Building a Home Mud Pit - what to use

[Fred588]

A couple of replies to your observations:

1. The sides of my bentonite pit are, in fat, approximately vertical.

2. My bentonite pit is actually over five feet deep in most places. The bottom is not quite level so the depth varies a little.

3. The thickness (viscosity) of my bentonite pit has been kept, for several years, at the point where we have to frequently add water because the models say they feel stuck. The videos you refer to may be from a different producer or perhaps from ten or so years ago. Sometimes the bentonite pit will have a layer of water at the surface but this is just after a storm has occurred. Sometimes the surface is actually cracked from dryness but this condition only survives for a single scene.

Good luck @mud_dreamer !
Please keep us posted on your progress. Probably too late to recommend photographing as you go (although a blow-by-blow guide for others to follow / be inspired by would be something to consider!).
Very exciting to see more people making their own pits.

Thanks WesternSoupyMud.
MY inspiration came when a heavy rain absolutely destroyed my plans of getting out a few more times this season. My 2 or 3 decent stream/river locations are currently under 3 feet of water.

I also want to be able sink in the nude without worrying about being seen.

I am taking photos and I do plan to post them here at some point. I realize now that I rushed into this (which is a characteristic of mine) but I am glad that I started. I am going to slow down a bit to avoid any major mistakes. So far I am happy with how it is going. I am especially happy that the soil is almost perfect.

One thing that I am noting about bentonite pits from the QS videos is that it is relatively thin and very slippery. I keep noting that the models typically slide carefully up to the edge and carefully drop vs slide in. This is making me concerned that my original plan has too steep and deep of sides. I am also noting that many of the bentonite pits are not very deep. This allows one to essentially take a mud bath in the pit versus simply standing up in it. I realize that some of that is to show off the sexy models when they are covered in glossy grey clay.

So today I am going to rethink the design. I am at 3 feet deep. The opening is 6 x 4. My tendency at this point is to stretch the 6 feet out to 8 or even 10 feet and create steps. I may not go much deeper than the 3 feet at the deep end. I am glad that I do not have any large trees at either end.

[mud_dreamer]

Thanks Fred588. I was wondering about how steep the sides can be without worrying about a cave-in if the surrounding soil gets too wet. I do have a plan to hold back the top foot or so using 1/2 inch plywood. I realize that the clay will push against the sides and tend to keep the soil from moving.

Thanks Fred588 for the free Studio588 sample DVD footage that you provided me. The first scene of Stormy Night jumping into about 5 foot of what I assume is bentonite. I love how she goes under and then just floats up to chest deep. I assume that she is buoyant at that point. That is a feeling that I crave to experience. It would not be hard for me to add another foot in the deepest point and make it 6 feet total. The dimensions of that area will be around 2 foot by 3 foot. That scene alone motivates me to keep pushing ahead. I plan on ordering the full video of that. Hopefully it is available.

Barefooter, good mention. For traction on the steps I will use cheap 1 inch thick concrete pavers. I can remove the corner to avoid a sharp edge.

Another idea that came to me is about heating it. I have a friend with a pretty good-sized swimming pool. He was showing me how he heats it by just using a black rubber garden hose laying in the sun. He has a small pump to circulate it. He said it gets to be like bath water.

I have plumbing and electrical skills so I may use copper piping in the pit. I am also thinking about having a storage container for hot water to use for rinsing. The container would be up on the top of the hill in the sun, about 50 foot vertical. Hoses and wires (GFI protected) can lay on the ground here with no worry. It is private land and very wooded.

Today I will finish assembling the frame and cover, disassembling it, hauling it to the location and reassembling it. I'll share a picture of the completed frame and cover. Tomorrow I plan to set it in place over the pit and finish the digging.

The liner will be next. I have worked with a local landscaper who does ponds and waterfalls. He should have some heavy duty stuff. Maybe I can get some remnants at a discount. The liner really only has to overlap a little to be good enough. The pressure of the clay should keep it in place.

[mud_dreamer]

Ok, so I have the frame and cover built. I realize that this is not going to be a natural looking pit like the ones used in Studio 588. I have to contend with animals ... deer, raccoons, fox, possum, and last but not least, skunks. Imagine having a skunk spray in the pit. I also have to contend with the possibility that humans could wander through here. Then there are pine needles and squirrels and birds dropping whatever. Rain, snow, leaves... I had to make a cover.

