mel jacobson on wed 11 dec 96
as to Tom B's post....yes, yes, yes. but an added note.. i had a German
women visit my studio about 15 years ago...she did very big, complex forms
in clay.. she insisted that she only used linen fabric strips to wrap her
pieces as she worked..she showed me pictures..and the clay piece was half
wrapped in linen, tight where she was working...as she extended beyond an
area she just unwrapped and let it dry... it was drying on the back as she
was working on the front...she said "plastic does not work, only linen". of
course i translated that from the native German. (i am glad she had
pictures) (i am multi-linqual in pictures) and these babies were really
big...6' and more in scale...she said they never cracked. for what it is
worth. mel jacobson/minnesota/usa
Nancy Braches on sun 10 sep 06
Mayssan
I have the same problem with my bakers racks so I went to home depot and had them cut for me pressed board that fits exactly on the shelves. I throw down a few sheets of newspaper and...no marks on the bottom of my pots. Cheap enough to replace every few years...I flip them on a regular basis to keep them flat.
Nancy
Hilltop Pottery
Mayssan Shora Farra wrote: On Sun, 10 Sep 2006 07:39:20 -0700, j isaac
wrote:
I would like to know what people use for drying there pottery.
Hello J.:
I use a mini greenhouse. If you are in the US they could be had from Big
Lots for $20. 3 shelves, 18"X24" and wire. so I lay a good thickness of
newpapers and then put my wares and zip the cover down it dries slowly and
evenly. The only problem that I have not solved is; the wires are too far
apart and they leave marks on the bottom of very soft or very heavy pots
so for now I put those on boards in it until they are stiff enough to
remove the boards.
And that is how I do it in Charleston, WV where my studio is too hot and
humid in the summer and too cold and dry in the winter.
Mayssan
http://www.clayvillepottery.com
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j isaac on sun 10 sep 06
I would like to know what people use for drying there pottery. I have been using bags but it is not working out well. I was thinking of putting plastic up on the front of a 3 sided enclosed shelf. Does this sound like it would work? Does it need to be almost or completely air tight?
The Pretend Potter
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Steve Slatin on sun 10 sep 06
The tighter you wrap, the slower things will dry. If you live in the middle
of a desert and your daytime temps get to 100 F regularly, you'll need to
wrap pretty seriously to keep the clay from drying too quickly and giving
you cracking issues and getting too dry to trim overnight.
Plastic does two things -- it can trap moisture, and it will stop air
currents. Your work will always dry faster if the air is moving.
If you live in a more moderate environment and just need to keep enough
moisture in your work to keep it from drying a little too quickly you can
drape plastic over a shelf and put a wareboard inside and get much slower
drying. You'll have to experiment to get what you want, and it will vary
by season. In November we get lots of rain and it's cool where I live and
I leave my thrown pots out unwrapped for 2 sometimes 3 days to get
them dry enough to trim. In summer when it's dry I sometimes throw
in the morning and trim in the afternoon.
I generally use plastic from the dry cleaner. Open up a bag and it more than
covers a large wareboard, if you need to you can double wrap a board (plastic
under AND over the work) with one piece of plastic.
Best wishes -- Steve Slatin
j isaac wrote:
I would like to know what people use for drying there pottery. I have been using bags but it is not working out well. I was thinking of putting plastic up on the front of a 3 sided enclosed shelf. Does this sound like it would work? Does it need to be almost or completely air tight?
The Pretend Potter
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Kathryn Hughes on sun 10 sep 06
When I'm finished with the making of the piece, I always throw a dry cleaning bag over it but keep the bottoms open. This is to let it dry out slowly and not stress crack. Putting the plastic around the 3 sided shelf is not that bad, but it won't slow down the drying more. What it will do , and it's a great idea, mind you, keep the dust off of your pieces.If your pieces are drying too fast, check to make sure it's not in the sun, and not near a vent that can blow air directly onto the piece. Good luck. Also, you're not a pretend potter. You play with clay? You're an ARTIST. Sorry, had to make my bone about that, dear. Prozacs do that to me.LOL Kathryn in NC
j isaac wrote: I would like to know what people use for drying there pottery. I have been using bags but it is not working out well. I was thinking of putting plastic up on the front of a 3 sided enclosed shelf. Does this sound like it would work? Does it need to be almost or completely air tight?
