Dale A. Neese on wed 23 jun 99
Refridgerators are great if you have the room. When they are closed they
provide a constant damp enviroment to keep clay from drying out too quickly.
Plastic will slow the drying but after sometime the clay will still lose
moisture. A damp box is another way of keeping clay damp for a extended
period of time. A closet lined with plastic, a wooden frame with a sturdy
plastic cover is easily constructed for a damp box. I have sometimes used
large rubber trash cans to store throwing clay in plastic bags for months. I
put a cup of water in the bottom and keep the top tightly closed. Some Raku
clay I put in a plastic bags and stored in the rubber trash cans kept for
several years in almost the same consistancy as was when pugged. I'll tell
you that was the best throwing clay after being aged all that time. In
Yixing, China last summer, I saw the potters putting their unfinished
teapots on shelves in sealed wooden rice buckets with a little water in the
bottom. Kept the teapots workable until the next day.
I have neither a refridgerator nor a damp box here in south Texas, (with all
the rain the past 4 days I don't need much of anything.) I use plastic only
to prevent the ware from drying too quickly after it is thrown or to let a
handbuilt piece slowly and evenly dry . I try and plan to get back to
finishing up the thrown work usually in the evenings or the next day or two.
One sheet of plastic tucked over and around the ware for one day, 2 layers
of plastic with a damp sponge inside for anything longer than 2 days.
That was a long answer to a short question.
Dale Tex
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