Drying Cabinets and Wet Cabinets

Moderation state
funded
Grant Applicant
Jo Anna Battaglia
Grant Category
Grant Date
2020-07-23T12:00:00
Description

My objective for this grant is to get adequate Drying and Wet/ Damp Cabinets for the ceramic's room. 

Why do I need a Drying Cabinet.  Right now the students place their completed clay projects to dry on a old TV stand.  The TV stand has open shelves where students can go up to and touch their and other students artwork.   Pieces get broken when students do this. Most of the time it's unintentional but it happens quite a bit.  Over the years, I repeatedly ask "don't touch" and I also have signs that says "don't touch" but the kids never listen.   When clay dries it is the most fragile at the greenware state (right before it goes into the Kiln).  The Drying Cabinet will protect artwork when it's in the greenware state. The Drying rack that I am looking at is a shelving unit that closes and locks so that no one can touch the artwork when it's at this greenware state. When I taught at Truckee, they had one of these drying cabinets and it was extremely helpful for protecting student work.  Debcor's drying cabinets are designed for drying and storing greenware and clay pieces. They're constructed of 13-gauge angled steel pieces welded to 3/4", 16-gauge expanded steel mesh. Top and bottom panels are of 16-gauge steel. This design provides full air circulation. The four shelves are constructed with 1/8" perforated hardboard, andare supported by fixed welded brackets. Dark Brown with Antique Gold doors.

Why do I need a Damp Cabinet? When the students need to preserve their clay so they can work on their pieces at a later date, they place their work in a plastic bag and place it on a labeled shelf. Sometimes the clay will dry out and become unworkable and the students need to start over.  A damp cabinet will help keep clay workable for a longer period of time.  Not all pieces need to go into a damp cabinet, but some pieces that have a lengthy process to complete a damp cabinet will be extremely helpful.   Truckee also had a Damp Cabinet and I enjoyed having it in the classroom and students didn't have to start over as much.  The Damp Cabinet is designed to keep clay projects moist and workable, Debcor's Damp-Proof Cabinet is constructed of 19-gauge welded steel with 16-gauge supports. Foam rubber gasketed doors seal the air and keep the moisture in. Exterior walls are "double-walled" with an internal layer of anodized sheet aluminum. The 4 heavy-duty, bolt-on shelves have aluminum surfaces and water retaining bats. The unit is dark brown with antique gold doors. Doors have a 3-point locking mechanism with 2 keys. 

Damp and dry storage cabinets offer a safe place to store in-process clay work. Damp storage cabinets keep both wet and leather-hard clay workable. Dry storage cabinets, on the other hand, are for storage of clay pieces during the drying process.  Dry cabinets allow dry and delicate greenware to be safely stored until it's able to go into the kiln.

Since I have been at NTHS I have wished we had these cabinets in the ceramics room.  

Benefits of Program

Over the years the ceramic class has grow from having 8 to over 58 students a year and seems to be a very popular elective on campus and continues to grow.  Having the right equipment will teach the students the proper way to take care of pieces rather than the "ghetto" way I've been doing for years. The damp cabinet will help properly preserve the clay and dry cabinet will help protect the clay when it is drying.   By preserving and drying the clay properly every piece,  will have the chance to be properly made and dried so that students will be proud of the work they made.   These cabinets will benefit the ceramics program for many years in the future and all the students that take ceramics. 

Success of Program

The Dry Cabinet will protect pieces as they dry.  By having a dry cabinet more pieces will dry completely without accidental breakage.  Too many times when a student creates something super cool another student picks it up to look at it and accidently breaks it. The locking dry cabinet will prevent this from happening.  The students whose piece is broken is sad and doesn't try as hard on the next piece.  If this happens multiple times the students quality goes down.  Protecting ceramic pieces will help more students to  be proud of their pieces.  

The Wet/Damp Cabinets will help preserve clay properly.  When clay is properly preserved it will discourage students from "giving up".   To many times when clay dries out and becomes unworkable I have to make the students restart and make the piece again.  Some students rather take a "0" than to restart.  The Wet/Damp Cabinet will make this happen less and the students won't have to make this choice. 

Implementation

The cabinets will be implemented as soon as the come in and are built.  Since I have been wanting them, I probably put them together as soon as possible and start using the dry cabinet right away.   The damp/wet cabinet too would be put to use right away only after I have instructed the students how to properly use it.  My plan would be to start using the cabinets right away and for many years to come.  

Can you share this grant with your grade level or subject team?

Not Really.  The cabinets would be in the ceramics room and others would not be able to use them unless they ask and I would let them use them.  There is a time every year where other teachers around the district have brought pieces in for me to fire in the kiln. (Arts for the Schools, Beth Nordby, Laura Delauries, and others) I can use the cabinets to store their pieces while they wait to go in the kiln. 

Sustainability
No more funding needed. These cabinets will last and be used for many years into the future. The cabinets are fully sustainable and will not need any additional funding from EEF in future years.
Amount Funded
$4696.00
Individual Budget Items(s)
$1 - Dry Cabinet. $1785.22
$1 - Damp Cabinet. $2336.47
Shipping
$275.00
Taxes
$298.82
Other funding sources

I have talked to Mrs Mitchell and there is no other funding for this.  

Notes

I don't have to get both Cabinets.  If I can get the grant goes through by only requesting the Dry Cabinet I would love that.  price on just dry cabinet would be $2039.65