The Pretend Potter
---------------------------------
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Marek & Pauline Drzazga-Donaldson on sun 10 sep 06
Dear Pretend Potter,
are you trying to dry slowly or keep it moist. To dry slowly I wrap with =
Newspaper first then binbags, for quick drying I wrap in Newspaper and =
put it in my Drying Room with air turbulators on for a day or two, then =
take off the Newspaper and continue drying.
To keep it moist, then wrap with wet Newspaper and then wrap with =
binbags.
Happy potting Marek
Hand made Architectural Ceramics from No9 Studio UK www.no9uk.com
Fully Residential Pottery Courses and more at Mole Cottage =
www.moleys.com
"Tips and Time Travel from a Vernacular Potter" reviews on =
www.keramix.com
an irreverent point of view after 35 years in the game Marek =
Drzazga-Donaldson =20
Free Works and Mole Cottage DVD's and Video content on all the sites
Craig Clark on sun 10 sep 06
j isaac wrote:
> I would like to know what people use for drying there pottery. I have been using bags but it is not working out well. I was thinking of putting plastic up on the front of a 3 sided enclosed shelf. Does this sound like it would work? Does it need to be almost or completely air tight?
>
> The Pretend Potter
>
> ---------------------------------
> Get your own web address for just $1.99/1st yr. We'll help. Yahoo! Small Business.
>
> ______________________________________________________________________________
> Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
>
> You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
> settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
>
> Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at melpots@pclink.com.
>
>
I suspect that by "not working well" you mean either your pots are
cracking or that they are drying before you get a chance to finish them.
If this is the case then what you are talking about making, a damp box,
may be the solution to your troubles. I suggest that you put up some
type of wire mesh (hardware cloth, chicken wire, etc) before putting the
plastic over the mesh. You don't have to do this but the plastic will
last longer. Also, use as heavy a weight plastic as you are able.
Keeping a coupla small bowls with water in them inside the damp box will
keep the environment nice and humid as well.
Hope this helps
Craig Dunn Clark
619 East 11 1/2 St
Houston, Texas 77008
(713)861-2083
mudman@hal-pc.org
Wayne Seidl on sun 10 sep 06
Dear Pretender:
Um, just a thought or two.
If you are shielding the piece(s) from air movement with plastic, you =
are in
essence trying to "contain" the moisture, and not allowing the piece to =
dry.
Are you trying to protect the work from other environmental =
contamination? =20
Are you trying to "delay" drying?
What are you asking?
Best,
Wayne Seidl
-----Original Message-----
From: Clayart [mailto:CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG] On Behalf Of j isaac
Sent: Sunday, September 10, 2006 10:39 AM
To: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
Subject: drying
I would like to know what people use for drying there pottery. I have =
been
using bags but it is not working out well. I was thinking of putting =
plastic
up on the front of a 3 sided enclosed shelf. Does this sound like it =
would
work? Does it need to be almost or completely air tight?
The Pretend Potter
Ann Brink on sun 10 sep 06
I use lightweight squares of cloth, and cover pieces with one or more,
depending on how slowly I think they need to dry. If something is at the
right stage for the next step I add a sheet of plastic over it, until I have
time to work on it. I never put plastic directly over the piece; you get
condensation drops where you don't want them.
Thrift shops are a good source; look where they display women's scarves.
Ann Brink in Lompoc CA
----- Original Message -----
From: "j isaac"
To:
Sent: Sunday, September 10, 2006 7:39 AM
Subject: drying
>I would like to know what people use for drying there pottery. I have been
>using bags but it is not working out well. I was thinking of putting
>plastic up on the front of a 3 sided enclosed shelf. Does this sound like
>it would work? Does it need to be almost or completely air tight?
