i have been doing a lot of reclaiming lately and my slab is now at the point where it is keeping and adding moisture to the clay rather than removing it. And with the weather as it is where i live, it would take a week or two for it to dry out on its own and i don't have the patience. what i would like to know is if it would be safe to put it in the oven if i keep the tempurature relatively low?. i don't want any explosions or other disasters since it would be my mother's oven. and if the oven won't work, is there any other way dry it out more quickly? I think it is a mistake to try to dry the plaster slab out quickly in your mother's oven. You may run the risk of over heating the slab and thereby creating 'efflorescence' of the plaster surface. Thus making your plaster slab totally useless. However, if you must do this, and if you can keep the temperature regulated keep it very low at about 150 degrees F. with the oven door ajar. This is not ideal though. If I had to dry a plaster slab quickly, I would prop it against a radiator with a fan on the low setting, blowing at the slab on its narrow side, turning it from time to time. A fan is a good drying aid especially in a warm room. Do not use a fan blowing at the oven you may knock out the pilot light if there is one. This may be a good time to think about getting another plaster slab. Now that you see you need more than one. You can never have too many. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cafe_latte Posted January 11, 2011 Report Share Posted January 11, 2011 Ok, I'm going to throw my 2 cents in. Since I don't know where "Prissy Lou" lives, I can't comment on the temperature or humidity level there. First option: A heating mat that can be purchased from your local pet store that sells reptiles/snakes. Reptiles/snakes are cold blooded creatures, they require external heat source to warm themself. Placing a towel between the mat and plaster will create an air gap allowing the moisture to escape while warming. Placing a second towel on top of the mat will act as a blanket reducing heat loss. Recommend heating mat that includes thermostatic with temp probe. Second option: Portable Air conditioning Unit placed near the plaster slab. An A/C unit works by removing humidity from the air (aka: drying the air). As the dry air blows across the plaster slab, it'll wick out the moisture from the slab. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Franz35 Posted January 13, 2011 Report Share Posted January 13, 2011 I use alot of plaster in my business. When you make the slab be sure to use Pottery #1 plaster. Then mix it 60% plaster to 40% water. in other words...6# Plaster to 1/2 gallon water. Let dry. Now to dry plaster or better yet to keep it in the drying stage. Put a regular house fan blowing across the plaster wedge table. The moving air will lift the moisture off. Be sure to have your pottery covered or you might be drying your pottery to fast. Pat Franz Bercher Ceramic Supply 405-634-6922 www.BercherCeramicSupply.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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