Clay Bead Making Tip - Never use the microwave to dry your beads!

Clay Bead making 101....never use the microwave to dry your beads!!! :D

Hey, you've got to live and learn. I was attempting to hurry the drying process and learned a huge lesson. First of all let me explain that after you make your beads from clay, they need to be dried into what is called the "leather hard" stage. Your beads will feel cool to the touch if they are not all the way dried into the leather hard stage. The next process for us is to sand. The beads must be completely dried.

My story began when I wanted to hurry the process. We've been making beads for days and I was anxious to start sanidng. The beads were almost dry... and I thought, well, I've put them in the oven before, why not the microwave??? Maybe I'll just try for 2 minutes. 2 minutes is always a good trial time...don't you think? The beads begged to differ...I walked away and POOF!!! Snap crackle and pop! Smokey dust was pouring out of the microwave door (and we are talking maybe 30 seconds) By the time I got there (which was fast) there was major explosions going on in that little white box!!! I learned fast that microwaves ar not air tight! Most of the beads were savageable, but 25% were gonners. What a devastating 45 seconds of my life. All that work literally "up in smoke." If there is anything that I can teach you about bead making, let the record state...NEVER, NEVER try to dry your beads (even thought they maybe almost done) in a microwave.

Save that machine for warming your coffee!!
which sounds real good about now