Filament drying with bread proofer  

Filament drying with bread proofer

I'm in the process of making some prints for Easter and had a problem with wet filament.  I used vacuum bags to store my filament after the factory package has been opened and for the most part this has worked well, but the filament I wanted to use was in a bag with a broken seal.  I figured that even though the seal failed, it was probably OK,  how much moisture can pass through a pin hole?  Apparently enough, my print was terribly stringy and unusable.

I don't have a dedicated filament dryer, I haven't needed one, the vacuum bags usually keep my filament dry enough for my needs.  Since this roll that I'm using had at least 50% left I didn't want to open another, particularly since my print wasn't going to use very much of it.  As well as being a 3D printer, I'm a home baker.  In the winter I keep my home too cold for proper proofing so I bought a Brod and Taylor folding proofer.  I'm very happy with it for making bread, it keeps my dough at a comfy 78%F.  The device is advertised as a slow cooker as well as a proofer, It's a bit of a tall claim though as it only goes to 120%F which is good for making yogurt but too low for much else.  What it is good for is drying my filament.  I put the wet spool in and let it sit for 6 hours at 120%F and it dried quite nicely.  One of the major feature of the device is that it folds down flat for storage so it takes very little room when not in use.

Here's a link to the device https://brodandtaylor.com/collections/bread-baking/products/folding-proofer-slow-cooker

I have no affiliation other than being a satisfied user of it.  If you like to make bread and want t a device that can do dual purpose as a filament dryer you might want to give this a look.  I put 2 rolls in it, but it can easily fit 4.

Cheers

-Bob