Expert: Leisha Hiester - 1/9/2009

Question
QUESTION: I am just getting started in to clay and I am not sure how long I have to wait for the clay to be dry, also while it is drying what should the room temp be. My stuff is in the garage and it stays cold in there. Thank you for your help

ANSWER: Chadlynn,
Congratulations on diving into clay. I hope you find as many years of rewards as I have.
Clay needs to be thoroughly bone-dry before firing. It's difficult and takes longer to dry in the cold. Drying time also depends upon where you live. How humid your weather is. I live in an arrid desert, but when I lived in Hawaii where it is tropical my drying time for my work was double.
The dilemma you have is that generally you can feel a piece and if it still feels cold there is probably dampness inside.
You may try bringing a piece or 2 inside for the night, allowing them to warm up & then check for dampness.
Drying time also depends upon how thick a piece is, how large, etc. Bone-dry clay appears chalky, the color has lightened up, and again, no cold spots to touch.
I'm sorry I couldn't be more specific. If you wish to write back, tell me where you live, what the temperatures are, what you're making and how large it is, I could try to be more exact. :) Leisha

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: I live in Chico Ca, it gets down to 30 or so at night and 50-60 during the day right now for the winter. Am I looking at 2 to 3 days or 2 to 3 weeks? About how long should I expect? Thanks Again

Answer
Chadlynn,

Again, it depends upon the thickness of your piece, the size, etc. I have pieces in my studio right now of varying sizes made from the same clay. A small vase took 2 days, but I still have a large piece bagged and slowly drying so it won't crack. It can take 10 days or 3 weeks sometimes even in my arrid desert. The larger the piece, the more drying time you should build in the process.
Here's a link to a helpful article;

http://www.ceramicartsdaily.org/feature/featuredetail/2008-11/evendrying.aspx

Hope this helps.  Leisha