Has anybody used one of these mini "dehumidifiers" to dry out filament as a substitute for buying a bunch of the desiccant beads? My filament seems OK, but I could do better to keep it dry.
On a related question, is "desiccant refresher" a thing, as in a reasonably small device that will heat a small quantity of those beads to something like 120ºC while keeping a slow air flow?
I didn't realize that the desiccant beads were able to be dried out. I thought they were single use. I have a bunch in the bottom of a Rubbermaid tote with a rubber foam sealed lid along with my filament. I don't know how to tell when the beads are "full" and started thinking about a more recyclable approach. After thinking about it a bit, I should probably get a humidity meter.
Also if you're using blue indicating silica gel, NPS recommends that you wear gloves, lab coat, safety goggles and respirator with HEPA when handling it. I'm guessing they'e talking about larger quantities, but you probably want to minimise any amount of cobalt chloride you inhale or get in contact with your skin.
The manufacturer of the desiccant beads I got strongly advised to not microwave them since the very sudden change from bound liquid water to steam can lead to the beads bursting/cracking. Slowly drying them in an oven at the recommended temperature (can depend by manufacturer, mine said 110-120°C) is the better choice.
you can dry them back out in an oven, or in a food dehydrator. I dry my desiccant out when I put filament through the dehydrator (the dehydrator takes out most of the moisture- especially on things like TPU or PETG- the desiccant takes the rest out- and keeps it out)