| Drying
Trays
After you return home from a sand collecting trip with
your collecting bag heavy with samples, there's one thing
you may need to do with the sand - dry it out - and that's
were drying trays come into the equation.
Here in the British Isles, particularly during the wetter
months of the year - just about all year round, really -
sand is often collected wet. Even sand that is collected dry
may need washed, especially that gathered between low and
high tide lines along the coast.
Drying trays are simply the containers used to hold your
sand samples during the drying process. Anything suitable
can be used and my own collection includes seed trays
"borrowed" from my partners greenhouse, assorted
food containers and a range of plastic boxes of one type or
another.
Whatever type they are, they need to hold your samples
safely, without risk of spillage and should be sturdy enough
that they do not deform when moved. Some collectors favour
sheets of cardboard but there is always the risk of the sand
spilling when using such methods.
Another important point when choosing drying trays is
their size. The larger the base the thinner the sand will be
and the faster it will dry. The ability to label the trays
is also paramount. I've found the best way is to first
decant the sand from the sampling bag into the drying tray
and then use a bulldog clip to secure the same sampling bag
to the edge of the drying tray. Helps prevent samples
getting mixed up.
There are two sizes of drying tray that I favour, with
each being used during different times of the year. During
the summer months when temperatures are warmer, drying takes
place quicker and sand left in the shed or greenhouse will
dry quickly.
In the winter when colder temperatures mean longer drying
times, often weeks if outdoors, I use smaller trays that can
be positioned in the kitchen, on top of radiators, the
central heating boiler and generally placed discretely in
the warmest room in the house, the kitchen.
Anything can be used as drying trays, including:
- empty ice cream containers
- plastic "Tupperware" boxes
- plant and seed trays (without holes)
- fast food containers (if rigid enough)
- cheap microwave containers
Always on the look out for large quantities of drying
trays and economical prices, I came across "weigh
boats" when ordering up a batch of test tubes for
displaying my samples. These are disposable shallow plastic
trays used for weighing samples in laboratories. They cost
about £15.00 for 250, making them about 6 pence each. They also
stack away well and help keep things all nice and neat. I
must admit that I don't like using the assortment of odd
sizes and shapes of trays I use for drying at present.
|