>
> The Pretend Potter
>
Mayssan Shora Farra on sun 10 sep 06
On Sun, 10 Sep 2006 07:39:20 -0700, j isaac
wrote:
I would like to know what people use for drying there pottery.
Hello J.:
I use a mini greenhouse. If you are in the US they could be had from Big
Lots for $20. 3 shelves, 18"X24" and wire. so I lay a good thickness of
newpapers and then put my wares and zip the cover down it dries slowly and
evenly. The only problem that I have not solved is; the wires are too far
apart and they leave marks on the bottom of very soft or very heavy pots
so for now I put those on boards in it until they are stiff enough to
remove the boards.
And that is how I do it in Charleston, WV where my studio is too hot and
humid in the summer and too cold and dry in the winter.
Mayssan
http://www.clayvillepottery.com
pdp1@EARTHLINK.NET on sun 10 sep 06
Hi j,
Usually when Potters are talking about drying,
they are not saying anything about whether they
mean drying evenly, or 'just' drying, which can
also mean drying unevenly into an oval or a
'Potatoe chip' other distortions
of the form, drying just-enough for further
proceedures such as Handles or other appendages,
or drying to be correct for formal Trimming to
occur, or what...so usually, lacking details or
distinctions, the term tends to be pretty vague or
confused.
So, all this sort of depends on what one is trying
to achieve, or achieve intentionally, or achieve
well.
The traditional 'Damp Room', or Damp Closet, or at
least damp box, will allow a clay form to be
consistantly even with whatever the ambient
humidity is inside the enclosure.
Similarly, an enclosure for actual complete (
rather than relative) drying, can
either permit forms to dry to ambient local
humidity of the outside air by mere gentle
convection of the outside air entering into the
enclosed air, and having some way out also at the
top,
or, when provided with a dehumidifier, and not
provided with aperatures, allows them
to dry out completely, and of course more than
ambient air's relative humidity would usually be
able to do.
Unless one can exclude air movement in the
enclosure, or regulate the rate and kind of air
movement it is, and the humidity of the air
itself, forms will tend to dry unevenly, aside
from whatever the inherent propensity of the shape
may be, to provide it's own distortions or
departures from what was originally thrown.
If it were me, I would have a Damp Room or Damp
Closet anyway, which keeps things, or brings
things to, and then keeps them, at the kind of far
Leather Hard I prefer for Trimming...
And, a second Closet which gently drys them
completely, or very close to it, which would have
a demumidifier, ( or in my area which has quite
low ambient humidity anyway, then merely a gentle
slow convection of ambient air spurred on by a
Light Bulb or other mild heat source, ) and very
slow diffused air circulation.
If I did things with Handles or other appendages,
I would have a third such Closet if need be,
regulated to bring things to, and keep things at,
the level of damp I prefer for attatching these
appendages, from which the forms would graduate
either to the 'Leather Hard' Damp Closet, or the
'To completely dry out" closet...
Phil
Las Vegas
----- Original Message -----
From: "j isaac"
> I would like to know what people use for drying
there pottery. I have been using bags but it is
not working out well. I was thinking of putting
plastic up on the front of a 3 sided enclosed
shelf. Does this sound like it would work? Does it
need to be almost or completely air tight?
>
> The Pretend Potter
Lee Love on mon 11 sep 06
Do you mean what to use so the work doesn't dry out? If I want to quick
dry something, I usually use a blow torch.
To keep things from drying out, if you need to leave them for the
weekend (working at a Clay Center, etc), put a larger piece of plastic on
the ware board, place the work on the plastic and then wrap it up
completely. If you just put the plastic over the ware, it will dry through
the wooden ware board.
--
Lee in Mashiko, Japan
http://potters.blogspot.com/
"Let the beauty we love be what we do." - Rumi
Maxwell, Deborah on mon 11 sep 06
You might be speaking of a Damp Closet. I use clear plastic around a
metal shelf unit from top to bottom. It is attached at the top with an
opening in the front with easy access to place thrown pots for slow
drying. It is by no means air tight, it just serves my needs well.
