Are my beads ruined?

[T_Money]

I had my beads wrapped up in a towel doused in distilled water. I put it in the bathroom sink and left the house. When I came back in, though, someone had turned on sink so they got got completely soaked in tap water. Are they pretty much for sure gonna get clogged?

[Twill413]

Originally Posted by T_Money

I had my beads wrapped up in a towel doused in distilled water. I put it in the bathroom sink and left the house. When I came back in, though, someone had turned on sink so they got got completely soaked in tap water. Are they pretty much for sure gonna get clogged?

First off, I don't even want to know WHY you did that, as it's irrelevant .

Second, they should be fine. You can either hit them with a hair dryer, put them in the oven on the lowest setting, or put them in a dehydrator for a while until they dry out some. They should be A-OK. They are pretty resilient suckers.

[groogs]

That is a good question. I would let them dry out and see if you can save them, but I have never heard of that happening to anyone else. I hope they are okay.

[uncballzer]

Definitely 2nd the hairdryer (low speed!), and they'll dry fast. I would try to rub them down a little with a clean towel to get anything off left over from the tap water, then either lightly spray distilled water on them (some say they break apart when doing that) or put them into a tuperware with shotglass of distilled water and let them soak it up.

[lightning9191]

Was the tap water left running for awhile? I wouldn't think one soaking would destroy them. One way I would imagine to find out would be to put your beads (after leaving about 50% clear/hydrated) in a sealed container with a calibrated hygrometer. If they still hold at the correct humidity +/- 1% or so, I'd say they're fine. If anyone has more experience at this then me (none...just an educated guess), feel free to correct me. Hope this works for you.

[T_Money]

Is this not an accepted way of charging them? I could've swore I saw someone do it on a video of how to make a cooler?

[icehog3]

If I am not mistaken, the tap water contains contaminants which could make the beads more succeptible to mold. I would dry them completely as suggested above, put them in a strainer and rinse them thoroughly with distilled water before putting them back in your humidor.

[chippewastud79]

Originally Posted by T_Money

Is this not an accepted way of charging them? I could've swore I saw someone do it on a video of how to make a cooler?

Everything I have read is that you are supposed to use distilled water only. Reduces the chance of mold and the pores of the beads being clogged with the extras in tap water (calcium, flouride, iron, etc).

[n2advnture]

Originally Posted by T_Money

I had my beads wrapped up in a towel doused in distilled water. I put it in the bathroom sink and left the house. When I came back in, though, someone had turned on sink so they got got completely soaked in tap water. Are they pretty much for sure gonna get clogged?

They should be fine. The impurities in tap will typically take quite some time (years) to clog the pores.

You can dry them by spreading them on a cookie sheet and using a hair dryer set on low (as mentioned) or putting them in a oven set @ 200 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

I hope this helps bro

~Mark

[RGD]

And ummm - be careful with the hair dryer routine - or you may be picking up beads off the floor for the next several years -




Ron

[taltos]

I dropped a 2 oz tube last year in the kitchen and my wife and I are still finding the odd bead here and there. If you are going to use the hair dryer, put the beads in a stocking or mesh bag before blow drying them.