I hope to find some outdoor carpeting that I can use to hide the cover. Any advise/ideas are welcome.

[Fred588]

Ok, so I have the frame and cover built. I realize that this is not going to be a natural looking pit like the ones used in Studio 588. I have to contend with animals ... deer, raccoons, fox, possum, and last but not least, skunks. Imagine having a skunk spray in the pit. I also have to contend with the possibility that humans could wander through here. Then there are pine needles and squirrels and birds dropping whatever. Rain, snow, leaves... I had to make a cover.

I hope to find some outdoor carpeting that I can use to hide the cover. Any advise/ideas are welcome.

Just go to yur nearest Home Depot or Lowe's. Outdoor carpet is very cheap and you don't need much.

[Mynock]

Nice job on the cover! Just a recommendation, I've had great success with using truck bed coating (spray can) to protect wood that's in contact with the ground. If you spray that on the underside it should last for years without rotting out on you.

[mud_dreamer]

Nice job on the cover! Just a recommendation, I've had great success with using truck bed coating (spray can) to protect wood that's in contact with the ground. If you spray that on the underside it should last for years without rotting out on you.

Thanks Mynock. I will be taking some pictures of the installed frame and cover soon. It is almost completely installed over the semi-dug pit. I underestimated how the steep slope would affect the frame support. I ended up needing to put block walls under the frame. It is turning out to be more work than I planned, but it will be very solid. I also have ideas of using it as a sitting deck (without rails). It really is a beautiful location for connecting to nature.

The deer are watching me. A mink ran through the area. Squirrels are barking at me.

One thing that I did not consider before starting this is how it will react to freezing. The ground will heave a little and raise the frame and cover. That should not be a problem. The top of the clay will freeze and expand. Hopefully it will expand like water and move upward not outward.

[cududes]

All right, I rented a backhoe and dug the pit. I'll have to let you know how it works next spring.

[Hardcorercker13]

Hi all, resurecting this thread to get some advise. I'm new to this hobby but my wife and I are still young so we built a Bentonite Clay pit. 5x5x3.5 ft Deep. Used a massive stock tank in the garage with a pool heater to warm it during the winter. It was great but after a few months it started to smell. I did add esstential oils, eposon salt, and some peroxcide, but not much of a change.

Wife wants a new pit. I'm thinking pure Peat this time. Or maybe "Moor Mud" (https://ndnr.com/peat-therapy-the-newes ... py-around/) which is 75% Peat, 25% clay~roughly. I think I prefer just peat though, since it's antimicrobial. (https://ucanr.edu/blog/coastal-gardener ... ie-antoine)

Questions:
If I go with peat, what are some brands you'd recomend based on quaility. I like fine, dark thick peat, that's found in forests or near ponds. Seems like a lot of the stuff that's sold online is cut witrh wood chips though. Let me know!

Any tips for keeping it "clean?" lol Open to any advise. I hope peat will naturally be better at maintaining a healthier ecosystem but let me know if I'm wrong, or if there's a trick to it!

Thanks! Hope everyone has a fun summer!!

[dlodoski]

Don't know what part of the country you're in, but I have found that DIY stores (Lowe's, Home Depot) carry different brands of peat, by region.

And the stuff is generally ground up tree bark and other stuff - not actual wood. So it's kind of hit or miss. The best stuff I ever found came from Lowes In Santa Clarita CA.

There will be other replies to this, no doubt. But I will say that I've never had clay 'go bad'. Other than a little bleach during the initial mix, I would avoid introducing any contaminants.

[Fred588]

I find it hard to believe that any reputable store would sell ground up wood as peat moss, unless it was already fully decayed. As wood decays it will actually LOWER the amount of nitrogen in the soil, temporarily, which is not what one would want to add to a garden soil. One of the advantahes of sphagnum peat moss is that it holds moisture but resists decaying. I have noted that much of what is sold as compost or compost/manure IS ground up wood chips and bark. Make sure the label says peat moss. As for bentonite clay, this is a mineral product so should not be capable of decaying. I find it does have a slight odor to it. Perhaps better ventilation of the area wold be helpful.