Desiccant ?

[Bern]

Where is a good place to get desiccant? Can you buy the material cheap, and make your own packages? What is a good way to drive out the moisture, so they can be used again? Thanks

[Externet]

I saw it a week ago either at Walgreens, LongsDrugs or another pharmacy, in pint size clear containers.
Some can release the captured humidity if put in the oven.
Miguel

[Chris Smith]

You bake the material at the correct temperature and time to extract the moisture.

You can buy bulk desiccant on the web also.

[Robert Reed]

I swear I've seen some advertized that you dry out in the microwave oven.

[rshayes]

The desiccant that you are thinking of is probably "silica gel". Heating this to around 150 farenheit for some period of time drives out the water and allows it to be reused. It is probably one of those things that is easy to buy in a 55 gallon drum but hard to find in small quantities.

[markp]

A good source is government surplus dealers or sporting goods dealers.

I bought a large batch for keeping the inside of a gun safe at low humidity. The stuff was packaged in paper/plastic packets. When I tried to dry it in the oven ( at slightly a lower temperature than the directions ), the metal grills in the oven melted the packets. I now have the descant in old plastic coffee cans with the lid removed - works great. When I want to "recharge" it, I use a large flat Pyrex baking dish. Remember to let the descant cool BEFORE putting in plastic containers. Also, metal containers may be subject to rust as the descant get damp.

[GoingFastTurningLeft]

it comes in bags of beef jerky