Nancy Braches on sun 10 sep 06
Hi!
Well I am reading this post and the responses and thinking...hmmm...I learned 7 years ago that you cover your piece lightly with a dry cleaner bag until it is ready to trim. Then you trim it. Then you set it on the drying rack to finish drying. Yes the environment is controlled only to keep it warm enough in winter and cool enough in summer to work in the studio. Then after your piece is dry, off to the shelf in the kiln room until it's bisque fired.
I try to throw most of my pieces so I don't have to trim them or trim them very little. Once they are ready for drying. I let them dry naturally....my studio is always on the cool side even in the hottest part of summer. I lightly cover any piece that I have attached a handle, knob or has a lid and let it sit for about a week like that and then uncover it to finish drying.
"Knock on wood" but I haven't had any problems in drying this way. I am teaching my students they same way of drying but now wonder....what am I missing???
anyone help me please :)
Nancy
Hilltop Pottery
pdp1@EARTHLINK.NET wrote: 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
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claybair on mon 11 sep 06
Nancy,
You are not missing anything. You have it
figured out perfectly for the claybodies you use
and weather conditions for your area.
Now some claybodies are very sensitive and more so
in some environmental conditions.
I have extremes in my studios... one on WA and one in
AZ. I had to figure it out and definitely dry the same clays differently.
Gayle Bair
Bainbridge Island, WA
Tucson, AZ
http://claybair.com
-----Original Message-----
From: Nancy Braches
Hi!
Well I am reading this post and the responses and thinking...hmmm...I
learned 7 years ago that you cover your piece lightly with a dry cleaner bag
until it is ready to trim. Then you trim it. Then you set it on the drying
rack to finish drying. Yes the environment is controlled only to keep it
warm enough in winter and cool enough in summer to work in the studio. Then
after your piece is dry, off to the shelf in the kiln room until it's bisque
fired.
I try to throw most of my pieces so I don't have to trim them or trim them
very little. Once they are ready for drying. I let them dry
naturally....my studio is always on the cool side even in the hottest part
of summer. I lightly cover any piece that I have attached a handle, knob or
has a lid and let it sit for about a week like that and then uncover it to
finish drying.
"Knock on wood" but I haven't had any problems in drying this way. I am
teaching my students they same way of drying but now wonder....what am I
missing???
anyone help me please :)
Nancy
Hilltop Pottery
--
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Kathi LeSueur on mon 11 sep 06
Nancy Braches wrote:
>Hi!
>
>Well I am reading this post and the responses and thinking...hmmm...I learned 7 years ago that you cover your piece lightly with a dry cleaner bag until it is ready to trim. Then you trim it. Then you set it on the drying rack to finish drying.>>>>>
>
I don't think there is any way to "properly" dry clay work. It all
depends on the piece. While the above would work for many of my pieces,
I have one item that MUST be dried on a wood shelf. Otherwise, the
bottom cracks. Every item of slabware I make is dried differently. Some
start off upside down and then turned right side up. Others just the
opposite. Some finish on wire racks. Others do not. The right way to
dry is the way that works for the piece.
Kathi
>>
>>
>
>
>
>
Eleanora Eden on tue 12 sep 06
Hi Nancy,
Your system sounds exactly like my system. I have always thought it works
for me because I throw thin pots and don't leave much extra for trimming,
just as you describe.
If you have students who are making stuff with large differentials of thickness
and they haven't run into problems it is probably a good clay body that isn't
persnickity.
If they know the basic drying principal that the inner water has to migrate
to the surface to evaporate and so you don't want the outer surface to harden
before that happens.....
Eleanora
>Hi!
>
>Well I am reading this post and the responses and thinking...hmmm...I learned 7 years ago that you cover your piece lightly with a dry cleaner bag until it is ready to trim. Then you trim it. Then you set it on the drying rack to finish drying. Yes the environment is controlled only to keep it warm enough in winter and cool enough in summer to work in the studio. Then after your piece is dry, off to the shelf in the kiln room until it's bisque fired.
>
>I try to throw most of my pieces so I don't have to trim them or trim them very little. Once they are ready for drying. I let them dry naturally....my studio is always on the cool side even in the hottest part of summer. I lightly cover any piece that I have attached a handle, knob or has a lid and let it sit for about a week like that and then uncover it to finish drying.
>
>"Knock on wood" but I haven't had any problems in drying this way. I am teaching my students they same way of drying but now wonder....what am I missing???
>
>anyone help me please :)
>
>Nancy
>Hilltop Pottery
>
>pdp1@EARTHLINK.NET wrote: 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
>
>______________________________________________________________________________
>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.
>
>
>
>---------------------------------
>Get your email and more, right on the new Yahoo.com
>
>______________________________________________________________________________
>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.
--
Bellows Falls Vermont
www.eleanoraeden.com
Ann Baker on wed 13 sep 06
Uh, "Phil in Las Vegas". That was a lot of good info but don't you =
think 3 drying rooms seems a bit excessive? Unless someone is a major =
production potter it seems to me that is a lot of hoopla for drying some =
pots. Are you an engineer by any chance? Actually though, you did give =
me some good points to think about for helping my sculptures dry more =
evenly!
Ann B
Ann Baker Studio
www.annbakerstudio.com
331 Old Tory Trail
Aiken, SC 29801
Johnnie Johnson on thu 14 sep 06
Geez....he must have a studio the size of a convention center.
All his business about slow drying for weeks when spouts, handles are
attached was rather useless.
A great and I mean really great way to prevent
handles, spouts or any type of attachment from cracking is to paint the
attachment with wax resist after attached as soon as it is firm enough to
keep from slumping due to the addition of the watery wax resist. This stuff
sort of seals the clay and S-L-O-W-S the drying down so it doesn't dry
faster that the piece it is attached to. Since we started using it here we
have not lost ANY attachments at all. And it burns off in the bisque firing
leaving just a slight (very slight) variation in color to the clay's
surface. When glaze fired, there is absolutely no evidence of it at all
even
if clear glazed. We paint the attachment and the area where it attaches;
cover the piece loosely for a day then remove and dry openly. I learned
this
from Gary Lee who has Rising Sun Pottery in Lincolnton NC. I don't remember
where he said he had learned it. It really works well!
Johnnie J. (John Johnson)
Mud Bucket Pottery
(843) 399-8702
(843) 340-1674 cell when it works
www.mudbucketpottery.com
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