Deborah J. Bassett-Maxwell
Kimball, MI
www.redmuddcreations.com
=20
-----Original Message-----
From: Clayart [mailto:CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG] On Behalf Of j isaac
Sent: Sunday, September 10, 2006 10:39 AM
To: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
Subject: drying
I would like to know what people use for drying there pottery. I have
been using bags but it is not working out well. I was thinking of
putting plastic up on the front of a 3 sided enclosed shelf. Does this
sound like it would work? Does it need to be almost or completely air
tight?
The Pretend Potter
---------------------------------
Get your own web address for just $1.99/1st yr. We'll help. Yahoo! Small
Business.
________________________________________________________________________
______
Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at
melpots@pclink.com.
j isaac on mon 11 sep 06
I should have explained better I apologize. After making the vessel before trimming or adding handles. The system of bags is extremely unpredictable. Also with my porcelain I have had a crack when I added a nob to a lid, I assumed it dried out unevenly. What I actually have is a shelved closet. I am understanding that air tight is the way to go. Am I also supposed to dry trimmed projects separately from new? Thnx so much for all the help!!!!
Lee Love wrote: Do you mean what to use so the work doesn't dry out? If I want to quick
dry something, I usually use a blow torch.
To keep things from drying out, if you need to leave them for the
weekend (working at a Clay Center, etc), put a larger piece of plastic on
the ware board, place the work on the plastic and then wrap it up
completely. If you just put the plastic over the ware, it will dry through
the wooden ware board.
--
Lee in Mashiko, Japan
http://potters.blogspot.com/
"Let the beauty we love be what we do." - Rumi
______________________________________________________________________________
Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at melpots@pclink.com.
The Pretend Potter
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claybair on mon 11 sep 06
Another use and plug for hardiboard.
I use them on my wire shelves also.
If you get the one with a smooth side
there's no need for paper.
Also the hardiboard wicks moisture away
from the bottom of the pot but I haven't had
a problem with it getting dry too fast.
I bought one of those green houses at a yard sale.
It works but I also use lidded clear tubs
with a piece of hardiboard and a wet sponge.
I kept stoneware and porcelain several pieces at leather hard
for over a month.... in Tucson AZ. I was amazed!
Gayle Bair
Bainbridge Island, WA
Tucson, AZ
http://claybair.com
-----Original Message-----
From: Nancy
Mayssan
I have the same problem with my bakers racks so I went to home depot and had
them cut for me pressed board that fits exactly on the shelves. I throw
down a few sheets of newspaper and...no marks on the bottom of my pots.
Cheap enough to replace every few years...I flip them on a regular basis to
keep them flat.
Nancy
Hilltop Pottery
Mayssan Shora Farra wrote: On Sun, 10 Sep 2006
07:39:20 -0700, j isaac
wrote:
I would like to know what people use for drying there pottery.
Hello J.:
I use a mini greenhouse. If you are in the US they could be had from Big
Lots for $20. 3 shelves, 18"X24" and wire. so I lay a good thickness of
newpapers and then put my wares and zip the cover down it dries slowly and
evenly. The only problem that I have not solved is; the wires are too far
apart and they leave marks on the bottom of very soft or very heavy pots
so for now I put those on boards in it until they are stiff enough to
remove the boards.
--
No virus found in this outgoing message.
Checked by AVG Free Edition.
Version: 7.1.405 / Virus Database: 268.12.3/444 - Release Date: 9/11/2006
Lee Love on tue 12 sep 06
On 9/11/06, j isaac wrote:
I should have explained better I apologize. After making the vessel before
> trimming or adding handles. The system of bags is extremely unpredictable.
> Also with my porcelain I have had a crack when I added a nob to a lid, I
> assumed it dried out unevenly.
Thanks for the explaination! I think it depends a lot upon where you
live. It is very humid here in Japan, except in the winter. So things
don't dry quickly.
In my studio, I let things dry without covering and then trim them
the next day. Or at the end of the day if they are thrown early. I like
to trim soft to get nice texture (I trim with either bamboo or a dull metal
trimming tool), so usually, the bottom dries enough on my pine ware boards
for trimming without flipping them. The lip just has to be hard enough to
flip over for trimming.
