This summer the wife and we're thinking of making a mud pit in the basement to have some fun in. We want it to last for sometime but I have zero experiance with his sort of thing. Some questions include what type of clay? I read benonite is really good for skin and nice and sloppy. Anyone use that before? Will it get rock hard if i don't use the pool for a few days? What other concerns should I have? Can it go bad? Mold or anything if I plan to keep it for a few months? I just have no knowledge on the topic. Please help. Thanks a ton.
In the past I've kept buckets of clay for months and months at a time. It doesn't seem to go mouldy. The trick is to keep it wet; I used to cover it in a wet towel, and to mix it every few weeks with more water. If you leave it too long it will stiffen up. But even hardened clay can be rejuvinated; just chop it into little bits, soak overnight and re-mix.
I've only tried getting the big block from Michaels, it's 10 pounds. It was a lot of work to mix it. I'm thinking of buying 50 pounds of dry clay powder online, has anyone had experience with this?
If you can find a pottery shop, I'd highly recommend the bentonite clay. We've discussed a bunch on here, (might search 'bentonite' for more info) but if you can find it in a really fine mesh size, mix it up a few days before and let it set for a while, you will be in for a treat. (it will be really lumpy/clumpy for the first 24 hours, but after it has time to fully hydrate, will be a slippery smooth mess)
It will be a bit translucent on its own, so if you want coverage, look for some cheap 'ball clay' to mix in. Again, the finer mesh, the better... and look to let it set for ~24 hours to get fully hydrated.
Buying powdered clay and mixing with your water will be the best 'bang for the buck', otherwise you're paying to ship water which you can freely get out of your tap.
As far as going bad, I've never noticed any issues over a week or two. Though if you intend to use it heavily and for a long time, you might consider treating it like a pool or hot-tub and adding a bit of chlorine or bromine every now and then.
How do you do your mixing? I read people on here say buy a drill bit that is used to mix compounds but then I also read you should not use metals in bentonite. Any tips and tricks to the ratios. I read 5 lbs of bentonite to 3 gallons of water should make nice clay. Anything further anyone could add would be very helpful.
I use bentonite for volume and white or brown pottery clay (powdered) for colour. I mix with a metal mixer - it has corroded a bit after use but I did also put a lot of salt in to help keep nasties at bay. I've also used hot tub chemicals in it before but unless you're doing 3 tons worth as I did I think the chlorine tablets will be too strong. Maybe one broken in half. It takes a few weeks to go stagnant if you use no chlorine or salt but its still perfectly useable just a bit smelly, nowhere near as bad as river mud though! - with chlorine and treating it it lasts probably double that
Oh really I had no idea it goes smelly. Hmm... That's no good. Wife does not want to add chemicals after talking to her on the topic. So if we make a batch on average what do you get out of it before I gets a scent?
kaolin clay, what they use for porcelain, is the absolute best for adhesion, texture, and clean up in my experience. Go for the powder. Buying a block takes forever to break down.
messyant86 said: How do you do your mixing? I read people on here say buy a drill bit that is used to mix compounds but then I also read you should not use metals in bentonite. Any tips and tricks to the ratios. I read 5 lbs of bentonite to 3 gallons of water should make nice clay. Anything further anyone could add would be very helpful.
A couple of bodies wrestling around always seems to be the best way to mix the clay. Add a third if you want the mixing to go faster! Never heard the 'not use metals'... bentonite is also used in the oil industry...pipes, drilling, etc, so there is no bad reaction with any metal, though you obviously wouldn't want to use a big lead spoon to stir it up.
Trying to remember what ratios I've used. 5lbs/3 gallons sound about right. Bentonite expands many times its own volume as it hydrates, so a little goes a long way. Conversely, everyone has their own 'ideal' texture and you can always add more water to make it thinner, but hard to wait several days for it to dry back down. So best to start 'too thick' and add more water as needed.
As far as a mask, I've always mixed outside, so dust is a minimal issue. Though if mixing in a basement, steps to minimize the dust would be helpful, and if it got really thick, a mask might help. Bentonite is used all over the food and cosmetic industry, so it's more of a nuisance issue than a health hazard.
Bentonite is Awesome but not great for coverage but still good fun....Send me a PM if you want some more info. The picture is Bentonite from Messy Supplies and loads for a good time. Don't stress about the duration. Keep it cool and covered it will last months!
Love you, too
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