I keep my filaments stored in vacuum sealed plastic bags. It is kind of a pain to deal with: a nuisance to open and reseal and storing them is far from neat or efficient.
I’m wondering if it is really worth the trouble except for a couple of really absorptive types. I often see photos where people store them in the open. #3dprinting
@linux_mclinuxface@Ronguest I also keep my PLA out sometimes. And fixed both PLA and PETG oozing with drying alone.
That being said, the science is not qualitative: raw materials vendor data sheets are clear, and any commercial injection molding operation has a drying stage.
@linux_mclinuxface@Ronguest are you positioning that FDM is so fundamentally different that it needs its own tests other than what the plastic industry is doing?
My own test is "looks like shit" and "does look fine" with the only variable changed being that I dried the filament.
@RichiH@linux_mclinuxface@Ronguest measuring the weight of the water in your spool might work but wouldn’t be more helpful than general humidity in the bag. I got a 6 pack of sensors for like $10 and just keep them with the spools in their ziplocks. I also toss this in and it’s good to go whenever. I have a heatbox but mostly so so I don’t leave the spools in my humid basement overnight.
@reconbot@linux_mclinuxface@Ronguest the silica with orange indicator is toxic, and the dust created when it rubs and moves is easy to ingest. There's actived aluminum and molecular sieves which you can buy as beads as well and while they don't have an indicator either, they are more effective at pulling water out.
@Ronguest Where I live (NC, USA) humidity is a real issue. I quit using bags and switched to dry boxes. These 50L boxes for $15 were the best deal I could find:
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