VanTiki Tiles - Ku Squared tile taking shape - 1/25 - Other Crafts

V VanTiki Member Hawaii Joined: Nov 25, 2005 Posts: 1046	V VanTiki Posted posted on Mon, May 11, 2009 2:26 PM Hey Mike - Warping is a problem, but I've dialed in a technique that works really well after reading about a bunch of other folks trials and errors with drying tiles. I set mine on metal wire drying racks, and lay a loose plastic sheet over them. This lets them dry out almost evenly - with the bottom drying a tad faster. This way the delicate bits up top get a bit more time to balance out moisture-wise and (so far) this set up has worked really well. As always, slow and steady wins the race - drying them too quick can cause a lot of distortion. Also - be careful how you handle the wet tiles as clay has a "memory". If you cut a flat slab, bend it, then bend it back flat, it will bend slightly while drying/firing! When I with the lottery I'll head over to the Moravian Pottery and Tile Works to take some classes and see how they do it! :)

Hey Mike - Warping is a problem, but I've dialed in a technique that works really well after reading about a bunch of other folks trials and errors with drying tiles. I set mine on metal wire drying racks, and lay a loose plastic sheet over them. This lets them dry out almost evenly - with the bottom drying a tad faster. This way the delicate bits up top get a bit more time to balance out moisture-wise and (so far) this set up has worked really well. As always, slow and steady wins the race - drying them too quick can cause a lot of distortion. Also - be careful how you handle the wet tiles as clay has a "memory". If you cut a flat slab, bend it, then bend it back flat, it will bend slightly while drying/firing!

When I with the lottery I'll head over to the Moravian Pottery and Tile Works to take some classes and see how they do it! :)

Post #453152 by VanTiki on Mon, May 11, 2009 2:26 PM