Building a Home Mud Pit - what to use

[Mynock]

I'm 99% sure could go to that depth. When one of the adjacent properties had a well drilled the contractor had to put 40 feet of casing in before they got down to bedrock. Our soil is rocky but most of the rocks are fist sized or smaller. If I actually go through with this will just rent a small Back Hoe for the grunt work, 1 day rental on something like that is pretty reasonable when you think about how much time and energy it would take with a shovel.

[Sydney]

Hopefully we'll be able to get a better idea of what our particular backyard has sometime this year in terms of diggable depth.

Odds are good I'll need to make some sort of cover for it, at any rate, if only because I want to get things to where I can host parties who may not know.

[Mynock]

Build a flowerbox that will cover it, set it on some 2x4s for skids. When you want access just drag it out of the way. Probably would help with the evaporation issue too.

[Chimerix]

I always thought that a piece of large culvert would make a great liner for a pit. One of the big concrete beasts they use under roads, maybe 6' diameter and at long as you want the pit to be deep. Give it a coat of swimming pool paint just for giggles; should last 75 years or so.

[QSMud]

My problem is that I can’t find bagged bentonite or dry clay anywhere near me! I used to live in a location that had a ceramic supply store and maybe I am looking in the wrong places, but the closest ceramic supply store says the only dry clay supplier is 6 hours away.

[Fred588]

My problem is that I can’t find bagged bentonite or dry clay anywhere near me! I used to live in a location that had a ceramic supply store and maybe I am looking in the wrong places, but the closest ceramic supply store says the only dry clay supplier is 6 hours away.

You have not said where you are located but sodium bentonite clay is used for the following purposes, among others:

1) As a binder for feed given to cattle. Therefore, try hardware stores in areas where there are cattle ranches. I get mine from the local True Value hardware store. If your True Value doesn't carry it, ask if they can order it.

2) As a lubricant in oilwell drilling and also to seal old oil or water wells. Therefore, try a wholesaler in well drilling supplies. Note that the bentonite used in oil well drilling might contain other ingredients so make sure you know if any of those are hazardous.

3) As a material to seal farm ponds and possibly other sorts of containment ponds. I am afraid you might find that you might have to order a whole truckload from suppliers in this business.

The clay used in ceramics is NOT bentonite and has some very different properties. Bentonite is a "swelling" clay, which means it swells when it gets wet. That would be fatal to any effort to make a clay pot but its exactly what you want for the above purposes

[QSMud]

Thanks... lots of good info and I still need to hunt around. I experimented with unscented clumping kitty litter, but it’s much more expensive and takes awhile to grind up with drill and mixer attachment, and still ends up not as smooth as desired, possibly due to impurities.

There is a local tractor supply store.... online it looks like they only have calcium bentonite with diatomaceous earth. Not the same as sodium bentonite!

As far as the pottery clay, I also realize the properties are not the same, but at one time I had a tub full of pottery clay. It was silky and smooth, but heavy. (Made when I could find 50lb bags of dry clay for cheap.)

[Fred588]

Most clumping kitty litter IS bentonite, albeit, as you say, MUCH more expensive. In my experience just adding water will soften it in a day or so. Sometimes the bagged bentonite comes in similar particles.

Calcium bentonite is almost the same thing and will swell when wet. However, it will not swell as much so you will need more of it.

Indeed other forms of clay can be used to make a mud pit. Around here I have a similar problem as you in that ordinary, albeit pure, clay is not available anywhere within about 100 miles. Therefore, while bulk clay is very cheap at the source the cost of trucking it makes it expensive.

Thanks... lots of good info and I still need to hunt around. I experimented with unscented clumping kitty litter, but it’s much more expensive and takes awhile to grind up with drill and mixer attachment, and still ends up not as smooth as desired, possibly due to impurities.

There is a local tractor supply store.... online it looks like they only have calcium bentonite with diatomaceous earth. Not the same as sodium bentonite!

As far as the pottery clay, I also realize the properties are not the same, but at one time I had a tub full of pottery clay. It was silky and smooth, but heavy. (Made when I could find 50lb bags of dry clay for cheap.)

[QSMud]

So what about this? Still seems a bit expensive:

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/produ ... _vc=-10005

[Fred588]

WAY too expensive and I think you would find the diatomaceous earth not beneficial. First it will be very scratchy and then it will sink. In my area a 50 pound bag of sodium bentonite (brand name is Wyoming Bentonite or WyoBen) is currently 10.50.

So what about this? Still seems a bit expensive:

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/produ ... _vc=-10005