# Air-dry clay and hot temperatures

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/air-dry-clay-and-hot-temperatures/665448>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [August 5, 2013, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/air-dry-clay-and-hot-temperatures/665448 "2013-08-05T23:36:50Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![EmilyG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emilyg/32/364_2.png) [@EmilyG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmilyG)\
**Post date:** [August 5, 2013, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/air-dry-clay-and-hot-temperatures/665448/1 "2013-08-05T23:36:50Z")

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If it’s very hot outside, and you leave a (sealed, unopened, never been opened) package of air-dry clay out in the hot weather, will the clay harden?

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**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\
**Post date:** [August 6, 2013, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/air-dry-clay-and-hot-temperatures/665448/2 "2013-08-06T03:14:38Z")

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As long as the clay has moisture it will stay soft, you may get sme surface hardening depending on how it is packed. I have been working with a lot of natural earth clays recently and air drying them, if I leave them in tupperware out side I get some surface hardening but it softens back up when I work it.