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How to dry silica gel (feddit.org)

submitted 3 days ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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I have a questions I haven't found answered anywhere, but maybe someone here can help out.

First, some background:

I have bought this silica gel with indicator a while ago and have used it in my AMS and also for storing my filament in ziplock bags.

I now want to dry some of the silica gel, and have looked at the various options there are. I want to rule out the use of my kitchen appliances, as I am not fully convinced of the silica with indicator being really fully non-hazardous. I also recently bought a Creality Space Pi dryer, which I would like to use for drying my silica as well. Of course I would need to print a container for that, and since I only have PLA and PETG available at the moment, I wouldn't be able to drive the dryer too hot.

Online you can find many different opinions about the ideal drying temperature for silica gel, ranging from 60°C to 145°C.

Efficient energy usage is no big concern for me with this, as my PV modules produce a lot of excess power during the current season.

Question:

What temperature should I dry the silica gel at, and does a longer drying time at lower temperature equal the same results as a quicker drying at higher temperature?

Or does higher temperature actually remove more humidity overall, which a lower temperature can maybe not achieve regardless of time?

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 day ago

I do something similar. 1st- Never use something that will be used for food again. There are 15€ used microwaves listed in my local secondhand app, but I live in a small apartment, and I don't have the spare space.

2nd. - I don't do this stuff in the kitchen.

I have a small induction plate, which can actually be set to temperature or power level, and wich is surprisingly accurate! I spent a morning doing testing, and the damn thing would be within 5°C everytime.

I use an enameled pan, which has been retired from food use, and do this in the balcony. I shake it around every so often, with the temp set at 110°C.

It really irks me how a bunch of Youtubers ignore basic safety measures, like using your oven, microwave etc to dry silica, filament, anneal parts etc. We normally have no clue as to the modifiers, additives, etc, or even the actual effects of fumes of the base plastics (maybe there is research, but I haven't seen anybody looking for it)

I'm working on a cheapo enclosure, and already have designed and printed a cheap and cheerful filter, to use EVERY time I print, no matter what the filament. If I don't have hard data about the toxicity of a material heated in my breathing space, I'm going to treat it as toxic.

Safe by default.