Sometimes, with handles, I pull them first and then lay them on
plastic. I let them dry a little and then cover them completely. My
co-shigaraki clay likes to crack and I find that if the body and handle are
similarly dried, they are less likely to crack. If I put a wet handle on
a trimmed form with co-shigaraki, it usually cracks.
I have better luck with sheets of plastic than I do with bags,
covering an entire board. I only use bags for individual large things.
Clay is another variable. May Mashiko Nami clay is very sandy
and does not crack easily. My Shigaraki Nami is less sandy and cracks
more easily. With the co-Shigaraki, I have been blending it with a tighter
clay like half porcelain to help reduce cracking.
--
Lee in Mashiko, Japan
http://potters.blogspot.com/
"Let the beauty we love be what we do." - Rumi
mel jacobson on mon 16 apr 12
my take is always.
there is a system. keep the system in place.
each clay body has a time that is taken for
drying.
my clay body goes fast. i use fans, dry on the kiln.
some bodies do not tolerate fast drying.
if you rush...well you take big chances.
find a timing that works well for you..then
keep to that standard of work.
everything in the studio has a standard practice
for every step.
some are fast, some are slow.
it is a pace.
like a long distance race, pace yourself...every day.
mel
anticipation.
from: minnetonka, mn
website: http://www.visi.com/~melpots/
clayart link: http://www.visi.com/~melpots/clayart.html
mel jacobson on mon 16 apr 12
i realize the question about fast drying was more
of a `can it be done?`
and, there are times when time constraints really
get to potters...that commission piece that pops
up....and needs to be fired by friday.
it all leads to frantic behavior.
over the years i have leaned more and more
to sand/fine grog based clay, they are just more forgiving.
some very fine, talc based white clays are really hard
to work with. cracks, s cracking, and all sorts of flaws.
these need really a lot of attention to detail.
as does porcelain. (often the potter beats themselves up
for flaws....and it is more often the quality of the clay. )
clay bodies that are made for lower temps, like 5-6 have
some sort of flux that often is tougher to deal with during
the drying stages.
i have found one stage of making pots that needs careful
consideration, and that is drying. you have to learn your clay,
learn your studio atmosphere, and then accomodate.
slow is good. same for handles, spouts and covers..they
need careful attention.
craftsmanship leads us to understanding of materials.
we build our studio based on our clay.
heating, fans, plastic covers, poly bags, damp cupboards.
it all changes based on where you live.
when i lived in dubai, i would drag my wheel out on the huge
docking area...wind off the desert. if i threw 15 mugs, the first
thrown was ready for a handle by the time i got to throwing mug
7. you carried poly in your pocket...drap everything as you threw the
pots.
think of seattle potters. pots you throw on monday are ready for
handles on saturday. it all depends. same for maine....pots never get
dried.
a sunny day at our farm...pots all over the outside, in the sun. things go
fast.
set up schedules, keep alarm clocks handy. know your clay.
mel
from: minnetonka, mn
website: http://www.visi.com/~melpots/
clayart link: http://www.visi.com/~melpots/clayart.html
rob addonizio on tue 17 apr 12
Just to piggyback on mel's great advice...
Go and get a dual temperature thermometer, with a humidity readout. I hav=
=3D
e=3D20
one with an outside temp, inside temp. and humidity readout for my garagi=
=3D
o. It=3D20
always works like a charm, keeping me up to snuff on atmospheric conditio=
=3D
ns=3D20
so that I can make sound judgements on what to do when in my central=3D20
florida studio.
Trick is to know what is happening with the humidity level inside my clos=
=3D
ed=3D20
containers where I keep my ware drying for different stages of building.
I also use dry newspaper to dry out the inside of boxes and replace every=
=3D
day=3D20
when I am getting ready to go to bisque.
Oh, and I have tried the wet dry (steam in the oven) trick. Works good, b=
=3D
ut if=3D20
you get a drip in your oven, the piece is ruined. You must be careful, ke=
=3D
ep a=3D20
watchful eye, and I never go hotter than 190.
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