Water-to-clay powder ratio?

[billy-o]

Hi, all. I'm planning to make a clay bath, and I'm trying to determine the ratio of clay powder to water for a good thickness -- thin enough to settle into but thick enough for decent resistance and sensation against the skin. I'm thinking maybe a 1:2 weight ratio of clay powder to water, but if that's way off I'd like to know before I try it. If it matters, I might go with Old Mine #3 clay.

Does that 1:2 ratio seem about right? Thanks in advance for your advice!

[Fred588]

You need to experiment. There are too many variable.

[TK421]

As Fred stated, you’re gonna need to experiment with a smaller batch to nail down the ratio that works best for you. What someone suggests might not be suitable for you specifically and vice versa. Get the clay that you feel will work best for your needs and before anything grab a couple of 2.5 quart graduated mixing cups. Start with 1 quart of your powdered clay and slowly pour your water in from the other cup keeping careful note on how much water you have put with your clay mix. Mix in as you go until you reach the consistency you want and write the final amount of water to 1 quart clay. The rest is all math to get your exact ratio.

Note*. This will get you in the ballpark figure of what you want. All clays behave differently with water and some absorb more than others so you may have to adjust as you go

[Mynock]

Might want to measure by weight, not by volume. Powdered clay is kind of like flour a cup of it in volume can vary in weight depending on how hard you pack it. For reference water is 8.5 lbs/gallon