Drying plate



Before pyrolyzing the plate and annealing the metal oxides, it is helpful to dry the plate at a more moderate temperature. There are several options for this.
 * Gently heat on a hotplate.
 * Warm in an oven.
 * Allow to slowly air-dry.

The recommended method is oven drying. A hotplate that is too warm may crack the glass, and air drying may not work at all, because some metal nitrate salts are quite hygroscopic.